Apes, Witches, Zombies OH MY - Let's Play Ben Jordans 1-8

Okay, first thing's first, what I have of the update today isn't exactly complete. I have some minor constraints that mean I can only give you part of it. But this part does include 74 screenshots and a good bit of text, so I think it's a good starting point.

Also, I do realize these first three photos are not all the same size, so sorry about that.

Finally, I don't have a definite upload schedule, but I want at least something up every other day. Now let's begin.

Part 0: Intro


An early room from an Adventure Creator game.

After the commercial success of adventure games like Space Quest IV: Roger Wilco and the Time Rippers, Chris Jones, a British programmer, released Adventure Creator, later known as Adventure Game Studio (AGS). Adventure Creator allowed users to create low resolution, keyboard controlled games.


A room from Lassi Quest, the first complete AGS game.

While initially only small demos were released in Adventure Creator, the community grew and grew, and along with it Adventure Creator became more and more of an actual toolkit. Lassi Quest, the first full-length game (kind of) was released in late 1999.


A scene from Pleurghburg: Dark Ages, the winner for Best AGS Game in 2001.

Starting in 2001, the AGS community also started handing out awards for Best AGS Game, Best Gameplay, Best Story, etc., making it easier to sort out the spectacular games from the less so. Which brings me back to the series I enlisted to play… the Ben Jordan series.



The first game in the series to win an award was Ben Jordan III: The Sorceress of Smailholm, in 2004. However, being that I have decided to LP the entire series, I’m starting with the first game, Ben Jordan: In Search of the Skunk-Ape, released May 28, 2004.

So let’s begin, shall we?



The game begins with the titular protagonist, Ben Jordan, giving some background information.





Really?! A kid fresh out of college DOESN’T want a job at the local grocery store? WHO WOULD’VE GUESSED?!?!?!?!



Kind of have to agree with your family there, Ben. You’re kind of dumb.




And here we meet our protagonist, aka the human manifestation of everything dumb in this world. This guy makes Roger Wilco look experienced and intelligent.



Deifdsifdsiodfhsoifsdf Wha?!?!?! WHA?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!

REALLY? You’re basing your entire argument for your (completely ridiculous) career choice off of a TV show? What? How insane are you?

(Then again if it wasn’t for his insanity, there’d be no game to play, so I guess I should just shut up and continue on with the game now.)



Oh thank god. I don’t think I could hear you justify yourself again.




So you’ve already reached the status that you can refer to yourself as a king of business even though you’ve been on the job for all of *checks watch* no time whatsoever?



(The phone rings).






Well that went pretty well I must say. He’s been on the job for fifteen seconds and has already got a decent case.

Well guys that’s about it, I’ll see you again in another – nah, just kidding. I’m not that evil.

(Though I forgot to add the image code for the screenshots BEFORE I wrote my script, so the next post will take a good fifteenish minutes. I'll fix this next update.)

Part 1: Analysis



And so we finally start the game!

(Well, kinda. We still have to sit through a bit more cutscene.)



One guess as to what happened to him.





This totally doesn’t coincide with the fact that Ben is a paranormal investigator or with the fact that we just heard about a Skunk-Ape.




CLEARLY.



Good idea.



Okay, so our interface is the standard icon-based Sierra adventure game interface, but for those not familiar with it, here’s the basics:

The Walk icon, to move the character around.

The Eye icon, to examine things.

The Hand icon, to interact with/pick up things.

The Mouth icon, to talk to people.

The inventory, where your items go so you can use them later.

For now, let’s keep talking to the ranger.








Wait… I thought there were three bodies, not five? Are we disregarding the tourists for some reason? OH MY GOD A RANGER’S DEAD!!! Oh, a tourist’s dead. Damn. Well, let’s just throw the body in the river, hopefully no one will notice.





This totally won’t come up in a puzzle later or be important in any way.

HE JUST SAID THAT.






Finally Ben Jordan is showing some common sense for once!





Because, you know, a 22-year-old with no combat experience is going to be able to take down A 300 POUND APE.





And because he is mentioned by name, of course he isn’t important at all and won’t ever be willing to follow us into the site.



