Overview
CoolROM.com's game information and ROM (ISO) download page for Oracle no Houseki - Jewels of the Oracle (Japan) (En,Ja,Fr,De) (Sony Playstation). Many stunning locations; Complete enchanting jewel boards, and fun mini-games; Play as all three heroes in this new romantic adventure. Download Free.
Site journal entry -- Day One
It's hard to believe it has been almost three years since this archeological site was first discovered. Little did anyone know then that it would open the proverbial door to another civilization. Now here I am with a chance to see what the City of the Ancients has to offer. Perhaps I can even wrest the Treasure of the Kavi from its bedeviling recesses. Twenty-four more puzzles and three different floors! More glyphs and even more challenging mind-benders to solve. Thank goodness Professor Bhandam is here to help along the way. He even handed over his own journal with all sorts of information and clues about the challenges ahead.
All right ... here I go. Checklist: Map ... Journal ... Reset Tool ... Token Box ... Aspirin. Okay, now to those vexing Gems of Darkness.
Gameplay, Controls, Interface
The newest member of the Jewels of the Oracle family offers incredible graphics, tons of 'pre-Sumerian' atmosphere, and 24 more puzzles to make your brain ache. You start the game with an introduction from the head archeologist. That intro contains a brief overview of the site, the history, and the tools available to you. Remember this guy; you will have the option of clicking back on the Professor during the game for bits of encouragement and a few hints. Those nuggets of rah rah from him can be a bit trite -- but after some of the puzzles, you can use something bland. From that point, you move through each 'room' with the typical mouse-driven point/click/move interface.
There are three 'floors' to this game, with each floor contained on its own CD. Therein lies my first frustration. If you want to talk to the Professor, or even try another floor, you have to switch CDs. Plus, you always have to start with the first CD, regardless of what floor you are on in the game. Ah, yes, they seemed to have wasted a lot of space on those CDs (one even contains all the developers having a bit of a chat with the camera). It would have been nice to have that space taken up by game (more graphics?), or even have it condensed to fewer CDs. That way we could avoid the switching dilemma.
Ah ... but the challenges are worth it. The puzzles can be played at either an easy or hard level, and objects of some will be familiar from the first Jewels of the Oracle. There is even replay value. If you figured out the easy solutions, you can always try the hard one. Make no mistake -- there are decided challenges mixed among the knee-jerk, 'in a heartbeat' solutions. Be prepared to work those grey cells.
Graphics
Again, the developers have created richly textured graphics with attention to detail and atmosphere. The game is in a format similar to a VHS letterbox view, and is best experienced at a lower resolution. I played it in 800 x 600 and found that many more of the subtle details were visible than with the higher resolution. The video is smoother than in the previous game and there seem to be fewer glitches and hitches as you move through the game. Definitely good marks for creating a visual world that draws you into its grasp.
Audio
Here is another improvement over the previous version. The sounds and music add the perfect backdrop to the already spooky visuals. You do have the option to adjust the volume or turn the music and sounds off. (NOTE: Sounds never go completely away. You will still have the sound of your pieces moving.) Sometimes the music is vaguely Celtic and other times just plain odd, but never enough to draw your concentration away from the puzzle at hand.
System Requirements
![Jewels of the oracle game download pc Jewels of the oracle game download pc](/uploads/1/2/5/8/125873674/349021641.jpg)
Windows: Pentium, 16 MB RAM, 16 MB hard drive space, 640 x 480 16-bit video, 2X CD-ROM drive, 8-bit sound card (SoundBlaster or 100% compatible).
Mac: System 7.5 or higher, 68040, 16 MB RAM, 16 MB hard drive space, 640 x 480, thousands of colors, 2X CD-ROM drive, Standard Macintosh
Documentation
Let me put it this way ... if you didn't have the Professor's journal, you would be hurting. There are hints and history available in that journal and they can give you complete solutions. But as to the rest, a small booklet in the jewel case -- in other words, zip -- and therefore frustrating because you can't print the journal out.
Bottom Line
A challenging game for puzzle lovers, plus an interesting way to learn about earlier cultures. Definitely worth it for the visuals, sound, and the workout for yer ol' noggin.
