Release date(s) 1995 Initial release date 1995 | Genre(s) Puzzle Developer ELOI Productions | |
 | ||
Platforms Sega Saturn, Microsoft Windows, PlayStation, Macintosh operating systems Publishers Discis Knowledge Research Inc., SunSoft, Inc., DreamCatcher Interactive Similar Ghen War, Johnny Bazookatone, Blam! Machinehead, Off‑World Interceptor, Lunacy | ||
Jewels of the oracle sega saturn part 01
Jewels of the Oracle is a 1995 puzzle video game developed by ELOI Productions and published by Discis Knowledge Research Inc. It was released on Macintosh, PlayStation, SEGA Saturn, and Windows. A sequel developed by Bardworks and published by Hoffman and Associates was released in 1998 entitled Jewels II: The Ultimate Challenge.
Contents
Production
A demo was released which contained three puzzles and a movie-like trailer. In addition, a free version with a single puzzle was made available for a limited time by CompuServe and America Online.
Gameplay
The stationary puzzle game contains 24 puzzles, and lacks a storyline or plot. The design is Egyptian/Mesopotamian, and as such an Oracle provides hints to the player. New Straits Times wrote that the game mixes the gameplay concepts from Myst with the graphics of The 7th Guest. Similarly, Techtite deemed it a Myst-clone due to having the search-and-discover mechanics, while having the puzzles of The 7th Guest. The journal article Adventure games, permutations, and spreadsheets explains that both Jewels and Guest incorporate puzzles into their design. The Washington Post also made a favorable comparison between the two games.
Jewels of the Oracle
Computer Shopper deemed this game a "sleeper hit" and described it as "dazzling". Michael Ryan of PC Mag said the game was a "puzzle fan's dream come true". Entertainment Weekly described it as "adult", "pretty", "clever", "dry" and "claustrophobic", and likened the game to Myst. AdventureClassicGaming said that the lackluster ending " leaves the player puzzling as to the whole point of the story that has been so elaborately created." Interactive fiction personality Andrew Plotkin wrote that the game was "one-third recycled standard puzzles, one-third interesting variants of standard puzzles, and one-third new puzzles." WorldVillage praised the game for its gameplay and puzzles, but noted that it has zero replay value. Quandary Land gave it similar praise although noted that it can be a little bit frustrating. All Game Guide did not like the difficult and cumbersome interface.
Jewels II
Andrew Plotkin described the puzzles as " generally entertaining". AdventureClassicGaming said Jewels II: The Ultimate Challenge was more of a "remake" than a sequel.