Now this game is indeed an oddity: I remember it when it was originally released and it seemed like someone was trying to take on the LucasArts brand at their own thing (nothing new in the earlier to mid-nineties). It is only years later that I found out the people behind this game were actually two blokes from Brisbane Australia - and Flight of the Amazon Queen is now distributed on the Internet as freeware. Good excuse as any to check it out right?
Well having played a lot of Lucasarts adventures this year it isn't hard to see that this game is trying to replicate what made the LucasArts successful. True imitation is the sincerest form of flattery but you can only take that so far: So does Flight of the Amazon Queen has something of its own to say?
Well I will be honest: there were some slow moments thta put me to sleep but there are certainly some funny moments: I particularly enjoyed the interactions with the gorilla and the conversation with the puppet man. Also pleasing is Joe speech being delivered in a Brooklyn accent which certainly adds considerably to the bizarre situations within the game.
Comparisons to Indian Jones are inevitable but ultimately both are drawing from the same material: Pulp fiction from the 1950's - the difference is that Flight of the Amazon Queen is more willing to embrace the absurdity of such situations. And therein lies a counterpoint to Indaina Jones. Indiana Jones got absurd with Kingdom of the Crystal Skull and thus came across as the bigger joke.
Furthermore, Flight of the Amazon Queen got in first with the Crystal Skull shtick.
Ultimately, I don't feel Flight of the Amazon Queen has enough bite to surpass the brilliance of the LucasArts games but I do admire it's spirit: It's the product of two guys built on a 'I can do that too' attitude. And for that reason Flight of the Amazon Queen can stand proudly on it's own two feet.
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