Day of the Tentacle Remastered
Genre: Adventure - Point-and-click - Sci-fi
Works on: Windows (7, 8, 10) and Mac OS X (10.7+)
Languages: Audio and text: Deutsch, English. Text only: español, français, italiano
Released: March 22, 2016
Company: Double Fine Productions / Double Fine Productions
Minimum system requirements - Windows: 7 / 8 / 10
Processor: 1.7 GHz Dual Core
Memory: 2 GB
Graphics: NVIDIA GeForce GTX 260, ATI Radeon 4870 HD, Intel HD 3000, or equivalent card with at least 512 MB VRAM
DirectX Version: 9.0
Disk Space: 2.5 GB
Sound Card: DirectX Compatible Sound Card
Additional Notes: Must have OpenGL 3 with GLSL version 1.3
Recommended system requirements - Windows: 7 / 8 / 10
Processor: Intel Core 2 Duo at 2.2 GHz, AMD Athlon 64 2.2 GHz
Memory: 3 GB
Graphics: NVIDIA GeForce GTX 460, AMD Radeon HD 6850
DirectX Version: 11
Disk Space: 2.5 GB
Sound Card; DirectX Compatible Sound Card
Additional Notes: Must have OpenGL 3 with GLSL version 1.3
For Mac:
Keykey 2 0 1 – typing tutors. Minimum system requirements - Mac: Lion 10.7 or later
Processor: Intel Core Duo
Memory: 2 GB RAM
Graphics: ATI Radeon HD 4850, NVIDIA GeForce GT 120, Intel HD 3000, or equivalent card with at least 512 MB VRAM
Storage: 2500 MB available space
Additional Notes: Must have OpenGL 3 with GLSL version 1.3
Recommended system requirements - Mac: El Capitan 10.11
Processor: Intel Core i series processor Wondershare dvd creator 3 9 5 download free.
Memory: 4 GB RAM
Graphics: 2500 MB available space
Storage: 2500 MB available space
Sound Card: Compatible Sound Card
Additional Notes: Must have OpenGL 3 with GLSL version 1.3.
I played this remaster of an old classic using the GOG drm-free version, which did not offer any bugs, glitches or frustrations that sometimes appear in games. I will admit I never played the original, so Day of the Tentacle was a new experience. I'll trust the developers comments that the game remains true to its twenty year old foundations. I'll also complain about the lack of a manual, though in-game instruction pages are included once you begin play.
Mechanics
The interface offers several controls you find by pressing the spacebar or hitting the ESC key. The resulting screen allows you to select the following: New Game, Bonus, Options, Quit, Resume, Load, and Save. Clicking on Options is where you find what substitutes for a manual. Under How To Play there are six pages explaining game navigation. Other tabs, Controls, Settings, and Credits allow you to tweak your game. You can choose to play the original pixelated classic, which offers an interesting exercise to compare the old versus new. I did not see any way where you could tweak graphics settings.
It is a mouse driven third person cartoon game, retaining the old Verb style selections when you right click on an object. A circle appears with multiple choices such as Use, Look, Take, Cancel, Open, Close, and Give. You simply highlight your verb to have the character take the action you deem appropriate.
I'll save you the trouble of what has become a major frustration, the hunt for the elusive save folder. It is located on Windows 7 at (UsersNameAppDataRoamingDoublefineDay of the Tentacle) I found no limit on saves, though I admit I did not have that many. The game also autosaves.
The background music and sounds are good, as is the voice action. I found nothing regarding these essentials as problematic. If you switch from classic to remastered mode, you will notice the differences, as in addition to graphics, voice and music both have a makeover. I found the graphics to be very good and well worth experiencing after viewing the original.
The Story/ Gameplay
What can I say? It is, funny, irreverent, and silly in the mold of Sam and Max with a touch of Gobliiins. There are many laugh out loud moments. I can imagine some of you are like me and never experienced this game. You ask what is it about? I'll offer a basic outline. The Day of the Tentacle follows three main characters who travel through time trying to save the world from an evil Tentacle. Bernard, a nerd, Hoagie, who struck me as a cool or hip dude and Laverne, a ditzy medical student are your protagonists or heroes. A purple tentacle created by a mad scientist drank toxic sludge and decided for some reason that he is set for global domination.
Dr. Fred Edison, his creator, recruits our three heroes to stop him. To do so they have to go back in time and shut off the sludge machine, thereby preventing Purple Tentacle from drinking the sludge. It sounds simple enough, except as often happens something goes wrong. The time machine sends each character into a different era, Laverne in the future, while Hoagie is 200 years behind, and Bernard remains in the present. You play each character switching from one to another when you complete the task for the character you are currently playing.
Puzzles follow the basic rule of pick up everything, often combining items in your inventory. To access inventory, click an arrow on the lower left of the screen, found by sweeping your mouse. Puzzles may make use of the characters being in different time periods. For example, you need something not available in the 18th century. The remedy have someone drop an item into a time capsule. Then another character alters it in the another time and sends back to the past.
There are no quick action or sudden death events. You can take your time, even when speaking with a group of feuding founding fathers. Yes, George Washington makes an appearance. You will find another unexpected addition to this game. Do you recall the old game, Maniac Mansion? When playing Day of the Tentacle you can actually play a full version of that game on a console appearing as an ancient computer. I suppose I'll have to go back and try it. That is another game I missed. The surprises just keep coming.
Conclusions
If you are looking for a fun diversion, or a chance to play an old classic without having to set up various aids such as ScummVM or DOSBox in order to get a working copy on a modern machine, this game is for you. DOTT is a fun nostalgic trip into the past, remastered for today's advanced machines. I dare say it is one not to be missed. There is another bonus offered during startup. You can listen to the Developers comments. You may want to enable this to get an idea of what they were thinking.
March 2016
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