I was drawn to Fierce Tales: Marcus’ Memory based on the sea theme – it looked unique and interesting to me, and I was not disappointed. One of the first scenes follows Marcus as he rides a dolphin through the water and I was immediately hooked!
The animation and graphics are amazingly clear and lifelike. The opening cut scene shows Marcus waking up on a deserted island with no memory of who he is or why he’s lying there, but the woman’s photo in his hand strikes a chord. Marcus sets off to the nearby town to try and regain his memory and discover who the mystery woman is.
Upon arriving in town Marcus quickly finds the woman who he learns is his girlfriend, Dolores, and he begins to remember pieces of the past. Marcus watches as his arch enemy, Vasco, kidnaps Dolores and he sets off to save her.
As Marcus investigates around town, he comes across newspaper clippings and posters warning of the dangerous sea creatures who are terrorizing local fishermen and the mystery deepens.
I was impressed by the realistic animation; the characters truly interact during the voice-overs. The voice acting was also well done with no cheesy accents. The ambient sound supported the theme of the game with unobtrusive music containing some ominous undertones. Several levels of play allow you to customize Fierce Tales: Marcus’ Memory and the hint features.
As you travel through the game, there are plenty of extras to collect – I don’t usually care too much for the achievements and collections but I did have fun hunting for turtles and shells in each scene. You can use the collectibles to buy items for your aquarium or dolphin buddy. He deserves a little treat for helping complete tasks!
There is a lot of traveling back and forth (luckily you can use the interactive map) to collect objects with less emphasis on hidden objects or other puzzles. I enjoyed the gameplay in between so I appreciated that I wasn’t constantly stopping for hidden object scenes.
The hidden object scenes in Fierce Tales: Marcus’ Memory had a unique twist to them though. The very first HOS requires you to collect items and use each one to accomplish a task in order to find the next. Items are represented by silhouettes rather than a list, so you have a good idea of what you are looking for.
Other HOS are more traditional, uncovering items from an assorted pile with some interaction required. The scenes are somewhat cluttered as expected but the graphics are clear and the items are easy to find.
Mini-games and puzzles also pop up along the way to help you solve Marcus’ mystery. As with the HOS, the mini-games were rather different and unique. They tied in well with the theme and the storyline and felt like a part of the game progression. They could be challenging but not to the point of frustration.
I truly enjoyed Fierce Tales: Marcus’ Memory for the unique story, the well-done graphics and animation, and the new and interesting HOS and puzzles. With a busy home life, I have limited “me time” but it was time well spent on this particular adventure!