Overall rating: 7
Jewels of the Oracle | |
---|---|
Developer(s) | ELOI Productions |
Publisher(s) | Discis Knowledge Research Inc. |
Platform(s) | Macintosh, PlayStation, Sega Saturn, and Windows |
Release | 1995 |
Genre(s) | Point-and-click adventure |
Mode(s) | Single-player |
Jewels of the Oracle is a 1995 adventure game developed by ELOI Productions and published by Discis Knowledge Research Inc. It was released on Macintosh, PlayStation, Sega Saturn, and Windows. A sequel developed by Bardworks and published by Hoffman and Associates was released in 1998 entitled Jewels II: The Ultimate Challenge.
- 3Critical reception
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Production[edit]
A demo was released which contained three puzzles and a movie-like trailer. In addition, a free version with a single puzzle was made available for a limited time by CompuServe and America Online.[1]
Gameplay[edit]
The stationary puzzle game contains 24 puzzles, and lacks a storyline or plot.[2] The design is Egyptian/Mesopotamian, and as such an Oracle provides hints to the player. New Straits Times wrote that the game mixes the gameplay concepts from Myst with the graphics of The 7th Guest.[3] Similarly, Techtite deemed it a Myst-clone due to having the search-and-discover mechanics, while having the puzzles of The 7th Guest.[4] The journal article 'Adventure games, permutations, and spreadsheets' explains that both Jewels and Guest incorporate puzzles into their design.[5] The Washington Post also made a favorable comparison between the two games.[6]
Critical reception[edit]
Jewels of the Oracle[edit]
Reception | ||||||||||||||
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Jewels of the Oracle was the biggest commercial success published by Discis. However, by August 1996, it had nevertheless underperformed compared to forecasts. The company's John Lowry anticipated lifetime sales of 250,000 units, but, according to Anita Elash of Maclean's, 'The game was popular, but sales stalled at 80,000 when Discis ran out of marketing money.'[12]
Computer Shopper deemed this game a 'sleeper hit' and described it as 'dazzling'.[13] Michael Ryan of PC Mag said the game was a 'puzzle fan's dream come true'.[14] Entertainment Weekly described it as 'adult', 'pretty', 'clever', 'dry' and 'claustrophobic', and likened the game to Myst.[15] AdventureClassicGaming said that the lackluster ending ' leaves the player puzzling as to the whole point of the story that has been so elaborately created.'[16] Interactive fiction personality Andrew Plotkin wrote that the game was 'one-third recycled standard puzzles, one-third interesting variants of standard puzzles, and one-third new puzzles.'[17][18] WorldVillage praised the game for its gameplay and puzzles, but noted that it has zero replay value.[19] Quandary Land gave it similar praise although noted that it can be a little bit frustrating.[20] All Game Guide did not like the difficult and cumbersome interface.[21]
Paul Glancey gave the Saturn version a 60% in Sega Saturn Magazine, stating that the puzzles are too difficult for most gamers, particularly in that with many of them the objective is not apparent.[22]
Next Generation reviewed the PC version of the game, rating it one star out of five, and stated that 'If you are just crazy about abstract puzzles, Jewels of the Oracle is right up your alley, otherwise, just keep shopping.'[7]
MacUser named Jewels of the Oracle one of the top 50 CD-ROMs of 1995.[8] It was the third-place finalist for Computer Game Review's 1995 'Puzzle Game of the Year' award, which went to You Don't Know Jack. The editors called it 'an entertaining romp through the historical annals of puzzledom.'[23]
Jewels II[edit]
Jewels II: The Ultimate Challenge is the sequel to ‘’Jewels of the Oracle'. Enlarged to 3 discs with expanded interface and navigation, the followup was not created by the original production company (ELOI) or distributed by the original publisher (Discis). The original creator of Jewels, ‘’Courtland Shakespeare', formed a new production company in Toronto called ‘’Bardworks Ltd.' and signed a distribution deal with software developer ‘’Corel'. At the time of its release, however, H + A acquired Corel’s CD Home Collection (over 60 titles) that included Jewels II. The game was subsequently acquired by ‘’Dreamcatcher Interactive', an international distributor that had previously acquired rights for the original Jewels game from Discis (following bankruptcy). Jewels II was also known as Gems of Darkness, but the title was changed to Jewels II to take advantage of the previous game's popularity. The games are now owned by ‘’THQ Nordic'. Shakespeare later created another game for Dreamcatcher called ‘’Forever Worlds: Enter the Unknown'.
