Azrael's Tear (1996, pub by Mindscape) was a great now a largely forgotten fantasy adventure game. In its time it was highly innovative, taking the 'action/adventure' genre to new highs. With a strong story line offering new twists to the “find the Holy Grail” idea, lots of fun puzzles and a smooth 3D engine. As usual, the human race is on the brink of imminent destruction- this time from a plague. Only the healing powers of the Grail can halt the plague. The interesting twist is that you’re hunting for the Grail in the future – 2003.
The games a 1st-person perspective job which integrates both action and adventure genres. You’re a 'Raptor,' a future archaeologist-commando-treasure hunter tooled up with a plethora of weapons, equipment loaded in your suit – similar to The Journeyman Project games. With loads of puzzles to solve, adversaries to sort out, items to find and characters to wile the hours away with. As you wonder round you can do a load of neat things including scanning life-forms, creating an automap and a quick summary of the items you can interact with as you move to a new location. Your suit's display overlays to one side of the screen with a cool see-through effect that handy when you’re in a tight spot and need to see action in the background.
While your exploring the underground world of Aeternis seeking the Grail you’ll have to deal with all manners of NPCs - dangerous dinosaurs, rats, and of course, the odd Knights Templar assigned to guard the Grail from thieves like yourself. Some Knights are helpful but others are hostile so watch out. Luckily only five of the original twelve assigned to guard the grail remain. The interaction between the Knights also makes for another interesting subplot that intertwines through the game.
The puzzles in the game are worth mentioning, as they can be quite challenging. While there is a fair amount of the usual mundane “find the right key to unlock the door” type puzzles, as you would expect. Many are rather more difficult requiring brains and logic to solve. At least they are not Myst-style abstract type puzzles without relation to the game world.
The only a couple of drawbacks: The interface can also take some getting used to but should soon becomes second nature with use. You have to do a lot of backtracking in the game, as keys you find will often unlock some doors very distance away – not uncommon. However, as the game world is large this will annoy many gamers.
In conclusion Azrael's Tear is a highly addictive game that creates an evocative atmosphere. The NPCs hold attention; the 3D environment is well done and the game only has minor drawbacks. So, if you’re an adventure fan looking for a great gaming experience Azrael's Tear is for you.
