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You know a game’s doing something right when it reminds you of the Wicker Man. We’re talking the unnerving original here, not the snooze-fest that was the Nicolas Cage remake. Developed internally in the UK (which is proudly boasted on the back of the box) it’s an extremely large coincidence if the intent wasn’t there. Even the lead up to the game was similarly spooky. We’d received two postcards via snail-mail addressed from a mysterious Nigel who’s residing in Saxton. A disk was in the post concerning the odd happenings of the isolated village. Two weeks later we’ve played the game and have come out of it with mixed thoughts.

The Lost Crown takes place in the sleepy village of Saxton. You’re given control of a stereotypical British protagonist; Nigel Danvers. Following a brief introduction to the character and plot explanation (you’re aboard a train on the run from London), you find yourself stranded at the coast. You find out that there’s a Lost Crown to be found and it turns into a big treasure hunt. The reasons for your situation are kept fuzzy to promote intrigue and it adds to the mysterious edge that the game already has.

Presented in black and white, it all feels deliciously retro. The process works well at extenuating the mood and it’s further emphasised when the game adds the odd drop of colour in the form of flowers or a dragonfly. The stark contrasts instantly catch the eye and register in the mind. It also has a practical reason behind the colour drain and that helps hide any graphical glitches or inconsistencies. It’s a clever choice by the developers which uniforms the design and independently developed engine.

Things get even better when you put the soundtrack under the microscope. The designers have been extremely select in using the sound to convey a tone. You’ll notice when there’s no music and it will up the tension as a result. When there is music, it’s often haunting and unsettling. The sound effects go a step further. Whether it’s the deep lull of the ocean or the creeping footsteps of Nigel you’ll be aware of everything going on around you. Then it goes a bit pear shaped.

Being an adventure title, there’s plenty of dialogue. As with any game post 1995, the script is voice acted. We’re being considerate when we describe the acting as terrible. We have a hunch that the majority of acting is done within the developer studio. If that’s wrong, the budget for the voice work was obviously depressingly low. Often the acting in games is melodramatic or often undelivered, but The Lost Crown really struggles. It spoils a package that was showing real flair. The actual bread and butter script is slow paced and you’ll be shaking your PC to get moving. Lip Syncing is barely apparent and the choice of dialogue is pointless. It’s harsh and the fact the developers are a small studio should be taken into consideration, but they should have received some funding for such an important part of the game.

Other cracks begin to show in the surface. The walking animation is still and looks like an undead mummy walking about. The quips from Danvers really start to grind when you’re told that this doesn’t work with that for the thousandth time. Nigel is just so slow at doing everything. We’re fine with a bit of time taking but we don’t have the 35 hours that can be spent on the game. That figure would have been much less if aimless clicking and wandering was removed. For every great set piece there’s a repetitive puzzle of put A to B which could have been avoided.

Object interaction is as unchanged as ever and a popup inventory scarily similar to Belief & Betrayal is used to manage your wares. The Lost Crown starts of extremely promising and the it’d deserve general honours if it had continued the feeling through the game, but it turns into another clear example of ‘genre-fans will enjoy it, the rest need not apply.’ Troubled game mechanics stop this being an independent masterpiece.

Score: 6/10

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