A Heartfelt Tribute to a Polyglot’s Dream
Having one of the oddest titles I’ve come across in the world of video games, Master Lemon: The Quest for Iceland has been put together by those at Pepita Digital. It is a little hard to describe, but basically what we have here is a pixel art adventure game, but one that is found coming from a unique, and fairly moving place.
The developer had a friend who passed away while trying to make his dream of living in Iceland come true, so as a tribute to a friend who has gone, the game has a touching back story, quite apart from what the narrative of the game actually is. So, can a cynical old games journalist like me find a soft centre under the crusty exterior, or will I remain untouched?
Pixel Art Charm and Top-Down Exploration
As I touched on in the first paragraph, what we have here is a pixel art styled adventure. The action is viewed from a top down perspective, and reminds me of the older Zelda games – it is that kind of viewpoint. Of course, being compared to one of the titans of the gaming world isn’t a bad way to start, and the graphics are simple but charming. Granted, the design of the worlds we explore are basic, yet there is a lot to find, so they encourage exploration. From there, the characters are pretty well fleshed out, and the cutscenes are very well done.
In fact, in terms of presentation, the only real issue is that some of the things we need to find and interact with are very small and not easy to see: I got stuck for a while looking for some Vitamin C, only to find it on a desk.
Words as a Memorial
Sound is a particular highlight, and it ties in very well with how the gameplay plays out. You see, the story of the game revolves around Lemon, a man who dreams of being a polyglot. A polyglot, for those of you who are unaware, is someone who speaks many different languages. André Lima, the man whose life the game is based on, was “an adventurous polyglot whose love for languages and cultures knew no bounds”. Not a bad epitaph, eh? Anyway, Lemon had always dreamed of learning Icelandic and then to live in Iceland. In the game, we find ourselves on the Bashir Islands, a series of worlds that are succumbing to the Darkness, and I don’t mean the English rock band…
By utilising his gift for languages, Lemon will learn new skills and additional words, which proves the old adage that words have power. Every time we learn a new word, it is pronounced for us to help us get to grips with it, alongside a text based description. The conversations that Lemon has are also fully voiced, and this is very well done. So, the words that Lemon uses tie into progress in the story, and this then works as a memorial to a man who loved words. So far, so touching: the story has a real depth of warmth and affection to it, and it shines through in the presentation and the story.
Dispelling the Darkness
So, the presentation and the story are nailed on, how does the game play out? Well, there is good news and bad news in this area.
I’ll start with the good news first, and the actual gameplay is a lot of fun. We gain the power to dispel the Darkness, in stages of course (video game logic) and as we explore the Islands, scenery is cleared, uncovering a variety of things. There are relics to find and collect, which are remnants of life on Earth. And it’s possible to check in on how many of these we have, all by talking to an NPC.
In fact, there are also various NPCs to interact with, and these can lead Lemon to a variety of side missions. Whether it be to persuade a young girl to go to her party or make a friend feel better, these side quests are usually interesting and revolve around finding not only items in the world, but also words. Some missions require us to combine items to make new things (using the power of a word, naturally) and others require us to take the correct object to the correct person: this will usually snap them out of whatever was ailing them and make them better.
The Struggle with Signposting
This leads directly to an issue that I had with the gameplay. While I don’t want my hand held all the time, sometimes a little bit of signposting is a good thing. Quite often I found myself at a seeming dead end in Master Lemon: The Quest for Iceland and only by diving into the menu and trying to combine various random things was I able to make progress. Who’d have thought that the secret to solving a certain puzzle was to go combining an item with some orange juice? And no, I’m not going to tell you which item! Other than this, the puzzles are usually quite well thought out, and while the items that we need may not always be obvious, they are usually there.
A Touching Tribute Full of Heart
In conclusion, I can forgive Master Lemon: The Quest for Iceland for the odd issue, and that is because this is a game full of heart. It is a touching tribute to a friend, and while it isn’t perfect as a game, as a work of art it has a great deal of value. We should all have a friend like those behind the creation of Master Lemon, and for that reason alone, this is a game that is well worth taking in.
Important Links
Master Lemon: The Quest for Iceland is a Heartwarming Adventure Inspired by a True Story! – https://www.thexboxhub.com/master-lemon-the-quest-for-iceland-is-a-heartwarming-adventure-inspired-by-a-true-story/
Buy from the Xbox Store – https://www.xbox.com/en-GB/games/store/master-lemon-the-quest-for-iceland/9N6T9S4DV3JV/0010
