Girl Genius: Adventures In Castle Heterodyne
Occasionally I come across a title that happens to ooze with the same amount of charm as expected from the source material it's based on. Games based on comics have existed since the 1980s, with the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles being one of the significant examples of capturing the comics and cartoons into the hands of fans young and old. Girl Genius: Adventures In Castle Heterodyne joins the likes of other "comic video games" by giving fans of the two-decade-plus long series a chance to directly control the misadventures of the mad scientist and hero, Agatha Heterodyne.
Rain Games was kind enough to give us an early copy to review as well as giving us the pleasure to share our first impressions. Players can still check out the demo on Steam, weeks before its launch, however. My thoughts will be based on the full version although at this time I had not finished the game quite yet. Therefore, these are my first impressions of Adventures In Castle Heterodyne as well as the Girl Genius franchise as I was unfamiliar with the work of Phil & Kaja Foglio before starting this game.
Girl Genius is an ongoing comic series created, written, and drawn by the Foglios. The story centers around Agatha Clay, a student at the Transylvania Polygnostic University. Upon having her locket stolen and other events, she discovers she's a Spark. Sparks are "scientists" with the power to create the most chaotic inventions with success. Naturally, having that kind of person would do wonders in the right hands, but for Agatha, she discovers something else. Agatha is a part of the Heterodyne family, a family of inventors, scientists, and heroes.
Adventures in Castle Heterodyne is a very loose retelling of the first major arc in Girl Genius, where Agatha explores Castle Heterodyne as the true heir to the throne. Given the comic's long and ongoing tenure, there is a lot of outside information that is required to have basic knowledge of in order to follow the plot. Fortunately, Rain Games happen to be big fans of the series as the devs do a great job at easing the player into the vast world of Girl Genius.
From the moment Agatha enters Castle Heterodyne, there are trinkets of lore scattered about. These tidbits of information are crucial in understanding the plot as it does a fair good job of catching players up to speed. Up until this point, Agatha has been kidnapped, escaped, and found allies and enemies alike, all of which happened before she entered the castle.
She also meets characters that have the consistency of a "Saturday Morning Cartoon." To explain, these are characters that Agatha knows and vice versa, but unless the player is familiar with Girl Genius, it will be the first time they will meet these characters.
As a bonus, players can eventually read the first few books in the Girl Genius catalog in the game as they play through the story. In the game's central HUB room, titled "The Hub," there's a cozy fireplace where Agatha can rest up and read about her own misadventures. The comics are also available to read for free on the official Girl Genius website. However, there are twenty years of lore to catch up on, which may not be the main draw for players, so here are some of the things I feel Adventures In Castle Heterodyne is doing fantastic.
The game compares itself to Ratchet & Clank in terms of gameplay and I can see it as a grounded experience with an emphasis on puzzles. Like Ratchet, Agatha can use her wrench to attack foes within the castle as well as turn and activate switches. Agatha also has a Dingbot minion which behaves like Clank, entering places that Agatha can't access and solving puzzles. Agatha doesn't jump and flip around nor does she run and gun like Ratchet and Rivet, rather combat is grounded with rolling and tumbling similar to a Zelda-style game.
Girl Genius: Adventures in Castle Heterodyne features an eccentric cast that successfully translates from the bubbly comics Agatha and company originate from. First impressions left me on a high note and feeling nostalgic as it's shaping up to be a 3D Action-Adventure that carries itself as a light-hearted adventure similar to other PlayStation 2-era titles. Players can expect a full review as well as the chance to play as the Spark herself, Agatha Heterodyne, on September 5th, 2023.