Anyway, we’re finally done talking to that guy, so let’s just inspect this fridge.



And because I like a little kleptomania with my morning tea…





AGAIN. The fact that the Skunk-Ape eats livers will never come into play at all.

And another necessary puzzle item taken. Hoorah!



And now to go find Ranger Rick. We’re probably going to have to search for him for HOURS…



Or he could be directly outside the station. Convenient.




As I just said.




(Ernie’s the name of the other ranger, I didn’t do that conversation because I wasn’t going to add another ten screenshots for the sake of one.)



There. It’s settled. So he’ll accompany us to the site, we’ll defeat the monster, and everything will be fine…



OF COURSE IT WON’T. NOTHING EVER HAPPENS LIKE THAT.



In other words, you’re a huge coward.




What? Do you want me to travel to Brazil and infilatrate an armed-guard protected temple in the middle of a deadly, poisonous rainforest?










The good news: we have a cool new puzzle ahead of us.

The bad news: points-wise, we’re already one-fourth of the way through the game (after you talk to Rick, your points shoot up to 24 out of 100).

(Okay, that's really all for today.)

?

Confidence man! You've got good commentary!

I'm as self-depreciative as the next Canadian, but you gotta tell the reader that yes, you never heard of this game but I'm going to show you it and it's gonna be awesome.

Do you know if Yahtzee's "Trilby" quad-logy was built with AGS?

It's a hare, right?

Art, this is interesting reading so far, but you seem to be worrying too much about your update schedule. The first rule of LPing is chill out. If you can update every other day, great! If not, no worries, just put it up when it's done.

1. Yes.
2. OH GOD YES.
3. I want to LP that series at some time, too, since that series is exponentially better than this one (not that this one is bad, but there are some obvious flaws).

Part 2: Development


Now let’s go scavenge the barren wastelands to the west to see what scrap can be used to just barely fit the requirements necessary to continue.



Said wastelands include three screens (two if you count the fact that this one here scrolls to the left, meaning it’s technically one screen instead of two). For now, though, we can ignore this screen and continue north.




I totally have never heard that description anywhere before ever.





So the bush smells and sounds like the Skunk-Ape. We must therefore come to the logical conclusion that Ben STILL CAN’T PROVE THE SKUNK-APE EXISTS AND IS BEING STUPID.



And of course we’re doing this just because we can. This is not a necessary puzzle at all and will not help us get Skunk-Ape hair. Seriously.



Continuing back, we can now explore the last screen open to us.



Those won’t be necessary at all.











Really? Because I’m not convinced. At all. Are you really serious, Ben? Do you HONESTLY think this man is devoted to his cause? Protesting, helping the environment, and getting that angry REALLY make you think this man is devoted? REALLY?
You are a sad, sad child.

Continuing on, we have the last character we’ll see in the first act of the game.






So they’d be adequate for the second half of our amulet.




Because I’m lazy and don’t want ten somewhat superfluous screenshots, I’m only going to ask about the last two.








I actually kind of like the receptionist. Kind of a shame what we’re going to do to her nine screenshots from now.



But first, we have to know WHY we have to do it to her. So let’s just take that fossil we need…



Fantastic. Well, time for another puzzle!

(Except I accidentally took the screenshot I wanted just before I completed the puzzle. So… to the future!)



A knife, you say. Well…



I hate this puzzle. It’s the most clever puzzle in the game, but… still.






And another thing about this puzzle. How does it just so happen that the receptionist is DIRECTLY BEHIND the woman? And that whatever she’s cutting at the party doesn’t show up in the picture? I’ve never actually tried this before, but even to me it seems a bit contrived.




And again. This person is assumedly either alive or dead. If she’s alive, this couldn’t have happened. If she’s dead, the only way this could work is if coincidentally someone did stab her in the back. And even then they would know it wasn’t this receptionist. And since this guy clearly likes this environmentalist a lot, he’d know this stuff.

And to the hippie. This was probably a joke, but I once heard an environmentalist quote that went something like “Of course, the only way an environmentalist could truly help the environment is to shoot himself. Otherwise, he’s contaminating the environment just by being there.”





