Loom

Our plan is to review current games as they come out. But I love this game so much that I thought I should get it out first, and then I'll maybe review something like No More Heroes 2 or something.

ANYWAYS.

Remember when Lucasarts totally ruled? This was one of their early (and best) videogames. The story is so wholly original that it stands alongside great films and books in my opinion. Loosely based on Tchaikovsky's Swan Lake, Loom tells the story of Bobbin Threadbare, a cloaked figure (with a British accent) who lives on Loom island amongst other members of the Weaver guild. They're a mystical bunch who are able to use magic through their weaving and, especially, through their gigantic loom that sits in a huge hall.

You come across the elders of the clan discussing some sort of troubling news, something to do with Bobbin's mother who died under mysterious circumstances. As you come upon the elders, though, Hetchel, one of the elders, turns into a swan's egg, thus putting you under suspicion from the rest of the elders and putting into motion one of the greatest games of all time.

Why do I love this game so much? Well, besides from its absolutely beautiful environments and incredibly tight and interesting story, Loom features one of the most brilliant play mechanics in a point and click adventure game. You have no items, which means none of the sometimes baffling "find one random object and attach it to another random object" type puzzles. The only thing you carry with you is a "distaff," which is used to cast magical spells. On the staff are musical notes, and you play musical notes in certain orders to create different effects on the environment. For example, an early puzzle has you trying to stop a dragon from eating a shephard's sheep. You use the spell you learned earlier in the game to turn white fabrics green, turn the sheep green, and the dragon can't see them.

These puzzles make up the bulk of the gameplay, and sometimes they can get pretty challenging, requiring you to think laterally. Once you know the solutions, of course, you can blow through the game in about two hours, but I've never been of the opinion that length in a game automatically equals goodness. I'd take a really well developed narrative like Loom has to the neverending sprawl of some games, where they pad out the length with useless things.

I first played Loom when I was 8 years old. It's got a very mature narrative (not in the boobs n' guns n' blood kind of way, but more in that it grapples with some pretty big concepts) and it pretty much shaped me as a gamer. The ending is still the most absolutely beautiful ending in gaming. When I replayed it a couple of years ago, the ending actually made me cry. Roger Ebert says that he only cries in movies when redemption happens, and that's exactly the case with Loom as well.

I can't recommend this game enough. It might not actually be the "best" game ever made (as subjective as that is), but it's certainly my favourite. You can download it off of Steam (if you can access that) or search around for the CD copy. Because you seriously need a version with audio. The voice acting and music (which is largely lifted from Tchaikovsky) are incredible. Check it out: