Game: Cleo – a pirate’s tale
Genre: Puzzle, Adventure
System: Nintendo Switch (also on Steam, Windows & macOS)
Developers | Publishers: Christoph Schultz
Age Rating: US E10+ | EU 7+
Price: US $14.99 | UK £11.29| EU € 14,99
Release Date: August 10th, 2022
Review code used, with many thanks to Christoph Schultz.
Christoph Schultz is the solo developer responsible for bringing the top-down, adventure game Cleo – a pirates tale to life. The game was successfully funded on Kickstarter for €37,067, of which 1,135 backers pledged to help develop the game.
Ahoy me Hearties
Cleo is a cynical 14-year-old girl who lives with her rough and ready father in a pub. She is a typical moody teenager who is fed up living in the pub with her dad and the boring fishermen and unsuccessful pirates who frequent the place.
Cleo is infatuated with pirate stories about mysterious treasures and daring escapes. She has read all about the epic adventures of pirate legend Captain Cabeca. Cleo would like nothing better than to explore the seas and experience a grand adventure.
Pirates Logbook
However, when Cleo finds a strange pirate logbook and sees a ghost, who gives her a mysterious hint, her boring life is about to get turned upside down. After that, Cleo sets out on an adventure to find The Eternal Memory. Of course, there is more to the storyline than that, but I don’t want to go into much detail about it as I’ll spoil it for you. Suffice to say, the storyline is exciting and funny, and it’s one you should experience yourself.
Sail the Seas and Visit Islands
Cleo – a pirates tale is packed with NPCs who all have something to say for themselves. During Cleo’s travels, you will speak to every character you come across: you’ll have to talk to them anyway as you can’t progress the storyline otherwise.
You will travel the map with a crusty old sailor, Malthe Seus, and a parrot searching for the Eternal Memory. Additionally, Cleo will visit different islands, collecting items to pass on to NPCs to get clues for where she should head next. You’ll also solve some puzzles and play a card game or two of Kraken Fodder. In addition, you’ll brew some potions in the CocktHAL 8000. For example, potions such as “Coffee To Know” brewed by using Mead, rainwater, and coffee, sounds tasty, doesn’t it?
Reminiscent of Games from Long Ago
The game’s developer, Christoph Schultz, has done a fantastic job of bringing us gameplay reminiscent of such games as Monkey Island and Sam and Max. Cleo – a pirates tale is packed full of wacky dialogue and lots of humour. I spent most of the time smiling as I investigated the island and solved the mystery of The Eternal Memory.
Visuals and Sounds
Voice acting is on par with triple-A games; it’s wonderful. Each character has a unique personality that shines through as you talk to them. Cleo herself is sassy with plenty of attitude.
Visually the game is colourful, and the pixel artwork is very well animated. I loved how Cleo runs with such enthusiasm. Sound effects are appropriate to the gameplay, and with the music, it all comes together in a brilliant package.
Conclusion
Cleo – a pirate’s tale was a delightful surprise for me; I wasn’t expecting to enjoy the game as much as I did. The story is enjoyable, it is one of the games that you want to see the storyline through to the end. It is not a long game, coming in between three to four hours of gameplay time, but it is a few hours of good entertainment that I would recommend you try.
Final Verdict: Two Thumbs Up