Ah well. One magical amulet element down. Now if only we had some Skunk-Ape hair.



YAY SOME SKUNK-APE HAIR!

That’s what I thought until I realized something else. I’ll give you a hint. What should be here that isn’t?

Where’s the bread? The Skunk-Ape doesn’t eat bread, only livers. Yet the bread is gone. The only possible explanation is that the Skunk-Ape somehow kicked the bread into the bush or possibly destroyed it so that it went flying everywhere, but again, CONTRIVANCES AHOY.



The good news: we have our amulet.

The bad news: that was the most complicated puzzle in the entire game. Go us.




Continuing soon with Part 3 as we finish up our first game…

While the LP is interesting in its own right, I can't say I'm a fan of the heavy-handed sarcasm or the "Ben is an idiot" schtick. It feels stilted and inauthentic. Besides, I'd rather hear why the game is worth playing (or at the very least, worth reading about) than "Gee, this sure is an adventure game puzzle."

It's possible to make fun of the game you're playing in an effective manner, but that approach tends to work best when you either love the game in spite of its flaws or are playing the type of game from which people typically recoil in horror. Preferably both.

I'm going to guess that this series improves after the first game, and this game is worthy of mocking where the later ones aren't.

(Though actually, if it doesn't, then Art's wails of despair could be entertaining, too.)

About half of these are pretty awesome and the other half are "well, that was contrived". The first one is certainly the latter. Thankfully for anyone who actually wants to see something good, I'd say the remake of the first game, as well as the third and fourth games, are on the "awesome" side (the second game is somewhere in the middle). On the other hand, there are some in the future so bad it'll be past the point of sarcasm and into the range of just screaming at the computer (I'm thinking of one point in particular right now).

I'll try to be a little leaner on the sarcasm. Thanks.

I wish I had an excuse this time around. But I don't. So yeah.

The next episode, which I regret to say is a bit shorter than the last two, should hopefully be up in the next few days. Til then, sorry for dying.

Adventure games are built around killing the player off as often as possible. Not really your fault. Just remember, as the Sierra On-line manuals said over and over, "save and save often"

Um.

I didn't slow down because I died. I once beat this game in three and a half minutes; if I died it would be another two or three to get back to where I was. Even if the game wasn't that short, there is no way to die in the game. At all.

No, the reason I haven't updated the LP is pure, unadulterated laziness. Which, once again, I am sorry for. I now have all the screenshots I need for the next update.

The good news for followers: I said the next update would be shorter than normal. I beg of you to pretend I never said that because it turns out this update was so big I'm going to upload it in two parts. I'm going to get the first part up by tonight and get the second part up tomorrow morning.

Wow. Okay, this may be out of the blue, but I'm REALLY glad about the feedback I've been getting. This feedback may seem normal for anyone who's been here for seven years, but for me it's life-changing. I'm used to Youtube, which might as well be "If you don't upload at least one video per week you have officially betrayed your family." I was really surprised when everyone was so positive about everything. Thank you so much.

Edit: Oh that's why you thought that. Yeah, when I said "sorry for dying", I meant dying as in not updating in a while. Sorry about that.

Dude, I think my magnum opus - my FFT LP - was nearly listed as abandoned twice.

Back when becoming abandoned required you to not post an update in six months.

You're still fine, trust me.

That's still the measuring stick we use for marking a LP abandoned. It goes on hiatus after two.

Also, Brick's LPs often go into hiatus and sometimes into abandoned.

Finally done with the script! And now for

Part 3: Final Action (1/2)




Continuing from earlier, Rick and Ben have found the site.











And we once again regain control of the character!

But we have to talk to Rick some more.









Item get!



Oh yeah, and that obvious looking path to the south? Useless. (The path to the right is the way they came from.)



Continuing on in the only direction we can, we have another item.

Funny thing about this item: It is a huge pain to pick up. You need to click on the item itself. You can’t just click on the area around the item. The problem with this is that the item is only a couple of pixels wide at its widest.



But eventually we manage to pick it up and continue into the cave.





Convenient.

We need to look in that huge pit in the middle of the screen, but currently it’s too dark to see what’s in it. So another puzzle is necessary!









