The Act (iOS) - Dragon's Lair as a Romantic Comedy - Preview
by VGChartz Staff , posted on 06 June 2012 / 4,239 Views
Many gamers look forward to E3 simply to learn about the latest blockbuster titles with high end graphics with larger than life stories and gameplay. While I admit I am in the same boat, personally, I have always cherished E3 as a place to find smaller, off-beat titles to root for either because they eschew traditional videogame conventions or appear to be a labor of love from a small but dedicated development team. I think I have found such a game in The Act, an interactive romantic-comedy from React Entertainment, coming soon to IOS devices.
The Act is more of an interactive animated movie than a traditional game. The story follows the misadventures of Edgar as he tries to woo the love of his life, Sylvia, while simultaneously keeping his hapless brother Wally and himself out of trouble. The visuals are completely hand-drawn and animated so it actually looks like a Warner Brothers or Walt Disney quality cartoon. Playing from an iPad, the game’s animation was impeccably smooth and responsive to your control input. Characters are all distinctly drawn and utterly charming as exemplified by Edgar’s sly grin when he tries to act smooth or the sheer cartoon sexiness of Sylvia (eat your heart out Jessica Rabbit).
Playing the game is very simple; the demo I played only required me to swipe my finger left or right on the touchscreen. The game starts out with one of Edgar’s daydreams. The scene takes place in a swanky bar and the well dressed protagonist cannot help but stare when the beautiful Sylvia walks into the room and sits at the bar. He positions himself a few feet away and the player’s task is to attract her attention without pushing her away. In this instance you swipe right to be outgoing and swipe left to be more reserved and timid. Just like in real life if you ignore a girl she will ignore you (seriously guys, just walk up and compliment her on her smile). However, if you are too aggressive she will think you are a disgusting pig and leave. The objective is to find the sweet spot and be patient. You have three attempts at this objective represented by three movie slates on the bottom of the screen. At first I slid my finger all the way to the right and Edgar began wild hip thrusts which immediately turned off Sylvia. I succeeded by beginning with a few flirtatious glances and proceeding to dance inoffensively which made Sylvia extend her hand.
Of course this being a dream sequence, Edgar could never find love so easy. Edgar snapped awake from his daydream to find himself at his real job as a window cleaner with his brother Wally. Their boss noticed him slacking and threatens to come out onto the window ledge to yell at them. In this sequence your goal is calm your boss down and keep him inside while also keeping your brother Wally awake and working. You had to strike a balance of dividing your attention between both tasks until your boss left you in peace. These are just two of the scenes found in this unique new mobile adventure. The game features no dialogue and thus relies on purely physical comedy and expressive facial animations to tell the story. The Act seems laugh out loud funny and also includes a whimsical soundtrack that informs the way you should play the game. The Act will be available on IOS devices sometime this summer so keep your eyes peeled for one of the most endearing small games to be found at E3 this year. It is sure to be one tough act to follow.
