Gemini Rue Reviews

[CheekyBoinc]

I want to share some reviews with you
Find more and i will extend the list.

English:

Gamezebo

"Gemini Rue is a truly excellent game that deserves to be a big hit. Adventure fans should absolutely not let this one pass by."

German:

4players 78%

"Dieses kleine Cyberpunk-Adventure im alten Stil macht mehr Spaß als manch groß angekündigtes Abenteuer. "

[DaveGilbert]

Thanks!  I hadn't seen the Gamezebo one.  I've been posting all the reviews on the press page here: http://www.wadjeteyegames.com/geminirue.htm?page=press

[StingingVelvet]

Have you sent the game out to press sites Dave?  I was surprised to see no day-one adventuregamers.com review.

[DaveGilbert]

AG has already done a preview and a write-up announcing the demo - all within the same week.  So I guess they decided to wait a day or two before putting the review up.  I know they have it.

[saikofish]

You mean this adventurergamers.com review? Looks like it just went up this morning

I disagree with reviewer's assessment of the frequency of Nathan's music! But to each his own I suppose.

[StingingVelvet]

I disagree with reviewer's assessment of the frequency of Nathan's music! But to each his own I suppose.

I can kind of agree with it... I'm not too far in but I do wish the music played more often so far.

One longshot you might want to try Dave is giantbomb.com.  They don't typically do quicklooks of adventure games but they did do Machinarium and I think the cyberpunk feel of the game might appeal to them.  They're more about unique videos than mainstream games sometimes.

[Nathan Allen Pinar]

"I can kind of agree with it... I'm not too far in but I do wish the music played more often so far."

Josh and I decided to take a bit of a half-life approach in this, where music appears in the more important elements, while sound can be a score in itself. Some people like it, some people don't. Some people don't like music AT ALL. Can't please everyone!

[Majestic12]

"I can kind of agree with it... I'm not too far in but I do wish the music played more often so far."

Josh and I decided to take a bit of a half-life approach in this, where music appears in the more important elements, while sound can be a score in itself. Some people like it, some people don't. Some people don't like music AT ALL. Can't please everyone!

It's a bit done the Broken Sword way right now except less frequently - I did miss a bit more music myself.

I'm writing a bit of a review myself - basically, it's a great game except for some niggles - good solid story, great backdrops, good voices for the most part. The negatives for me would be that it's a bit too easy, the "cop" part recycles locations way too much (two apartment buildings with about 30-40 people who live there yet it seems everyone you need lives in one of those two - a bit far fetched) and there's far too much running back and forward here + some puzzles that felt rather odd.

I think the recycling part is my main negative though - if you had added a map letting you move to different locations instead of just linking them up, it would have worked much better AND felt more realistic.

Ironically, my all time favorite game is Beneath A Steel Sky which kinda did the same thing - an ENORMOUS city and then you land in the exact place where everyone you need lives. It was also my biggest criticism of that game though, the way you couldn't really explore the city. Still, it did bug more in Gemini Rue since I constantly had to walk up and down staircases.

[Nathan Allen Pinar]

A lot of people expect MMO scaled games now adays. I think that's the main issue. After-all the game, for an AGS game, is rather huge. 80 rooms.

I'm sticking by the music decision though. I've played a lot of point and click adventure games that play the music, and it never stops. As a result I end up shutting it off.

That being said, there are a few places where I could've added more. But I stopped at a certain point as I was worried about ruining the atmosphere by putting too much music in. In the reviews I've read, that seems to be the right decision.

[DaveGilbert]

Interesting discussion!  I admit that linking up all the locations in Gemini Rue did help feel the world more cohesive and immersive, Contrary to the Blackwell series where you have a map that zaps you all over the city and directly into someone's apartment or office.  It makes the city feel more "big" (since it's new york) but you don't feel as immersed in the place since you don't actually walk around in it.  As with everything, it depends on the game and what you're trying to achieve with it.  With Gemini, the atmosphere and setting is front and center, so it's important that you immerse yourself in the world.  With Blackwell, it's the characters that are front and center, so it's more important that you have easy access to them.  At least, that's my take on it. 

[Majestic12]

Interesting discussion!  I admit that linking up all the locations in Gemini Rue did help feel the world more cohesive and immersive, Contrary to the Blackwell series where you have a map that zaps you all over the city and directly into someone's apartment or office.  It makes the city feel more "big" (since it's new york) but you don't feel as immersed in the place since you don't actually walk around in it.  As with everything, it depends on the game and what you're trying to achieve with it.  With Gemini, the atmosphere and setting is front and center, so it's important that you immerse yourself in the world.  With Blackwell, it's the characters that are front and center, so it's more important that you have easy access to them.  At least, that's my take on it. 

I like combining the two as has been done in Broken Sword where you started at the café and could go through the sewers, end up in the court yard of some estate and could exit where you'd end up on the street where some worker was doing his thing. You also had Hotel Ubu like that and many other parts like Ireland, Spain, Syria, etc. Despite those, you still had a map to travel around. A good mix of the two where you still have a sense of scale without losing immersion.

Realistically, I think you have to admit that having everyone live in the same two buildings does feel a little silly. For me it actually breaks immersion because it feels so unrealistic. It feels like a tiny world of three or four streets. Generally, I always end up enjoying games more if you have a sense of scale.

[frederic09]

here's a french review from Jeuxvideo.com : http://www.jeuxvideo.com/articles/0001/00014418-gemini-rue-test.htm

[Simplex]

Positive review on Polish site GameCorner.pl:
http://gamecorner.pl/gamecorner/1,95726,9168922,Alternatywy_44__Gemini_Rue.html

[Grimm]

A few reviews from Poland, all very positive.

http://gameplay.pl/news.asp?ID=57650
This one calls Gemini Rue one of the finest adventure games in recent years  - 90%

http://www.przygodoskop.pl/558/recenzja.htm
"Not a masterpiece, but definitely one of the most fresh and innovative adventure games that have come out in the last few years" - 4/5

http://www.gamezilla.pl/content/recenzja-gemini-rue
"Joshua Nuernberger's storytelling in this independent masterpiece leaves far behind the majority of modern computer games. It's not only fun, but it also poses important questions about human nature, what really makes us what we are and what determines our behavior." - 9/10