Admittedly this probably isn’t the best puzzle they could’ve come up with for this, but it’s still better than “you combine two completely unrelated photographs and it somehow makes something viewable”, and at least it makes an adequate amount of sense.

Anyway, now to see what’s inside!





Um.

I have to say this really threw me off the first time I played this game. When a story gives you set parameters, you usually see certain things coming. If the story gives you a monster, you’re going to expect an epic story of one or more heroes going out to kill said monster. No more, no less. While it is a little odd, moments like this strengthen the player’s interest, and really help if you previously did something stupid like, say, a really contrived puzzle involving a hippie and a computer. This is probably the best moment in the game, and when I first saw this all or most of my initial skepticism went away, and I was really ready to see what happened next.









EXPOSITION









Surely nothing plot-thickening will happen between now and morning.

No they won’t. I’m not saying this to continue the “Ben is an idiot” schtick, either. In Game 7 (Game SEVEN, mind you, after Ben has solved SIX successful cases), Ben talks to his family again and they’re still extremely skeptical.























Normally I’d do another “surely nothing plot-thickening will happen during the night” joke again, but now it’s gone past cliché and into the realm of straight-up annoying. Could you at least try to make it less obvious that something is going to happen?









Hmm, wonder what that could be.







Hopefully I’ll be able to get Part 3 (2/2) up pretty speedily. Until then, that’s it.

I totally did not see that cocaine twist coming.

Ranger Rick would rather save the world than people, so he picks being a park ranger over a doctor? Whatever you need to tell yourself, man.

Part 3: Final Action (2/2)







I see you’re having a very enjoyable pool party. May I join?



Thank you Captain Obvious.











And of course the Skunk-Ape is just standing there nonchalantly while they’re having this conversation.







Oh come on, the least you can do is put these lines in the middle of the Skunk-Ape attack animation.





I think calling this “brutally violent” is a bit of a stretch, and I hope everyone else agrees. Thanks.



…

Really?

This thing is a 300-pound ape. Did you really think it was going to roll over and fetch your newspaper?





I do admit this game does have its share of actually well-written lines.

Villain Rulebook, Section 8, Regulation 2: All villains, after trapping their respective protagonists in a seemingly no-win scenario, must immediately and completely discuss all evil acts previously accomplished and all evil acts planned for the future, regardless of the protagonist’s possibility of escape and/or murder of the villain.



I really wish the characters had more than one talking animation. For instance, Ben’s four-frame animation shows him smiling a little, and it really looks awkward when he says a line like this. I know this seems a little demanding, but you’re seriously telling me you can’t draw four extra frames of animation?









And of course the Skunk-Ape just stands there nonchalantly while Ben runs into the house.

Okay, so if we wait a little bit then the Skunk-Ape will come through the door, and we’ll get to see a really awesome death scene!



Any second now.



This is taking a little longer than expected.



No death scene. Okay. Guess I’ll actually have to do the puzzle now.

*Sigh* Man, games these days just aren’t as satisfying as they used to be.











“If you didn’t know better”? The one instance in this game of the narration contradicting itself.





I think this brings the meaning of the word “contrived” to a whole new level. And after everything else in this game, that’s saying something.

Okay, this might be a little controversial, but still: he was a drug trafficker and a mass murderer. You don’t need to use euphemisms when talking about his death.

























Well, after playing this contrived, amateur, and lazily designed game I can easily conclude that I…

…don’t hate this game.

No. Despite its flaws, even its painfully short length, this game captivated me a decent amount and at the end of the day was pretty fun to play. It’s certainly many times better than some… other games in this series.

But we can forget about those games for now, for next we will be playing Ben Jordan: In Search of the Skunk-Ape Deluxe Edition!

The Skunk-Ape was a REAL thing and not some totally made up Scooby-Doo villain? Really?

Count me as shocked as well. I thought for sure it was Ranger Rick in costume.

I like how the Skunk Ape only knows how to kill by plucking people's heads off and dropping them.

I also like how torn up the older ranger is about Rick's death. "What about Rick?" "He didn't make it." "Well, shucks. I expect you want your money now."

He wasn't a very good ranger.