2B - Thursday, November 20, 2008
The Michigan Daily - michigandaily.com
28 - Thursday, November 20, 2008 The Michigan Daily - michigandailycom *
0l
'THE LEGEND OF KYRANDIA 2: THE
HAND OF FATE'(1993) DOS
CAL RADNEL
The Daily Arts guide to
upcoming events in Ann Arbor
and the surrounding area.
Today 11.20.08
Amy Hempel Fiction Reading
5 p.m.
At the RC Auditorium
Free
"Freedom Is the Crime Which Con-
tains All Crimes": Penny Stamps Lec-
ture by L.A. Artist Daniel Martinez
5 p.m.
At the Micjhigan Theater
Free
Tomorrow 11.21.08
"Falling into Place": School of Music,
Theatre & Dance Department B.F.A.
Concert
8 p.m.
At the UM Dance Building's Betty Pease Studio (1310
N. University Court)
$5
UCon: 20th Annual Gaming Conven-
tion
10 a.m. to Midnight
At the Michigan Union
$25
Saturday 11.22.08
"Speech and Debate" Performance
by UM Basement Arts
7 p.m.
At Walgreen Drama Center Studio
Free
"Parade" Performance Presented by
MUSKET
8 p.m.
At the Power Center
$13, $7 with student ID
Sunday 11.23.08
Reiki: Japanese Healing Technique
Presentation
3 p.m.
At Body-Mind-Spirit Wellness Center Studio B(2007
S. State)
Free; donations accepted
Please send all press releases and event
information to arts@michigandaily.com.
1
i
i
An adventure
of the absurd
By JAMIE BLOCK contest, in which the mystic hero-
Daily Arts Writer ine must participate, the game has
something to make even the most
The world of Kyrandia is disap- level-headed player gawk in bewil-
pearing, and the only way to save it dered wonder.
is a trip to the center of the world. The puzzles can inspire ques-
And what journey to the molten tions nearly as odd as the game's
core would be complete without plot. Prime examples include:
purple dragons, sandwich potions, "What am I supposed to do with
musical fireflies and mustard-lov- this bottled ghost?" "Why won't
ing cannibals? All this weirdness this pirate let me take his tooth?"
and more can be found in "The "How do I make sweet and sour
Legend of Kyrandia 2: The Hand sauce?" And, perhaps most com-
of Fate," which can be downloaded monly, "What am I even supposed
along with a DOS emulator from to be doing?"
Abandonia (www.abandonia.com). In case of the latter, the best
The game follows one of the solution is often clicking on every-
royal mystics, Zanthia, on her quest thing and anything in sight until
to collect an anchor stone that will something happens. This may seem
stop the entire planet from slowly like the makings of a boring game,
vanishing. With the help of her but it's just the opposite. Not only is
pseudo-lover, Marko, and his assis- "Hand ofFate"extremely enjoyable,
tant, a giant white glove, she makes it's also a lesson in persistence.
0
her way through six different zones
packed with brain-melting, non- -
sensical puzzles. Ga
"Kyrandia 2" could function as
a text-based game - the only "con-
trol" is clicking on different objects
- but the colorful visuals lend the
game much of its quirky charm.
With fantasy worlds ranging from The cl
marshes to farms, volcanoes to is that,a
floating islands and ski resorts to lievablyd
log cabins, there's a lot to see in pride the
Kyrandia. The game stretches DOS lem-solvi
to its limits, providing much pret- themselv
tier graphics than nearly all of its than once
peers. sive not j
But the game's beauty doesn't challengi
stop there. What makes "Kyran- only mou
dia 2" so supremely enjoyable is its incredibl
absurdity. From the plotto the puz- "The L
zles, the whole game is just plain Hand of
weird. When a giant hand instructs name, at
a woman to go to the center of the game rev
world, there's clearly some strange niche. Ga
shit going down. But "Kyrandia 2" both thei
takes everything to the next level need look
of oddball. Whether it's the Abomi- appearin
nable Snowman who claims Zan- those w.
thia as his lover, the dinosaur who game bef
chases a teddy bear through under- universe
world caverns or the pirate poetry of Fate."
ming of the
irdest kind.
lincher for "Kyrandia 2"
above all else, it's unbe-
difficult. Even those who
emselves on their prob-
ng skills are likely to find
es at a loss for ideas more
e. "Kyrandia 2" is impres-
ust for being engaging and
ng, but also for requiring
se clicks. It's simple, yet
y complex.
.egend of Kyrandia 2: The
F Fate" is no household
nd it shouldn't be. The
els in its quirky, obscure
amers looking to exercise
r brains and index finger
k no further than the dis-
g world of Kyrandia. Even
ho have never played a
ore can enjoy the puzzling
controlled by the "Hand