Like No Other: The Legend of the Twin Books is a short point-and-click adventure that lets you explore the abandoned town of Red Pines.
There’s nothing like an exciting adventure to get the heart racing. Like No Other: The Legend of the Twin Books, literature itself takes center stage as one of the main characters. If one goes on a journey that’s been on the list of “places to go,” finally accomplishing that goal can be very satisfying. But regardless of one’s enthusiasm for adventure, having the skill to go along with said enthusiasm is of the utmost importance. But for a would-be adventurer known as Dan, enthusiasm and a passion for literature are all that is needed.
Created by the Actoon Studio team, one experiences the story of Dan, a man who fancies himself an adventurer of sorts. While researching local legends involving a tome in Red Pines known as the Spirits’ Book, the seasoned reader decided he must solve a mystery. Is it really true that someone replaced the authentic book with a convincing forgery? If so, the real book must be saved, regardless of the time, it takes to find it. Dan may not be a whip-slinging fedora-wearing archaeologist, but he’s got tons of heart. Like No Other: The Legend of the Twin Books shows us even the greenest adventurer can discover wonderful things.
Visiting museums is always a fun adventure. And there are so many things that can be learned from various subjects. What most people tend to shy away from is institutions that specialize in books. But, seeing that this adventure had to do with preserving written knowledge, I had to check it out. What the game itself lacks in length, it makes up for in substance with the story itself. Who wouldn’t love credit for making an epic historic discovery that an important book was a forgery?
As Like No Other: The Legend of the Twin Books is a point-and-click title, the controls were extremely simple. Aside from the usual W,A,S,D configuration and the point-and-click side, the tab opened up the inventory, and space allowed Dan to jump in certain instances. Every important step in the title felt like a mini-game, and it was something that might invoke a sense of childhood nostalgia in many people.
Most of the gameplay was easy. Before getting into the museum, I had to follow a list of clues. A great deal of that required simple exploration. As one explores, they might find a handful of ‘caches’ strewn about. Only about ten exist per section of the game. But they are often hard to spot as some might be hidden among the tall grass. And while it was fun to collect them, I don’t believe I figured out what they were for, other than a handful of achievements. There were a few NPCs to speak to. But they simply added to the lore and depth of the story.
One of the biggest occurrences in Like No Other: The Legend of the Twin Books was Dan having to remove a large truck to access the Red Pines Museum. In order to do that, a cord had to be hooked from the crashed vehicle to the Jeep’s winch. It might sound easy, but it hardly was. Precise and consistent acceleration and steering were required. Even after understanding how to do it, one might spend more than 2 minutes executing this action.
Sneaking past a handful of wolves was interesting. They had visible cones of sight, which makes it easy for any player to gauge where it’s best to avoid them finding you. It wasn’t always easy, though. If one wolf caught sight of Dan for too long, a special song would play, and he’d run like crazy to safety. The best part of this was the animation for his escape. When he ran away panicked, only one leg seemed to be animated. I completely burst into laughter, scaring everyone else in the room. I really hope this little detail is left in the game.
The wolves were a task and a half to deal with. But they were nothing compared to the roomba that I had to catch in the foyer. I’d be lying if I said it wasn’t a huge pain. Dan had to drive the annoying robot towards electrified water using spoiled milk to corral the thing. But it had to be precise so that the robot was tricked into going straight back and stopping in water. Even after figuring out exactly what to do, there was no guarantee that directing the robot would complete the objective. The little bugger was annoyingly fast.
The artwork for Like No Other: The Legend of the Twin Books was fantastic. Every single visual aspect of the game was hand-drawn. The color palettes were full of bright shades. Even things like simple litter across the floor and piles of boxes had brighter versions of their normal colors. Dan’s outfit popped against the scenery, as did the few NPCs that existed throughout the game. Personally, the art is worth as much admiration as the overall game.
Accompanied by the artwork were simple music tracks. There may not have been a large band or orchestra. But it did not take away from the charm provided by the ambient music. It would be nice to see an OST release, even if it’s only a few tracks for the game.
While relatively few, the small number of features made Like No Other: The Legend of the Twin Books more than a simple point-and-click adventure. I would have been satisfied with nothing more than a traditional point-and-click puzzle game. I do, however, wish the game had been a little longer. The title was simply that enjoyable. Dan’s accomplishments have earned him another adventure.
It was a fantastic experience that can be completed in one afternoon. My only problem with the game, really, was how short it was. I was hoping it was a far lengthier adventure than I had experienced. Regardless, I recommend this game to anyone who wants a laid-back adventure.
Like No Other: The Legend of the Twin Books is currently available on Steam.
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