Gemini Rue takes place on the planet known as Barracus. Deep in the throngs of gang war and secret societies, you are assassin turned detective Azriel Odin. Azriel’s purpose is to find his missing brother and nothing is going to get in his way from finishing that task. A long the way you will meet a very large cast of characters including the strange test subject Delta Six. If finding his missing brother wasn’t difficult enough, Azriel has to deal with his former gang who are shoring up their defenses, waiting for his attack.
The story in Gemini Rue is what will attract any lover of old school adventure games. I felt like I was back in my teen years playing such classic titles as Full Throttle and Day of the Tentacle. The main focus in Gemini Rue is transporting the player into a deep world and introducing them to characters they can engage in. The style of the story fits well with movies like Blade Runner and the noir theme doesn’t seem pushed on the player at all. Players will care what happens to the game’s characters and that is a great benchmark for any game that focuses on story.
GAMEPLAY:
The game mechanics in Gemini Rue will be familiar to anyone who has had the pleasure of playing point and click adventure titles. You click to move your character to the parts of the area you wish to explore and select items when they are highlighted. This makes Gemini Rue not only easy to pick up for experienced players but easily-learned by new players to the genre. As with all adventure games, the inventory system is crucial to the gaming experience. The inventory system is very similar to the one used in Full Throttle and makes the combining of items very easy.
The one thing that is kind of strange in the game mechanics of Gemini Rue is the shooting component. There are portions in the game where it turns into a shooter and it just throws everything off. While there is nothing wrong technically with the concept, it does not work with the overall flow of the game. The player is dead set on point and clicking only to be thrown into having to use the keyboard to awkwardly shoot things on screen. I remember back in the day having to write down a ton of information to help me in my gaming adventures. Gemini Rue fixes this problem with an in game system that stores all needed information and contacts. This was a great new addition to adventure games as it keeps the players engaged with what is going on in the game.
GRAPHICS AND SOUND:
While you wont see next gen graphics with Gemini Rue, it is the nostalgia factor that makes the player feel at home. As with most adventure titles the graphics are pixilated with beautiful painted backdrops. The movement animations are a bit choppy and really transport the player back to gaming’s golden age. Well done by the developers for giving the player the entire adventure game package. During my play time I experienced no bugs or crashes win regards to graphics.
The surprising part of Gemini Rue is the sound. In most adventure games you would only be treated with 8 bit music and sound effects. Gemini Rue ups the game a bit and delivers voice acting to the characters in game. Adding voice acting further engrosses the player in the story and adds for a fantastic edition to the gaming experience.
FINAL THOUGHTS:
Gemini Rue is a quality game and, while not made by a big development house, it is something Shogunites are going to want to pick up. Those wanting to step back in time to the adventure games of past and those new players who never got to experience it will find a quality title. Gemini Rue is an engrossing story with an easy to use game mechanics system that I recommend for all players. Go out there and give it a shot!
