Lost Eden

Download Lost Eden and embark on an unforgettable adventure in a mesmerizing world! Solve puzzles, forge alliances, and unlock the secrets of a forgotten past. Begin your epic journey and play now!
a game by Cryo Interactive
Genre: Adventure/RPG
Platforms: PC, 3DO
Editor Rating: 7.4/10, based on 4 reviews
User Rating: 9.3/10 - 3 votes
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See also: Quest Games

Maybe it's just me, but I find it a little hard to identify with talking dinosaurs, particularly if they look like whoever drew them couldn't make up their minds whether to draw them as dinosaurs or something from outer space. Unfortunately, it is creatures such as these that you will have to get used to for the duration of Lost Eden. You can get round this disorientating state of affairs, though, and thus enhance your enjoyment of the game, by simply pretending that they're not really dinosaurs at all but weird talking things, "weird" being the operative word. Er, sorry, that was just my little contribution to the "are French games weird, or what?" debate, which has been going on in the pages of EC Zone for the last few months. As far as I'm concerned, the answer is an emphatic "Yes". As far as the game itself is concerned. Cryo are more or less continuing from where they left off with DragonLorr, in the sense that the whole game experience relies very heavily on the story behind it. To get the maximum enjoyment out of lost Eden, you really have to understand what it's all about. Here then, is the tale.

Once upon a time...

You take the role of Prince Adam, a young Prince who has just come of age. Your home is the Citadel of Mo. a huge fortress where you live with your father, the King. In this ancient land, humans and dinosaurs co-exist uneasily, each race wary and dinosaurs co-exist uneasily, each race wary of the other. There was a time when dinosaurs and humans would build citadels together in which to live that would serve as a defence against the evil Tyrann race, led by the wicked dinosaur Moorkus Rex. All this changed when your grandfather, affectionately known as the Enslaver, tore down the citadels leaving the inhabitants of the land vulnerable to the evil Tyranns. I guess he didn't like the colour of them or something. The only way to bring peace back to the land is by persuading the humans and dinosaurs to work together again and build new citadels to live in. so that they can once more defend themselves against the Tyrann hordes. To achieve this, you must leave your cosy citadel and travel the valleys outside, merrily building citadels in each valley as you go along. Then, you will have to tackl the evil Moorkus Rex himself and rid the land of his tyranny forever and ever.

If you think all this citadel building and negotiating with dinosaurs sounds like a tall order, worry not, it isn't. Let me explain...

Take my hand

Lost b'den is not an adventure game, at least it isn't by conventional standards. Right from the start you are led by the hand from one location to another and you will always find someone to tell you what to do next. Not that you will have very much to do anyway. Most of your time in the game is spent listening to what the characters have to say about the particular situation you are in. You never fee the satisfaction of solving a particularly tricky puzzle, consequently to be rewarded with a new location or new part of the game.

You are always carried along by the game and taken where it wants you to go instead of the other way around. Interacting with the characters is pretty much the same story. You have no control over what you say to them. You just click on them and if they have any information to impart which may be useful, they'll tell you. So, player involvement is definitely not Lost Eden's strongest point.

There are times when it threatens to pick up a bit, though. When you leave your home citadel and enter the valleys, you have to learn how to build the citadels and strengthen them in stages. Here's the ow-down on what you'll be doing for a considerable portion of the game: building citadels.

Here's one I made earlier

in each valley you will find dinosaurs and humans. You cannot mild a citadel without the co-operation of both. Often the humans a valley will give you a quest that you have to complete before they will co-operate. On completion of the quest, there are two items you need to take to build a citadel. Firstly, there are different: types of dinosaurs in the valleys. The first ones you need to see are the Brontosaurus. If you give them the correct item, and summon their assistance in the correct way. they will build a modest citadel which will keep the Tyranns at bay for a short time. To turn your modest citadel into a powerful fortress, you need the help of the Triceratops. They also need a gift, as well as some verbal encouragement (you have to sing to them) before they will help but once they do, your citadel will be almost impenetrable. Your final task in the valley is to slow down the progress of the Tyrann hordes. To do this you need to get the aid of the warrior dinosaurs. They also need a gift and a special item before they will co-operate. Once you've got them to help, they will fight the Tyranns and stop them from overrunning the valley. And so it goes on. You go to each valley and do the same thing all over again. Pacify the humans, get the Brontosaurus to build a citadel, get the Triceratops to make it bigger, and get the warriors to fight the Tyranns. There is no real challenge in any of this, and it soon becomes very repetitive. There aren't really any puzzles to solve. You find out what you need to do more by trial and error than through creative thinking. There's even a shell you can use on yourself, which calls the spirit of an old dinosaur who tells you what you need to do next. So, as an adventure game. Lost Eden is a waste of time. Virgin say it's aimed at children and beginners (this is PR-speak for "there aren't any puzzles in it"). I can see how children would find it entertaining, but even novice adventurers will find no challenge in this game whatsoever. There are, however, a few points in the game's favour that make up to a very large extent for the lack of gameplay. First and foremost, there are the graphics...

