COMPUTER GAME REVIEW
“Kim” By Ron Scopelliti A computer role playing game with no dragons, or zombies, or post-apocalyptic giant rats to battle? Who would ever conceive of such a thing? As it turns out, Rudyard Kipling did, though he didn’t know it at the time. But at the end of last year, Secret Games Company released “Kim,” a single-player game based on the author’s 1901 novel about an orphan living by his wits on the streets of India during British rule. The story starts in Northern India where 14-year-old Kimball O’Hara, the orphan of an Irish soldier and his destitute wife, is surviving by his wits on the streets of Lahore. The player’s job is to guide Kim through an open-world landscape until he reaches the age of 18. It’s an offbeat combination of survival, resource management, and adventure in which nebulous goals such as Kim’s happiness are as important as how many rupees he collects, or how many missions he completes. Come to think of it, it’s a lot like life. Along the way, Kim encounters a diverse group of characters, RI Contractor’s Reg. #6112 Fully Insured
H SMITHFIELD NORT FENCE, INC. Professional Service & Installation
COMPLETE LINE OF RESIDENTIAL & COMMERCIAL FENCING
including representatives of the region’s various religions and philosophies, and historical figures including Kipling’s father. Kim has the option of getting involved with the contemporary political intrigue between Great Britain and Russia over Central Asia that came to be known as the Great Game. He can also supplement his income through numerous breaking-and-entering opportunities, though getting caught can result in costly prison stays. The game is played in a top-down, 2-D view. At first it’s difficult to distinguish one character from another, given that you’re looking straight down at the tops of their heads, but after a while I started to pick up on subtle cues based on headwear, and what I could see of their clothing. The graphics have a muted,
Hunter Insurance Represents 25 Insurance Companies Including NLC Insurance Company
Custom Cedar PVC Vinyl Aluminum/Steel Chain Link: Galvanized and Vinyl-Coated Gates We have been your official Eastern Illusions Dealer since 2005
Switching to Hunter Insurance couldn’t be easier. Call us today at (401)769-9500.
Fencing materials available for the Do-It Yourself Install 401-769-2575 fax 401-766-2956 www.nsfenceri.com 375 Saint Paul Street, North Smithfield, RI (5 min. from MA off 146A)
34
www.hunterinsurance.net 389 Old River Road, Lincoln
May 2017