Andrew Plotkin described the puzzles as ' generally entertaining'.[18] AdventureClassicGaming said Jewels II: The Ultimate Challenge was more of a 'remake' than a sequel.[24]
Jewels II was the runner-up for Computer Gaming World's award for the best classic game of 1998, although it lost to You Don't Know Jack: The Ride. The editors called Jewels II 'a great design', and found it to be 'well worth the time for anyone who enjoys challenging puzzles wrapped up in a simple, enjoyable package.'[25]
References[edit]
- ^Inc, Nielsen Business Media (10 December 1994). 'Billboard'. Nielsen Business Media, Inc. – via Google Books.
- ^'Personal Computer Magazine'. PC Communications Corporation. 1 January 1995 – via Google Books.
- ^'New Straits Times - Google News Archive Search'.
- ^'Techtite Review Archive!'. 24 February 2004. Archived from the original on February 24, 2004.CS1 maint: unfit url (link)
- ^'Adventure games, permutations, and spreadsheets - ProQuest'.
- ^'On Top of the MacWorld'. 23 January 1995. Archived from the original on 11 September 2016.Cite journal requires
|journal=
(help) - ^ ab'Finals'. Next Generation. No. 8. Imagine Media. August 1995. p. 72.
- ^ abEchler, Nikki; Olson, Rebecca (October 1995). 'Top Spins: 50 New CD-ROMs'. MacUser. Archived from the original on July 26, 2001.
- ^Perry, Kevin; Chapman, Ted; Kaiafas, Tasos (May 1995). 'What Can This Strange Device Be? When I Touch It, It Gives Forth a Sound'. Computer Game Review. Archived from the original on December 21, 1996.
- ^Ryan, Michael (August 1995). 'Hot Adventures or Cool Movies: You Decide; Jewels of the Oracle'. PC Magazine. 14 (14): 536.
- ^Hyman, Paul (August 1995). 'Jewels of the Oracle'. Electronic Entertainment. Archived from the original on October 18, 1996.
- ^Elash, Anita (August 26, 1996). 'Sorry, game over'. Maclean's. Archived from the original on March 7, 2019.
- ^'Jewels II: The Ultimate Challenge.(DreamCatcher Interactive's Jewels II: The Ultimate Challenge adventure game)(Software Review)(Evaluation)'. 1 January 1999. Archived from the original on 11 September 2016.Cite journal requires
|journal=
(help) - ^Inc, Ziff Davis (1 August 1995). 'PC Mag'. Ziff Davis, Inc. – via Google Books.
- ^'Jewels of the Oracle - EW.com'.
- ^'Jewels of the Oracle - Review - Adventure Classic Gaming - ACG - Adventure Games, Interactive Fiction Games - Reviews, Interviews, Features, Previews, Cheats, Galleries, Forums'.
- ^'Mini-Review: Jewels of the Oracle'.
- ^ ab'Review: Jewels of the Oracle 2'.
- ^'Jewels of the Oracle'. 20 September 2006. Archived from the original on September 20, 2006.CS1 maint: unfit url (link)
- ^'Jewels of the Oracle Review by Quandary'. 7 February 2005. Archived from the original on February 7, 2005.CS1 maint: unfit url (link)
- ^'Jewels of the Oracle - Review - allgame'. 17 November 2014. Archived from the original on November 17, 2014.CS1 maint: unfit url (link)
- ^Glancey, Paul (January 1997). 'Review: Jewels of the Oracle'. Sega Saturn Magazine. No. 15. Emap International Limited. pp. 88–89.
- ^Staff (April 1996). 'CGR's Year in Review'. Computer Game Review. Archived from the original on October 18, 1996.
- ^'Jewels II: The Ultimate Challenge - Gems of Darkness - Review - Adventure Classic Gaming - ACG - Adventure Games, Interactive Fiction Games - Reviews, Interviews, Features, Previews, Cheats, Galleries, Forums'.
- ^Staff (April 1999). 'Computer Gaming World's 1999 Premier Awards; CGW Presents the Best Games of 1998'. Computer Gaming World (177): 90, 93, 96–105.
Further reading[edit]
External links[edit]
- Jewels of the Oracle on IMDb
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