Buried from MadPea Games is an interactive experience that takes place on several locations across the Second Life grid. The best place to start is of course the starting location, which isn’t yet open to mere mortals, fortunately I managed to sneak in a get a preview.
Whereas I’m not in a position to give the game a full review, I can provide some insight into the game. The starting location is where you get your HUD and start your progress. As in most MadPea games the HUD is important and therefore it’s good to know what it does and how it’s used.
Clicking the ? in the top right hand corner of the HUD helps you to understand the HUD and what you can do with it. The view will change depending upon what you’re doing, sometimes text will appear there, for example. The basic controls allow you to go to Buried Island, get help, which comes via the MadPea website at the moment. There’s an option to join the MadPea group, which will also be a good place to discuss the game. Then there’s the option to go to MadPea’s Facebook page and finally an option to listen to a funky youTube stream whilst playing the game.
However be warned, the game does at times require you to listen to something that is happening inworld via interactions via objects.
The game is linear to a degree, locations need to be unlocked by finding clues in your current location. Available locations are marked with an X. Simply click the x for an available location and you should be teleported there.
There’s also a souvenir shop at the main starting location, which will sell souvenirs but may also have items that will assist you in your quest.
The game follows a point and click approach and involves interacting with objects, some of which are vehicles. The boats in the starting location will allow four avatars at a time to board them, one of whom will drive the boat, which is steered via cursor keys.
There are other interactions too, for example in the image below I’ve picked up a shovel and I’m digging through a dirt pile to try and unearth a clue. This clue may in turn be another object that needs to be interacted with. Please note that options to interact with objects can time out, but don’t panic, you can get back to the point before the interaction timed out. The timeout isn’t a feature of the game, it’s a feature of Second Life itself. However you are informed when an interaction has timed out.
This is at its heart, a hunt experience but it’s one that goes beyond simply collecting items, you will need to pay attention to the story to make sense of your progress. There will also be times when you are required to input information into a text box in Second Life, so there will be a need to pay attention.
The starting location has not yet been officially unveiled and even if it were, you wouldn’t be able to engage with it. The location isn’t buried too deeply but more news will be officially unveiled tomorrow at a launch party at Exodus Rock Club in Second Life which takes place at 10:00 am. This is two hours before the game officially launches.
That is of course, as long as you can get past the bouncer!
SLURL to Exodus Rock Club : http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Couture%20Way/208/198/1993