Sebastian Frank: alpha demo hands-on impressions

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I have been a fan of the point-and-click adventure genre ever since I played Adventure Soft´s “Simon the sorcerer” (awesome game that) back in the early 90s. Then I moved on to other adventure games such as “Broken Sword“, “Discworld”, Monkey Island” with many more. However, after the 90s the adventure genre was starting to fade away. And it took quite a while before the genre became popular again during the 2000s, things are a lot better today though (mainly thanks to the indie scene). And that´s probably why we get to see (and experience) cool adventure games such as Sebastian Frank Games “Sebastian Frank: The Beer Hall Putsch” (the game is in the making for Windows, Mac and Linux).

sebastian frank the vienna prologue mr frank

Say hello to Mr. Sebastian Frank, the main character of the game.

And funny enough, I heard about “Sebastian Frank” via other well-known adventure game makers:

“I love it! Super stylish, and with a sense of humor drier than a 7% IPA!” – Josh Mandel, writer and designer of Space Quest 6 and Leisure Suit Larry: Reloaded

“Game looks great!” – Charles Cecil, creator of the Broken Sword Series and Beneath a Steel Sky

“Sebastian Frank: The Beer Hall Putsch is a refreshing take on the adventure game genre. They have done a great job crafting a unique game inspired by historic events” – John Passfield, creator of Flight of the Amazon Queen

So I decided to give the game a try. And I can´t say that I regret that decision, because even though the alpha demo is rather short (it´s about 20-30 minutes long). I still understood what the developer’s vision and goals would be for “Sebastian Frank ” (you get the idea very early on). Right off the bat, the game offers some very nice visuals and designs I have to say (“Sebastian Frank” runs on the Unity Engine). And I found a liking to the plot as well, as you (Sebastian Frank) is set out on a mission to stop Adolf Hitler from rising to power (the story and the demo kicks-off in Vienna in the year 1908. And both you, your girlfriend and Adolf Hitler have applied to study at the Academy of Fine Arts).

I don´t know about you, but I really like the graphics and the art style in “Sebastian Frank”.

However, the demo is set in an art class room at the Academy of Fine Arts, in Vienna Anno 1908. You (Sebastian Frank), and your girlfriend (Stephanie Kiss) is trying to pass an exam so that they can become students at the school. Well, that´s of course easier said then done. Since “someone” (guess three times who did it) has destroyed Frank’s canvas and threw away Frank and Stephanie´s charcoal. So it´s up to you (the player) to help Stephanie and Frank to find what they need in-order to pass their art exam. And this is where the point-and-click puzzle/adventure elements kicks-in. However, I would like to point out that “Sebastian Frank” has a very user-friendly interface when it comes to interacting with the world around you (picking up stuff, talking, using and combining items and so on). And you can bring down the item menu with the help of the scroll wheel on your mouse (that´s a really smooth solution I have to say). So it´s not an annoying experience to explore and interact with people (or anything else for that matter) around you.

sebastian frank the vienna prologue adolf hitler

Adolf Hitler doesn´t like to lose.

And thankfully enough, “Sebastian Frank” doesn´t seem to the kind of adventure game that forces you to go through a “trial and error from hell” kind process every single time that you encounter a puzzle-solving sequence in the game. That´s at least the vibes that I´ve felt while playing the demo, because all the puzzles were of logic nature (just use your brains and logics, and you will be just fine). And you won´t have any problems with finding the items that you need in the demo either (all of them are logic and easy to spot). So that shouldn´t be a problem for anyone.

However, since I have just played a short alpha demo of the final product. I am yet to see what the final difficulty will be like in the full version of “Sebastian Frank” though (my guess would be that the developers will adjust the difficulty depending on how far you have gotten in the game, or perhaps they will add a difficulty feature to the final game?).

Nevertheless, I like what I´ve seen and experienced from “Sebastian Frank” so far. And that includes everything from the game’s graphics, music, the funny dialogs, the jokes, to the colorful characters. I also love the fact that Adolf Hitler went absolutely nuts at the end of the demo. So if you´re a fan of point-and-click adventure games, then you should download and try the “Sebastian Frank” demo with no doubt! And “if” you enjoyed the demo, then don´t forget to show the game some love on indiegogo as well (“Sebastian Frank” needs to raise 30,000 Euros on indiegogo in-order to become a reality).

Pros:
+ Awesome graphics and a very beautiful art style
+ Funny dialogs and colorful characters
+ Logic puzzles and nice problem solving moments
+ Sebastian Frank will be released to Windows, MAC and Linux
+ Good voice actors

Cons:
– I wish that the demo would have been longer (it´s just about 20 minutes long)
– There was no beer in the demo (sad face)
– What´s up with the vampire teeth?