Jazz and Faust
$9.95		(Win98/ME/2000/XP) (Mini Retail) (JAZZ&FPR)

Developer: Saturn-Plus
Publisher: 1C Company

Suggestive themes,
use of drugs, violence

Ratings:

from Four Fat Chicks

B from Just Adventure

Two Epic Adventures

An epic adventure game where players assume the role of either sea captain Faust or smuggler Jazz and embark on a quest for lost treasure and riches in a beautifully rendered Ancient Eastern environment. Traveling through three picturesque worlds, players communicate with the various 3D inhabitants, thus revealing the game's story, objectives, quests and puzzles. In each of the three worlds, many marvelously rendered scenes give the feeling of playing inside a living painting, creating a rich and impressive world for players to enjoy.

Gameplay Features

• Beautiful 3D real time effects (fire, magic, smoke, mist, etc.)
• Multiple light sources provide real shadow effects
• 53 interactive characters
• "Live" background scenes including signboards swaying in the wind, water splashes and much more
• Two variants of walk through the game for one of the main characters
• 90 locations that change from day to night
• Hundreds of items to operate
• Up to 5 puzzles for each location
• Impressive stereo sound effects
• Simple and friendly user interface

Thrifty Smuggler Jazz or Dreamy Captain Faust

There is a world of difference between the personalities of the two characters. Jazz (a smuggler) is a representative of the world where cupidity is the driving force of life. He constantly finds himself involved in all sorts of risky undertakings, which frequently result in failure. Faust comes from the country on the other side of the sea. He is a captain of his own ship and is always busy with work that doesn't prevent him from dreaming idly. He considers the world an object of contemplation, not a source of filthy lucre.

Three Distinct Worlds Separated By the Sea

The first one is the world of sands, caravans and ghost towns hidden in the desert, where the sultry caravansaries are packed with tramps and dope smokers. During the day, as a rule, dozens of slaves are traded here for gold and camels at the slave market and at night people usually while their time away in stuffy teahouses.

Having crossed the sea you find yourself in the next world. It is made up of many cities scattered across the coast. The cities are populated with people who make their living from the sea. Sailors-smugglers together with loot dealers lead fast lives there.

The last world is an island state which lies between the other two worlds, owing much of its local color and features to its neighboring worlds.

Although there are many differences in the ways of life of the citizens of these three worlds, the overwhelming majority of these people are mercantile, who live from moment to moment and are generally ready to do anything for the right amount of money. In general the game world is a place where vicious passions are driven by a lust for wealth, and while playing you stand an equal chance of meeting fearless heroes or desperate scoundrels.

Requirements:

Windows 98/ME/2000/XP: DirectX 8.0, Pentium II 300 MHz, 32 Mb RAM, 8 x CD-ROM, PC - compatible mouse, 3D accelerator (4Mb), 16 bit stereo DirectX-compatible sound card

Recommended: Windows 98/ME/2000/XP, DirectX 8.0, Pentium II 400 MHz, 64 Mb RAM, 8 x CD-ROM, PC - compatible mouse, 3D accelerator (TNT or better), 16 bit stereo DirectX-compatible sound card

The first patch is available at: http://www.jazzandfaust.com/download.htm.

Reviews:

Four Fat Chicks by Skinny Minnie

"It is no surprise to me, then, that the high-seas hijinks of the whimsical, straightforward-but-not-always-easy, story-driven adventure game Jazz and Faust has me feeling that my ship has come in! It is a tale that sails into jail breaks, kidnappings, rescues, romances, harems, tavern brawls, wild-animal captures, slavery, bribery, run-ins with the law, and even an opium den, all with equal aplomb! At the same time, this game manages to remain genteel and humorous in the style of its two lead characters. All of its "action" scenes are completed via mouse-driven inventory puzzle-solving, with no timed sequences anywhere. This game actually presents itself entirely with a simple point-and-click interface that requires little coordination or reflexes. Jazz and Faust is one of the better new adventures I've played...

"...Although Jazz and Faust visit similar locations, their plot progressions, inventories, and the NPCs they meet are quite varied for each character, even though everything is ultimately woven into one larger yarn. You will visit Old England-like towns, Turkish bazaars and palaces, underground mines, deserts and tropics, but there is no traipsing through 95% of the same story and puzzles over again just to see a different cutscene at the end of this game, I can assure you!"

"In many cases, care appears to have been taken not just in the logical acquisition of inventory, but also in the correct timing of its pickup or use. At first, this "everything has a time and a place" method of adventure gaming really drove me nuts. I have been brainwashed since the advent of the 1980s text-parser adventure games into inexplicably behaving like an unabashed kleptomaniac, with the uninhibited ability to try using said stolen items whenever I want to. Not that it gets me anywhere, you understand, but few games have actually stopped me from even identifying, picking up or using certain things until there was a clearcut reason to do so. Now, I do realize that most adventure games have always been linear in their progression paths. Actually, as adventure elements have invaded other genres like action games and RPGs, they too have adopted the "one must have inventory item A to successfully complete Quest 1 and continue to Quest 2" mentality as well. Jazz and Faust merely adds a new twist, called "no inventory item shall be manipulated before its time." Jazz walks by a ladder leaning up against a house. (I immediately shriek, "Climb it, climb it, climb it!") He won't climb it because there is no reason for him to. He is able to get to the top floor of the house by being invited inside, and there's nothing up there he needs at this point anyway. ("Well who cares, just climb it, dammit!") After a bit of scenic trekking including NPC conversations and inventory discoveries, alas, the blasted ladder finally reenters my mind as a viable path with a useable inventory item above it that requires fetching. Subsequently, Jazz amiably agrees to climb up."

Quandary Review by Steve Ramsey

"After the opening cut scene, and once you have chosen a companion (more of that later), you can’t help but be impressed by how good the game world looks. The scenes are rich in detail, but it is all the little things that make the difference — the shadows of the characters, the lighting effects, the heat shimmer around candles, the flags fluttering in the breeze. Day becomes night, fireflies flicker in the lamp light, and mist wafts across the gravestones in the cemetery. Watch the lanterns cast multiple shadows that move as the character moves, shrinking and stretching as in real life. Make sure you look at the sun through the clouds over the water. All put together it is truly excellent."

"Playing Jazz impressed me more than playing Faust, although the whole is better than simply the sum of the parts. The game deserves praise for the approach it takes to story telling, and the strength of Jazz’s part carried me through the lows of Faust. Also, some of what was lacking with Faust was compensated for to some extent by having what had occurred with Jazz to reflect on — the strength of the interwoven tales is more apparent when you have already played one part. Whilst I don't know how I would have felt if I had played it the other way round, I enjoyed the game to the end and my overall impression was definitely a positive one."

Just Adventure by Bob Freese

"Jazz and Faust weaves a tale which winds its way through different worlds in the ancient East. Over eighty puzzle laden scenes and over fifty characters are presented during your journey. The prerendered scenery is gorgeous and perfectly matched to the era. The game begins with some truly beautiful cinematics and inspiring music. I first played this game with Russian voices and English subtitles. The final North American release employs English voice acting, and it is surprisingly very good. The game's initial plot ostensibly involves a search for riches and wealth, but you'll ultimately end up saving the world from a nefarious being. The attention to detail is excellent - day/night transitions, birds soaring overhead, attractive water fountains, and realistic smokestacks, to mention a few."

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