Description:
Enter a world of mystic serenity and surpassing beauty in search of the ending to a tragic romance in The Legend of Lotus Spring. This first-person role-playing game in the style of Myst and Amerzone takes players on a tour through a lost archaeological treasure--China's Garden of Perfect Brightness--which was burned by the British and French during the 1860 Opium War. As you visit the stunningly rendered structures, courtyards, and pools within the garden, you are in search of Lotus Spring, a lover of the emperor Xian Feng. Imprisoned in the garden by the jealous Dowager Empress, Lotus Spring has now disappeared. Fearing for his lover's life, Xian Feng has returned to the garden to discover her fate. Gameplay in The Legend of Lotus Spring is simple and straightforward, to the extent that it may seem too straightforward for seasoned gamers. The various scenes within the Garden of Perfect Brightness are littered with objects and interactive hot spots. By exploring the garden and trying out the objects, players trigger animations that tell the story of Lotus Spring's doomed romance. Each discovery also fills out Lotus Spring's dream diary, providing more information about the missing woman's past. However, the mystery is often less than intriguing when compared to the garden itself. Using paintings, photographs, and the original construction plans, the destroyed garden has risen--gloriously--from its ashes. It is easy to forget that there is any point to the game beyond examining the treasures of each room. It is unfortunate that the game does not include more hard information on the garden or the architectural principles behind it. But even without this information, the garden offers infinite fascinations and a distinct sense of being haunted. Designed to appeal primarily to women, The Legend of Lotus Spring is a love story wrapped in a mystery. It is moody, romantic, and musical--a different sort of journey from most games of its type, and one that lovers of fine architecture and storytelling will find rewarding. --Alyx Dellamonica
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