There is a only thin veneer of normalcy over what we call "civilization." The daily to's and fro's of modern life serve to keep most people from looking too carefully at their surroundings. All one has to do is scratch the surface of this mundane existence and all the natural laws crumble to dust. The night is no longer merely the absence of light, but a real time of power for vampires and werewolves, eager to break the bonds of their supposedly legendary status.
Of course, all this is old news to anyone who's ever played Richard Tucholka's pen & paper role-playing game, Bureau 13: Stalking The Night Fantastic. And now the mysteries of this supernatural world can be revealed to almost anyone with a computer, thanks to Gametek and Take 2, who have just released their version of Tucholka's universe, Bureau 13. Unfortunately, there's a lot of potential that this game simply does not live up to, and in the end, the player may find himself trying to track down the original in frustration.
The Bureau that the game takes its name from is a clandestine government organization devoted to identifying, tracking down and, if necessary, exterminating all forms of paranormal and supernatural phenomena. Occasionally, one of these "phenomena" may choose to join the club, so the ranks of Bureau 13 are peppered with vampires and witches. This game revolves around a single mission for the organization: a rogue agent has unsuccessfully attempted to assassinate the sheriff of a town called Stratusburg. As a result, there is a full-fledged manhunt out for the failed killer, but the Bureau must find him first! If he were caught by more conventional authorities, he might well spill the beans about the organization. This would be catastrophic, since the existence of Bureau 13 is still just a rumor to most people.
The player gets to choose two agents from a roster of six, and each one has his or her own advantages and liabilities. Since this is a somewhat unusual organization, some of the skills are supernatural, and, in one case, technological. A character named Delilah Littlepanther is an expert in the use of a mechanical combat suit. Incidentally, she never removes that suit, and that's one of the problems I have with this game. I mean, sooner or later, that poor woman would be chafing like a bear.
One of the primary rules of this investigation is to remain as inconspicuous as possible. This is a lot easier than it sounds, unfortunately. The characters you will encounter on this mission are extremely dense. Maybe it's just me, but shouldn't people notice and react strongly to a character asking questions from inside a combat suit? Or a character who changes to a cloud of mist right before their eyes? These rather unorthodox occurrences are treated as though they were the most normal things in the universe, leaving out what could be a really interesting facet of the storyline: the possibility of attracting too much attention.
Perhaps this would have been a better game if it had focused on its role-playing elements more carefully. As it turns out, this product walks a clumsy line between genres, falling into the adventure side a bit too often. Depending on which characters the player chooses, the case can evolve in different ways and the puzzles have different solutions, so there is some replay value. Unfortunately, the designers were often too limited in their view of what the characters should be able and not be able to do. The potential of the characters and the concept is so high that the player is bound to find himself concocting elaborate schemes that the designers were simply not prepared for.
Taken on its own terms, the product fares a little better. The interface is versatile and very well designed. While a mouse is required, the player can choose to make his decisions primarily through a point and click method, through a hidden menu bar or through the keyboard. As with all the Take 2 games I have seen, one of B13's strongest points is its graphic design. The characters are distinctive and interesting, and the settings are equally notable. If there is a problem with the graphics, it is that they don't quite meet the level set by the opening animation, but that is too common to be fussed about too loudly. More subtly, the characters don't seem to blend with their surroundings very well, as though they were acting against a blue screen.
The sound is quite good, and includes a rocking soundtrack by The Heavy Planet. The voice acting leaves a bit to be desired, unfortunately. The performances are generally lackluster, but adequate.
Overall, Bureau 13 is not a life-changing game or anything. The best thing that can be said for it is that it effectively gets across all the fun that can be had playing Richard Tucholka's original game, and it will probably sell a lot more copies of it.
