For all of its ambition Deadfall Adventures is sadly plagued by issues and shortcomings that are the obvious result of being a smaller scaled and therefore smaller budgeted title than the triple-A juggernauts it is trying to measure up to. However, given that there are so few Indiana Jones style games out there it may still prove to be worth a look regardless as it fills that void rather nicely.
Where the game suffers most is in it's presentation and storytelling. The plot simply isn't very interesting and I never grew to like the two leads. Something that was in part due to how miscast their voice actors felt. The protagonist sounds like an old man and his attractive sidekick has the worst faux British accent I've ever heard. The rest of the cast doesn't fare any better. It's evident that nobody who got behind the mic knew how to act. The writing is nothing more than a bunch of clichés.
Deadfall's mix of shooting and puzzle solving does a much a better job of holding its own. The firefights aren't really anything to write home about. The undead mummy enemies you'll encounter can prove memorable thanks to the unique approach of using your flashlight to make them vulnerable before you can finish them off, but the human foes are incredibly dull in combat and have lackluster AI. Aiming is a little stiff as well. The brainteasers in the game are cleverly designed and actually made it feel like I was someone competent enough to belong in a tomb deciphering the mysteries left behind by ancient civilizations and deactivating centuries-old booby-traps. They really sell the feeling of adventure as do the environments. The graphics are dated and a little muddy, but the design of the locales themselves is interesting and they are filled with hidden secrets and side-paths that lead to optional treasures. On top of these diversionary collectibles often having some of the game's most memorable puzzles tied to them, each treasure you find can be used to level yourself up at certain intervals. Thus it's worth getting off the beaten path.
I would have preferred something a little more open-ended as this is a much more traditional first-person shooter than I was expecting and Deadfall is at its best when it's diving as deep into its archeological inspirations as it can. No aspect of the gameplay is really as smooth or polished as anyone would want, but I found a memorable adventure here anyways. It's able to provide exciting moments such as a standout mine cart ride that rivals Temple of Doom itself, despite not having much going on story-wise. I should also mention that the multiplayer portion of the game is completely dead and the survival mode isn't much to speak of. Simply put, this is a highly-flawed package that is all about the single-player experience.
There are plenty of treasures to be found within Deadfall. They're just small and are going to require some digging. If you find yourself up to the task of overlooking a constant stream of deficiencies then this may just be a game for you. I know I enjoyed my time with it as I've always had a soft spot for the smaller, more imaginative projects out there that are executed just competently enough to be playable, but not enough so to really blow anyone away.
7/10
Where the game suffers most is in it's presentation and storytelling. The plot simply isn't very interesting and I never grew to like the two leads. Something that was in part due to how miscast their voice actors felt. The protagonist sounds like an old man and his attractive sidekick has the worst faux British accent I've ever heard. The rest of the cast doesn't fare any better. It's evident that nobody who got behind the mic knew how to act. The writing is nothing more than a bunch of clichés.
Deadfall's mix of shooting and puzzle solving does a much a better job of holding its own. The firefights aren't really anything to write home about. The undead mummy enemies you'll encounter can prove memorable thanks to the unique approach of using your flashlight to make them vulnerable before you can finish them off, but the human foes are incredibly dull in combat and have lackluster AI. Aiming is a little stiff as well. The brainteasers in the game are cleverly designed and actually made it feel like I was someone competent enough to belong in a tomb deciphering the mysteries left behind by ancient civilizations and deactivating centuries-old booby-traps. They really sell the feeling of adventure as do the environments. The graphics are dated and a little muddy, but the design of the locales themselves is interesting and they are filled with hidden secrets and side-paths that lead to optional treasures. On top of these diversionary collectibles often having some of the game's most memorable puzzles tied to them, each treasure you find can be used to level yourself up at certain intervals. Thus it's worth getting off the beaten path.
I would have preferred something a little more open-ended as this is a much more traditional first-person shooter than I was expecting and Deadfall is at its best when it's diving as deep into its archeological inspirations as it can. No aspect of the gameplay is really as smooth or polished as anyone would want, but I found a memorable adventure here anyways. It's able to provide exciting moments such as a standout mine cart ride that rivals Temple of Doom itself, despite not having much going on story-wise. I should also mention that the multiplayer portion of the game is completely dead and the survival mode isn't much to speak of. Simply put, this is a highly-flawed package that is all about the single-player experience.
There are plenty of treasures to be found within Deadfall. They're just small and are going to require some digging. If you find yourself up to the task of overlooking a constant stream of deficiencies then this may just be a game for you. I know I enjoyed my time with it as I've always had a soft spot for the smaller, more imaginative projects out there that are executed just competently enough to be playable, but not enough so to really blow anyone away.
7/10