Verily, a thing of beauty

Lost Eden is a work of breathtaking beauty. There is currently no pc adventure around as graphically impressive as this one. You can obviously see for yourself by looking at the screen shots that the Silicon Graphic landscapes are beautifully drawn, but the real eye openers in the game are the cut-scenes. If you've seen the intro to Magic Carpet you'll know what I'm talking about. The difference with Lost Eden is that the fun doesn't stop at the intro. Every time you move from one location to another, you are treated to a spectacular animation depicting your journey. Huge dinosaurs negotiating beautifully drawn terrain, awesome Pterodactals soaring gracefully through the air. incredible views of your giant fortress as the dinosaurs build it up almost every major thing you do sparks off a truly impressive animation. Okay, so wonderful graphics don't make up for lack of entertainment, but if the game itself doesn't grab you. the chances art the story-line will. The story is superbly told from start to finish, with each section of the plot linking up neatly with the next. I still wanted to finish the game despite the lack o a challenge just so that I could see how the story ended. This is the first "interactive movie" type game that I found entertaining simply by watching it and getting involved in the plot. You, of course, may feel differently. If you're looking for a challenging adventure, this most definitely is not it. If you appreciate superb story-telling, supported by awesome graphics, you may get a couple of days entertainment out of this product, but that's as far as it goes. The choice is yours.

Download Lost Eden

PC

System requirements:

  • PC compatible
  • Operating systems: Windows 10/Windows 8/Windows 7/2000/Vista/WinXP
3DO

System requirements:

  • PC compatible
  • Operating systems: Windows 10/Windows 8/Windows 7/2000/Vista/WinXP

Game Reviews

It's very far into the future.The world is inhabited by man and dinosaur. Once they lived together in a peaceful, symbiotic relationship, but were eventually driven apart. Now, they must work together again in order to eliminate a mad warrior and his fiendish hordes.

Lost Eden features three things that make an adventure great: a good story, beautiful graphics and a sweeping soundtrack. Add an easy interface and a bunch of nasty-looking ogres and dinosaurs and what you've got is an adventure game that's a cut above the rest.This game will pull you in and keep you playing for hours.

In Lost Eden you're transported to ancient Earth, where magic abounds and dinosaurs live (almost) peacefully with mankind.

With the help of Dina, a dinosaur, you defend yourself against an army of carnivorous dinosaurs by learning how to build citadels and fight off hostile attacks. This takes a combination of clever strategy and good old-fashioned fighting skills.

First released as a PC game, this eco-adventure includes realistically rendered 3D graphics, digitized voices, and an original soundtrack that blends New Age music and primitive sounds.

Myst meets Jurassic Park in this fantasy game from Virgin. You solve a few puzzles, save a few kingdoms, watch out for dino droppings, but mostly, you talk, talk, and talk. It makes you wonder if extinction might actually be the way to go.

The Rex Files

The story centers around a young adventurer named Prince Adam. In a land populated with dinosaurs and aliens, Adam's family is battling the Tyranns, bloody T. rex-like human-saurs. The Tyranns killed Prince Adam's mother and sister, so a little payback is on the way. In order to defeat the Tyranns, Adam must rally the remaining dinosaurs to help the humans before all of them become extinct.

The road to success winds through many lips. There's more talking in this game than at the Democratic National Convention, and like that caucus, much of the talking is useless rhetoric that does nothing to enhance the game. Besides talking, you also gather clues to solve puzzles. No experience building or endless battling, so experienced RPGers may want to sidestep this one.

Paradise Lost

The graphics are crisp, clean, and imaginative with fantastic images of bejeweled dinosaurs and winged advisors to the kings. But unfortunately, for the most part, these images are static with just the lips moving. Little goes on in the background, making it a joy when something actually moves-like the rendered brontosaurus.

The music is a great earthy composition, reminiscent of the weird, funky rhythms of Deep Forest. It's complemented by a full-voice soundtrack with every piece of dialogue spoken.

The simple controls offer a pleasing cube interface. Basically, a cube (your cursor) revolves around the screen.

When you pass the cursor over an object, an icon is displayed.

Riddle Me This

Myst fans who love the puzzle elements of point-and-click text adventures will really dig these dinosaurs, but be prepared for some lengthy discourses to keep you occupied. Although Lost Eden takes a bite from the RPG apple, it probably shouldn't talk with its mouth full.

ProTips:

  • If your cursor does not reveal an arrow (which allows you to leave the screen), then the person you're talking to has more to say.
  • Before leaving Tau's deathbed, grab the knife from the table next to his bed.
  • In the valley of Chamaar, use the architect's flute to rouse the brontosaurus herd.
  • Use Ute Prism on the tablet. How you can see what Morkus Rex is up to.
  • For a sordid (yet helpful) accounting of the family history, check out the panels behind the king in the throne room.

Snapshots and Media

PC Screenshots

3DO Screenshots

See Also

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