Previous Next

Tessera is a world abandoned by its creator gods to a harsh fate; as famine and plague ravage its people the tyrannical Archmage rules with an iron fist. But you're no insane hero, pitting your puny resources against his legions of henchmen, you're keeping your head down.

Then there's the knocking at the door; at first you fear the Archmage's troops but once you open it you find a fatally wounded Kobbold - a race of creatures that used to deal with the gods. In the few minutes left of his life he whispers a few, laboured words. The Kobbolds have been trying to wake a sleeping god - N'Gnir - but ther attempt to find the necessary device has left many of them dead. The Kobbold passes you this device, an intricate bracelet, and his fever. To wake a god - now that is a quest you wouldn't shirk, would you?

Tessera is divided into eight Kingdoms, each made up of up to six landscapes. As you search for the sleeper you must work out how to move between landscapes and Kingdoms - and once you move to the next Kingdom you can't return. The Kingdoms range from the lakelands of Delanda (beware the ferryman) to the capital city of Morav to the deserts of Sunderabad.

Your perspective of the game is first-person, allowing you to freely explore this 3D mappable landscape. Objects are picked up by simply walking over them, enemies killed by firing objects at them (weapons include a slingshot and even lightning). You need no other actions to solve the game.

Thankully for such a massive game, there's a good save facility, allowing you to make numerous save files.

Well over a year in the writing, Sleeping Gods Lie boasts an immediately impressive graphic style, seeming to offer huge landscapes, lots of creatures and smooth movement.

It's a pity getting too close to the sprites show their blocky construction but at distance they're fine. What is more dubious is the uneasy mix of arcade and adventure elements. Constant attack from well-armed enemies is initally exciting, but soon proves a bit irritating with so much else to see and do.

The limitation of interaction to just shooting and picking up objects is also disappointing. Still, if you've the time and patience for such a big challenge, Sleeping Gods Lie could be just the off-beat kind of hit you want.

Less committed adventuers however, are probably best advised to try before buying.

Normally this type of deep and involved adventure game is just my cup of tea, especially if it's in a 3D world vein. Sleeping Gods Lie though is an odd game. The puzzles are in there just waiting to be foung and the game has considerable depth but to its detriment there's a heck of a lot of wandering around vast, barren terrain as well.

The slow-moving pace put me off initially but once I got down to some serious mappiing it became quite a compelling adventure romp. The accompanying sound effects are surprisingly poor, but the title screen music has a certain charm. Sprite expansion is well implemented but I found the character animation and movement occasionally a bit messy to look at. In short, a little long-winded but enjoyable all the same.

Presentation 83%
Free poster, a good save option and an amusingly written game intro.

Graphics 76%
A unique graphic style provides an excellent sense of atmosphere.

Sound 38%
Spot FX are limited to little more than objects being thrown and the cry of a defeated enemy.

Hookability 70%
Immediately attractive, but it takes a while to find and solve your first puzzles.

Lastability 82%
94 different landscapes with few clues to the Sleeper's location add up to a lengthy quest.

Overall 75%
An intriguing and atmospheric adventure.