My vast Steam library finally includes a game beginning with the letter Y! It was a tough choice, but after pondering your suggestions and perusing the relevant shelves in the world’s largest video game emporium, I eventually managed to turn a three-game shortlist into a decision. Tonight, Matthew, I’m going to be Jonathan Hunt, a Hungarian-American author who’s returned to the land of his ancestors in search of inspiration, adventure, and answers.
While I was leaning in the direction of Yakuza: Like a Dragon initially, energetic lobbying by my foxer-fashioning pal and colleague, Roman, ultimately persuaded me to plump for Yoomurjak’s Ring, a £9 point-and-click adventure starring the picturesque Hungarian city of Eger.
Going in, I had slight concerns that Private Moon Studios’ 2006 oddity would turn out to be a thinly-disguised interactive guide book with clumsily translated text and poorly dubbed dialogue (the game was financed by Eger’s tourist board and made for the Hungarian market) but happily these fears proved unfounded.
A brief sally yesterday evening revealed well acted FMV, passable English subtitles, good pacing, and a fun if far-fetched plot.
I nodded approvingly at a movement system not dissimilar to Google Street View’s (the city is conjured up using 800 contiguous 360° photographs) and a street plan that stubbornly refused to tell me exactly where I was.
I was introduced to a classic of Hungarian literature I’d never heard of, and had a charming encounter with a character I suspect I’m going to see more of in coming days.
Assuming the puzzles in Yoomurjak’s Ring aren’t maddeningly difficult or hideously contrived, I think I’m going to enjoy my one and only Y game.
Woah, nice find! Yoomurjak’s Ring is calling me, thank you for the info, honourable Doctor Stone San.
I played a couple of the Yakuzas. Admittedly, only because of the fishing minigame: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mhuxCPPyNqo
Oh yes, and the golf: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Hv_miZV7Q9g
PS. Speaking of fishing minigames, isn’t there a Steamed fishy festival of fish incoming? I know you did a list of fish-o sims at the Flare Path with Alice & Co, so perhaps time to refresh the carp-ish keep net? Incredibly, my favourite remains the fish-o-sim in RDR2. Why isn’t there a dedicated fishing sim better than this?! I know Far Cry 5 has a fishy mechanic but I never tried it. I really wanted to like Ultimate Fishing Simulator but even that was nowhere near as “fresh” as RDR2 for me. Are fresher fish available?
PPS. Scourge of War Gettysburg Remastered (Standalone version) review incoming? Bit of a cock up wasn’t it, with good Mr Timpko’s swiftly-removed-from-sale DLC leaving a bunch of bemused boomers baffled hehe. Cheers big ears!
PPPS. Gavin..? GAVIN! (RDR2 reference)
Thanks for drawing my attention to the Scourge of War Remastered – Gettysburg situation. Chances are I’ll try the standalone version next week and post some thoughts.
I’ve not fished in a while. The genre looks a tad stagnant. If there are new titles about, I’ve not noticed them.
Two thoughts :
– Congratulations for having at least a game for each alphabet letter !
– There are no many websites on the Internet on which Yoomurjak’s Ring > Yakuza series 🙂 . Thanks for this kind of refreshing articles.
Morale +1. Thanks.