Da Vinci Code

If you are a fan of The Da Vinci code book, or movie, you will thoroughly enjoy the video game created under the same name. Full of puzzles, clues, trails to follow, and the occasional fist fight, The Da Vinci Code game has a wide variety of action to please many gamers.

The story itself follows the main idea behind the movie and the book. A symbolist, Robert Langdon, and a cryptographer Sophie Neveu are thrown together when investigating the murder of Sophie's grandfather. In the process, they discover clues and follow leads left by the deceased which threaten to rewrite history and shake the foundation of the Catholic church. Robert becomes the prime suspect during the police investigation, and the adventure begins.

The main characters in the game were not given much development for their personalities which really detracts from creating excitement for game play. The environments in the game are wonderfully rich in detail in contrast to the characters. The musical score is excellent for the environments and are placed beautifully. Had the characters been given more work, this game would be much improved.

While the characters are a little boring, the puzzles in Da Vinci are jam-packed and quite intriguing. There are cryptograms, anagrams, and logic puzzles most of which require effort to figure out, and some of them will leave you stumped. Game play involves interacting with objects. Some of them you pick up, some are used by the character you're playing. One good note is you are able to play both Robert and Sophie at different times, and the characters move similarly. The fight sequences are well designed and you can almost feel the force of one of Robert's punches. During play the other character is computer controlled, and becomes occasionally becomes a hindrance during fights. Such as when Robert has his arm pulled back ready to punch, the guard or crazy monk he's fighting is jerked away from him by Sophie. Sometimes the other character does not fight at all, and then there are two bad guys knocking you out. For the most part, the computer controlled character does step in and help in a fight.

Puzzles are the main meat of this game. One of the items you acquire is a black light, which you use to read hidden text on maps, schematics, or paintings. You collect secret items on each level such as Da Vinci models and parts of the solar system, usually two to three on each level of play. Finding these secrets items unlock additional artwork and bonuses.

The Da Vinci Code is a great game for the puzzle nuts out there, and for the history buffs. Dates, people, and facts are worked into the story which seems to never end at times, but it does capture your attention. Notes about the history learned are thankfully stored for easy access and viewing later.

The video game is pretty solid all around. Average play time to finish is about ten hours. The graphics can be a little disturbing and intense in some sequences, so keep this one away from little gamers. But for the older crowd, this game is entertaining.

Summary

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