The inspiration for Hamilton’s Great Adventure is fairly non-traditional. Stories tell of a German mathematician who wanted to figure out how to travel all the bridges in his city without crossing them more than once. From this simple anecdote, Swedish developer Fatshark developed an adventure puzzle game about an old English explorer.
The story-driven game centers on an aged Hamilton telling stories to his granddaughter about the amazing adventures of his youth. Players guide the young Hamilton through stages that need quick and clever thinking to complete, and even sharper wits to earn a gold rating.
Players much reach the exit of each stage, a task that sounds simple enough until you factor in the various puzzles and obstacles along the way, involving everything from water-based, moving paths to rolling rock platforms that need raised or lowered. Getting to the end of many levels is not the biggest feat. It’s even more difficult to collect the coins that are precariously placed around the stage. Hamilton’s pet parrot assists during the challenges. Players can assume control of the bird at any time, though the PC version will let players control the bird and Hamilton simultaneously.
Levels are broken up into four campaigns that span 60 levels in the Amazon jungle, Himalayas, Egypt and the lost continent of Maralidia. Each stage has its own leaderboards, and while online co-op won’t be happening, two can play cooperatively as Hamilton and his feathery friend.
Hamilton’s Great Adventure is a fun and charming game. Some levels are far from challenging, but pursuing a gold rating is addictive in its own right. Hamilton’s Great Adventure could be the perfect game for those in need of a good brain tease.
