New Yankee 9: The Evil Spellbook

Review

Starting a new game will allow you to select a Name, then choose from three Game modes: Expert (you’ll have less time to complete each level), Normal (for those gamers who have played these types of games before), and Relaxed (an easy mode with no time limits).

You play as John and Mary who have traveled back in time to help King Arthur in Camelot. With the help of John’s sword and Mary’s magic, you set off on an adventure to stop the Evil Spell Book who has plans to claim Camelot as its own. The Evil Spell Book has a plot already in motion as you embark on your journey. 

There are Fifty-Three levels to play and complete, and along the way you’ll need to find twenty pieces of a broken magic mirror. These pieces are scattered around the levels somewhere and you’ll need to collect them, along with completing each of the levels, in order to move forward. The magic mirror needs fixing in order to send John and Mary back home.

Each level will have some objectives for you to complete, allowing you to move on to the next level. On each level there is a pathway with other paths branching off from this main one. You begin at a base camp somewhere on the level, from where you will send workers out to collect and remove resources or obstacles from around the level. Some of these resources will block paths and will need to be removed before you can move further.  

There are Garden plots which grow crops from which you can collect Food resources at regular intervals. You will also be able to build structures which can help you, like Mills, a Druid Temple, Watch Towers, a Gold Refinery or Saw Mills. These can bring in resources for you, or may provide protection against the wandering creatures who will stop or send your workers screaming in the opposite direction. Trees and Gold boulders scattered around can help bring in much needed resources; however, Gold can only be resourced so many times, and Trees can only be felled once. Luckily though, you can have the trees regrow and the gold magically replaced in the boulders. It will take some resources to have these magically renewed at buildings like the Philosopher’s Stone, which will replace all gold sourced from boulders.

Hidden away on some of the levels are Jig-Saw Pieces that you can collect to create a jig-saw picture. The jig-saw picture can be found in the Extras section on the main menu screen. Also in Extras are Cinematics, Strategy Guide, Soundtrack, Wallpapers and Characters.

As you make your way through each level on the World Map, you’ll uncover hidden bonus levels, along with some extra game modes. There are two extra game modes to play: The Flying Dutchman and Tournament. In the Flying Dutchman move, you’ll guide the Dutchman to collect as many Golden Feathers as possible within an allotted time period. You can increase the time played by collecting Hour Glasses and while trying to evade any dangers which you cross. In the Tournament mode, you’ll go head to head with knights and joust against three competitors.

In the options you’ll find Game Mode (change difficulty whenever you want), Sound Effects and Music Volume Sliders. System Cursor On or Off, Full Screen Mode and Show the Tutorial.

Review written by Piston Smashed™ for Zeepond.com!