Art
Heist by Emodiv,
Price: $9.95
Reviewed May 2003
When I asked the folks at Emodiv how long
it took them to develop Art Heist, they told me that it took
them 5-6 weeks. But somehow in my hyper-active imagination,
I pictured that the developers at Emodiv work on the EverQuest
series during the day while writing Art Heist after dark.
So it seems only natural that their newest puzzle game is
about pulling art heists in the quiet night.
You are a world-famous art thief trying
to make one last major score before retiring. The La Jolla
Museum of Pretentious Art is hosting an unprecedented collection
of famous art pieces from around the world and this is the
perfect opportunity you’ve been waiting for. The story
isn’t that original- if you have seen Sean Connery
and Catherine Zeta-Jones in Entrapment, you will know what
I mean. But the game design in Art Heist is original.
In order to steal the paintings, you need
to disarm the laser beams and sensors in each room of the
museum. You are given a certain number of mirrors that can
reflect the laser beams to activate all the switches in the
room. The four types of mirrors reflect the laser beams in
different angles and directions. Once you turn on all the
switches by reflecting the laser beams in the correct way,
you are free to take your loot. But be careful: the laser
beams can also trigger the alarm sensors. If you trigger
the alarm, the police patrol car is on its way to the museum.
The puzzle design makes the game play interesting.
Each room feels very different from the last one, so that
you don’t feel like you are solving similar puzzles.
If you get stuck on certain level, you can access the hints
by using the H button on the bottom left hand corner. You
can also access the Gallery to see which paintings you’ve
stolen successfully and a short tutorial that shows how to
use different mirrors.
The graphics in this game look very sharp
and stylish. The drag-and-drop of the mirrors works smoothly
and flawlessly. Art buffs will likely appreciate the clever
mock-ups of some famous paintings. The interface of the game
is simple and easy to use.
A single music track will accompany you
throughout the levels. Even though it’s a catchy tune,
after a while it gets very repetitive. There are a decent
number of sound effects, but all in all, this game isn’t
a very sound FX oriented game. You have options to turn on
or off both music and sound, as well as adjust the volume.
Art Heist currently supports ARM/Xscale Pocket PCs and takes
about 2.5MB memory.
You will get a laugh when you see paintings
like Mora Liza by Eduardo DaVinci or Swiftning Bland Lard
Can by Randy Offwhal. After you complete the Gallery and
look through the paintings, you might ask yourself: “Why
did I steal this junk?” Believe me when I tell you,
the puzzles that you had to solve to get those paintings
are worth the trip.
Playing Hint and Tips
Follow the beam and play with different
mirrors. Sometimes the name of the level gives you some clue
as to how the beam layout should look. Just check out Spiraling
Down and Milk Bottle room, you will know what I mean. |
