1. Jazzpunk (PC)
2. Grand Theft Auto: Vice City (PS2)
3. Grandia (PS1)
4. Hotline Miami (PC)
5. Luigi’s Mansion: Dark Moon (3DS)
6. Off-Peak (PC)
7. realMYST: Masterpiece Edition (PC)
8. Puzzle Quest: Challenge of the Warlords (DS)
9. Super Mario 3D Land (3DS)
10. Space Pirates (PC)
11. NiGHTS Into Dreams (PC)
12. Inherit the Earth (PC)
Inherit the Earth is a standard point-and-click adventure game developed by, The Dreamers Guild, who also worked on the Kyrandia series and a recently featured Together Retro title, I Have No Mouth and I Must Scream. The setting created by the developers paints a strange future, where mankind, in their advanced technological state, genetically altered numerous animals that gave them sentience and changed them. These animals worked with the humans in research, but at some point, something went wrong and humanity disappeared off of the planet, leaving the animals to roam and later form tribes and their own rudimentary civilizations that relied on their various skills and what little was salvaged from humanity.
In this title, you play as Riff the fox, who is accused of stealing a human relic they refer to as, The Orb of Storms, which could predict weather patterns and inform them when to plant and harvest crops. In order to prove your innocence, you must travel with your entourage of guards, Eeah of the Elk Tribe and Okk of the Boar Tribe to try and solve the mystery of who stole the orb and why.
What makes this game fun and interesting is that there is some genuinely good voice acting and character development throughout the game. Each character in your party have interesting story arcs that help bring about personal struggles in them. Okk the Boar was put on this assignment as punishment for his irresponsibility in protecting the Boar Chief by getting drunk and is constantly ridiculed by his peers. He is at first resentful of you and of Eeah until a certain point in the game where you help boast his confidence and regain some of his honor with his peers.
With Riff himself, you feel his frustration as he eventually is grasping at straws on where to go and what to do, addressing these moments where you are simply wandering and looking for points of interest in a larger map. Riff seems to be fed up with this reliance on these fragments of human technology and it is very clear that a lot of the animals know nothing of the humans anymore, but revere them as gods and cling to little human relics like a cheap trophy as if it is something truly spectacular. For him it is all about learning to rely on your neighbors and growing together as a team, which is an incredibly important theme near the end of the game itself.
Where the game falters is in the inconsistency of the game itself. You can tell right from the get-go that there was conflict between the developers and the publishers. In an interview back in 2000, David Joiner, one of the lead developers stated that a lot of things were cut or changed to help foster a kid-friendly image. In reality, they wanted to make a more grim title that had a broad range of emotions and would appeal to everyone, but the publisher would not have it.
Under harsh restrictions and horrible deadlines, the developers had to cut a lot of material out and pad the game with mazes… yes, mazes. There are three instances of mazes in the game and they are absolutely infuriating to navigate. One maze in particular, you have to navigate twice and take up a bulk of the games experience. The developers themselves regret putting them in the title and stated that there was pressure to add these activities to appeal to kids. I don’t know how mazes appeal to anyone in videogames, but sure! Why not?!
These mazes ruin a brilliant world that was full of life and character. They tarnish these moments where you are introduced to new tribes of animals and compare and contrast their way of life compared to yours. You see their customs and behaviors and their view on humans. Some revere them more, while others completely ignore their existence.
I would recommend playing the game still, as it is a very interesting game none the less. It can be purchased through GOG or through steam, but I used my personal copy from the SSI collection called Worlds of Sword and Steel, which includes the voiced version of the game. I also want to point out that the original creator of the series started a web comic to continue the story which can be found here.
There is also a patreon for their sequel Inherit the Earth: Sand and Shadows which is an episodic title they are trying to get funded and an upcoming kickstarter campaign. I highly recommend the game for people who are interested in a unique and interesting world with great voice acting and simplistic puzzles. Even though the mazes infuriate and annoy, the game is still worth playing and experiencing. Check it out!