Maupiti Island - Final Rating

By Ilmari

I think I have not yet faced any game, not regular nor a Missed Classic, that I would have so ambivalent feelings for. The game had many things I really liked, but also important elements that were so incompetently done. I am not sure which way the scales will tip, so let’s just begin scoring.

Puzzles and Solvability

I am still of the opinion that in a Deadline-style game solving the mystery should be counted as one puzzle, and it is doubly so in a game like Maupiti Island, in which you have to answer some questions about central plot events. In the main, this part of the game felt rather satisfying. Most of the plot pieces fit in rather well and finding out the relevant information was mostly a fair process. The only exception was the need to crack the code of the secret messages in the piano - the use of the chess book was just on the limits of a fair game and one name (The Wind) could only be learned from these messages. Still, I liked the puzzle with the piano itself so much that I am willing to ignore this one fault.

Like a piece of good puzzle, I might add

Maupiti Island - Won!

By Ilmari

Last time I had just finished examining all the physical evidence and I was pretty certain what was going on in the island, who had killed Juste (Roy) and who was the disfigured body (Lucie). I still had no idea how to finish the game - there’s no command for arresting people. Thus, my only chance was to start solving the remaining puzzles.

Puzzle #1: How to play the piano

Maupiti Island - The Physical Evidence

By Ilmari

Last time, I had just concluded with interrogating everyone and finding out what happens in the course of two days. Now, it is time to investigate the surroundings. Before I go on to specifics, I’d like to make some general notes. This game is just full of items, and most of these are probably there for nothing - or at least I haven’t found any use for the many sets of playing cards, sextants etc. Furthermore, since majority of these items are not on plain sight, but often require diligent pixel hunting and meticulous use of different actions on different objects, I am not even sure I’ve found all there is to find. For these reasons, I am not going to make a detailed list of everything that could be found in a room, but merely point out things that seem important as providing clues or as helping to get forward in the game.

Let’s begin in Lange’s own cabin. As could be guessed, there were no real clues to be found here. I did find a letter from Lange’s friend Max, which sets the background for the projected third game in Jerome Lange -trilogy.

Maupiti Island - The Cast and Events

By Ilmari

I pondered long time what would be the best way to present these investigations. If I had just written down what I have been doing, it would have made for a boring story: “Stood on a beach for two days, first, there was no one to be seen, but then Chris came in sight and after him Bob, then Bob went away, but Anita arrived with Sue”. Instead, I decided just to write down what I have managed to learn about the denizens of the island and about the events unfolding during the game.

Cast

Bob

Bob is the captain of the Brisban, the yacht with which Jerome Lange also arrived to the island. He is
known as a good sailor and he had a relationship with the missing woman, Marie. Since Bob says that he doesn’t particularly like the island, we might assume it was Marie that kept Bob coming back to it. Indeed, Bob is said to be devastated by Marie’s disappearance and he spends a lot of time walking around island and calling her name.

Maupiti Island - The Game Mechanics

By Ilmari

I really can't remember why Trickster originally moved
the game to 1991, but this picture says it's a 1990 game. Whatever

After the title graphics have disappeared, I am welcomed to the game by a question whether I want to load a saved game. This is actually the only time, when I am allowed to load a game. This is not just lazy coding, the manual says, but a conscious design choice - no one has the ability to tinker with time in real life, or if they do, the producers are willing to make a movie out of their life. I am still not sure, whether to congratulate the idea or curse it - I still have bad memories of a certain French game with no save games at all.

Then again, this decision does make sense in a game where time is of the essence. The game begins 31st of January, 10 AM, and ends 1st of February, 11 PM, with authorities arriving from continent and taking over the investigation. Every half an hour, the surroundings change - people move around and plot progresses. Every action moves the clock forward a bit, as does waiting around, doing nothing. There’s also a chance to wait for half an hour, and in your cabin you can sleep for an hour.

Game 67: Maupiti Island (1991) - Introduction

By Ilmari

The game has nothing to do with the island in this map.
The real Maupiti is in Polynesia, the one in game in Indian Ocean.

No, French games have definitely not thrilled us. We have had games with perhaps too original ideas (Captain Blood), games that have looked superficially great, but had poor game mechanics (B.A.T.) and games that should be thrown straight away to some deep cavern, where they can bother no living beings (Emmanuelle). And then there was Mortville Manor.

Reading through Trickster’s playthrough of the game was quite interesting. It appears that translation to English was, as always with these French games, a major problem - it was truly impossible to decipher what the plot was all about.