Titanic: Adventure out of Time

"An excellent game for anyone who has any interest in the unsinkable ship."

We've all learned about the Titanic in school and through other mediums. Many people will only remember the Titanic because it was a bloated, superfluous movie in 1998. That was the year that "Titanic Fever" was gripping the nation, as the accident's 86th anniversary was looming. More merchandise was being made that sported the Titanic legacy on it, and many historical groups were investigating more into the ship's infamous maiden voyage. They prodded to find out why it happened. All of this happened because of one movie.

With all of that going on, it's surprising to see the little amount of exposure that Titanic: Adventure Out of Time received. At the time of the blockbuster movie's release, the game was only 2 years old, and still could hold its own against many other educational games of the same type. Whatever the reason, T:AOOT never really got a huge following, and it merely disappeared amongst the other multitude of PC games. But to those who DID get a chance to play this game, they found a pleasant surprise. An original story, the ship being created down to every painstaking detail, and a great deal of education to be learned.

Gameplay/Story: 10/10

The game is set from a first person perspective, and you take on the role of Frank Carlson, a retired secret agent from Britain. At the beginning, it is 1942, and World War II is in full force. The game starts on April 14, 1942, 30 years to the day of the Titanic sinking. This is significant because you were aboard the ship the night it sank. You had a secret mission to accomplish, but you failed. Now you are a washed up old drunk, living in a squalid flat, owned by a sadistic old woman. After a freak accident involving an air raid, you are transported back 30 years to the Titanic so you may finish the mission you failed. The mission holds a great importance, because failure results in both World War I and the Russian Revolution occuring. You have much riding on your shoulders, and you do not have a great deal of time until the ship is crippled by the iceberg.

On the ship, you are to investigate a rare book being stolen, The Rubyiat of Omar Kayyam. You are able to communicate with many passengers and crew members that are sailing with you to help you complete this task. As the game progresses, an entire plot involving key countries in history unfolds. We find a notebook with Russian revolutionaries names in it, a book of rare medieval Persian poetry, stolen jewels, crucial evidence which tells why the Titanic was doomed to sink, intrigue, blackjack games, fencing, fist fights, bombs, gas pens, murders. You name it, Titanic: Adventure Out of Time has it!

The main point behind this game is exploration. This is how you complete your tasks. You must discover the ship and the delicate plot that exists underneath this fascinating and intriguing mystery story! Unlike many games, this game allows you to complete the game in a number of different ways, but only one way is the "true" way.

Sound: 10/10

Depending on your sound settings, this game really sounds amazing. Not just the effects, but the music choices the developers made. Every different deck has its own personal theme to it. It's mostly classical music, or concertos with violins and pianos. The music placement works great with each part of the ship. No song seems out of place. Brighter areas of the ship get "brighter" sounding music. If you're in the 3rd class area, then a much darker sounding theme will play. It sends shivers up your spine when you catch the right tune on the right deck.

Along with the music, the voice acting works amazingly well, too. We meet a number of different foreign characters, ranging from American, English, Irish, German and Serbian. The accents are done very well with everyone. My personal favorite is the lift attendant. He's the most funny of all of the accents.

Graphics: 10/10

For the time, these graphics that are in the game were amazing! The people are basically portraits and look incredibly life-like. The ship itself is rendered beautifully! Everything that you are allowed to explore looks just like the Titanic's real life features. The game developers really knew their Titanic history, because every area that you are allowed to explore looks just like the real ship's. My only complaint is that you are not allowed to look at every part of the ship. But, I understand that the ship was so monstrous, that this feat would have taken up more disc space, thus probably making the game 4 or 5 discs. Plus, seeing the rest of the ship wasn't necessary at all to the storyline. It was just something I thought would have been cool to put as maybe an "Exploration Mode" option on the game menu.

Another slight annoyance was the appearance of the characters you never interact with. They lack color in their faces, and they have little to no features. Plus there are very few of them scattered throughout the ship. But, I also have another explanation for this. Since it is so late on a Sunday evening, many people had already retired to their rooms for the night, as your steward tells you in the beginning of the game.

Replay Value: Medium

Depening on which "route" you take at the end of the game, you are given a number of different scenarios with which to end the game. Only one way is the successful way, which ends in world peace. The rest are technically "failures", but you are treated to a great history lesson, which is very interesting to anyone who shows even the slightest interest in that sort of thing.

If you wish to explore those various ending scenarios, the replay value of this game is in the middle. Because there will always be that "real" ending waiting for you, this may bump up the replay value a bit. But once you beat it the real way, the only reason you would want to play it again would be just for fun.

Final

This game certainly flew under the radar of most computer gamers, but it's easy to see why. There was nothing flashy about it, and there wasn't much to it. You explored a ship, looking for vital pieces of evidence and clues. While you were playing, though, you were given the opportunity to explore something that not everyone can. You are also able to change the course of history. The educational value of this game is extremely high, and you will find yourself remembering various bits of knowledge that you learned from the game (I still remember where Archduke Ferdinand was assassinated thanks to this game). If you are able to find this game anywhere, be it Ebay or a flea market, or wherever, I suggest you give it a try. It's a rare and obscure game, but it's worth a play. It will addict you with its gameplay and story, that's for sure.

Final Score: 10/10

Reviewer's Score: 10/10, Originally Posted: 07/28/08

Game Release: Titanic: Adventure out of Time (US, 10/31/96)