Jack Keane

a game by | Deck 13 Interactive GmbH |
Platform: | PC |
User Rating: | 9.3/10 - 3 votes |
Rate this game: | |
See also: | Text Adventure |
I Made a promise to myself and to you, dear reader, that I'd never do it. I'd never compare a point-and-clicker to The Secret of Monkey Island, or any other LucasArts adventure. Ulis is lazy and obvious games journalism, and in any respect, LucasArts' early '90s output was so polished that it only leads to unfavourable comparisons. But then along comes a game like Jack Keane that practically comes with a 'Wish You Were Here' postcard of Monkey Island stapled to the box.
Consider the facts: a jittery hero in a flouncy white shirt, a female sidekick who's tougher than she looks, an obligatory 'scare a bird off' puzzle, and an obsession with monkeys. This is a total own-brand version of Monkey Island. I've met more innovative sausages than this and if Keane couldn't be bothered to be original, then why should I, eh? But here's the caveat: if you don't judge it against anything else, this a decent little game.
Joker In The Deck
Jack Keane comes from Deck 13, the German studio responsible for the likeable-ish Ankh adventures, and through research, collaborations with Telltale Games (of Sam & Max fame) and sheer hard graft, they've reached the point where they can put together a solid point-and-click game. Jack Keane's numerous locations are bright and breezy, the controls streamlined, the puzzles logical - which is more than can be said for many of its peers - and the pacing is spot-on. Indeed, the speed in which the characters move make Jack Keane somewhat of a leader in its genre. The game never drags in the way that even Monkey Island et al often could. And the characters are definitely likeable enough, despite the imbecility of them having British accents that seem to have been voiced by morons who wouldn't be able to locate England on a map of England.
The problem with Jack Keane is that it's just not funny. The game tries too hard to be something its not. Watching these 'zany characters' (the game's website's words, not mine) rattle off their tepid jokes is an experience that'll see you crack one smile for every four groans.
Jack Keane is a very respectable adventure, and there's definitely plenty of it. I like point-and-click games, and I like Jack Keane, so make of that what you will. But often while playing it, you'll wish there was a game out there with a little more charisma, with a little more natural charm. And there is: Monkey Island.
Download Jack Keane
PC

System requirements:
- PC compatible
- Operating systems: Windows 10/Windows 8/Windows 7/2000/Vista/WinXP
Snapshots and Media
PC Screenshots
See Also
Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs
Guardians of the Galaxy: The Telltale Series
Max & The Magic Marker
Monkey Island 2: LeChuck's Revenge
Sam & Max Episode Three: Night of the Raving Dead
Sam & Max: Season Two - Moai Better Blues
Strong Bads Cool Game For Attractive People
Tales from the Borderlands
Tales of Monkey Island 2: The Siege of Spinner Cay
Tales of Monkey Island: Chapter 3 - Lair of the Leviathan
Tales of Monkey Island: Chapter 4 - The Trial and Execution of Guybrush Threepwood
The Secret of Monkey Island
Wallace & Gromit's Grand Adventures Episode 4: The Bogey Man