I remember when I first got a hold of the original Safecracker game back in 1998. At the time it was one of my favorite puzzle games, and my only regret was that it didn’t last longer. I had high hopes for Scandinavian developer Daydream Software, and these were fairly well realized when Dreamcatcher helped them put out Traitors Gate about a year and a half later. But, after that, Daydream shifted into mobile games and, aside from a reissue a few years later, we haven’t seen anything relating to Safecracker. Until now, that is.
Enter Safecracker: The Ultimate Puzzle Adventure. This time around, instead of Daydream, this new title was made by a French developer by the name of Keops Studios. There’s no telling why this is the case, as any number of things could have come to pass. Most likely Daydream is too busy making mobile games and can’t afford to retool for this remake.
You may have noticed I used the word ‘remake.’ I consider this game to be pretty much a sequel, and as such it should have been named ‘Safecracker 2.’ Apparently the powers that be did not agree. I think ‘Ultimate’ is a bit pretentious in its common usage (the best), and in its strictest definition (the last), there is no room for another sequel. But there might have been various issues at hand that prevented them from putting the ‘2’ on it, so I won’t go into this more than I already have.
Besides, Safecracker: TUPA isn’t totally a sequel, in that the novelty safe company Crabbe & Sons has nothing to do with this one. No, TUPA takes place in the empty mansion of Duncan W. Adams former petroleum magnate turned safe aficionado, now deceased. His family can’t find his will, which must be hidden in a safe somewhere in the house, and they have hired you to find it.
The perspective is entirely first person, in a three-dimensional environment that you can look at in any direction, and click on any place to go or thing to touch. To save on processing power, instead of seeing the movement as you go down a hall for example, they fade you in to the next stopping point. The illusion that the main character might really be you is broken this time around by a voiceover of things you pickup to read, or other observations ‘you’ might have, all done in a tenor English accent. If that happens to be your type of speaking voice, then you might be able to maintain the illusion, but the rest of us are out of luck in that regard.
While there are quite a few safes to crack in your quest for the will, not all of them are puzzles. Some are simply locked, requiring a key that can be found in another safe. Others have codes to be cracked (with a code key that can be found elsewhere) in order to determine the correct values to enter. Still others have actual puzzles which you need to solve in order to get them open. Most of these puzzles are takes on various classics, but there is an original or two among them.
Once you have solved a safe, its red light turns green, so you can tell when you enter a room which ones have yet to be done. Also, on the map of the house, unsolved safes are marked with a red ‘X’ when you discover them, and a green ‘X’ when you get it open. Also, keys or parts that are used to open safes disappear from your inventory, while any documents remain, but with a red ‘X’ through them. This makes is easy to track what you are doing using several automat methods.
The rendering of the rooms of the house and all of its furniture are top-notch, with varied textures that look very realistic. The motion as you look around is smooth, as are the machinations of the safes. All of this makes for a game that is as much a pleasure to look at as it is to solve.
The music seems to change when you enter a new room, but there are only a half dozen themes total, so you will experience a certain level of repetition, especially when you have to got through a room many times as you run from one safe to another. Fortunately, the music is rather unobtrusive, so it will not be that much of a burden.
I am curious as to why they decided not to have a quick travel option. It wouldn’t have been hard for the map to have clickable areas that let you go there instantly. Instead you often have to take the clue or item that you just got out of one safe, and traipse all the way across the house to use it on another safe. This is especially true toward the end, when the entire house is open to you. And it’s a big house.
When you finally crack the final safe and recover the will, be prepared for a little surprise. I won’t go into details, but let’s just say you will want to have a working printer attached to your computer at the end.
Overall, Safecracker: The Ultimate Puzzle Adventure is a fine sort-of-sequel to one of the best puzzle games of its day. It earns a well-deserved 4 GiN Gems out of 5.
Here’s hoping it really isn’t the "ultimate" installment.