Perry Rhodan: Myth of the Illochim (AKA The Immortals of Terra)

Perry Rhodan: Myth of the Illochim is a adventure title set within the long running German science fiction magazine/novella series Perry Rhodan and even sporting the same protagonist, Perry Rhodan himself. In publication since 1961, with over 2500 issues in the original series released so far (with numerous spin offs), and covering millions of years in game history though time travel and immortal creatures, The Perry Rhodan universe is considered one of the most successful sci-fi universes past or present with translations in many languages. So how does the game cope with this 50+ years of publication and millions of years of in universe backstory? Surprisingly well (at least from the perspective of this reviewer who has never read a single Perry Rhodan story) and in this time of reboots and re-imaginings this hefty and substantial platform on which to base a game (or any media for that matter) is appreciated.

In the original series the main story-line starts in 1971 with the first manned moon landing by Perry Rhodan and his crew. Diverting from reality even more, they encounter a alien spaceship which contains advanced technology. They then return to Earth to share these technologies and strengthen humanity. As the series progresses it covers pretty much every aspect of sci-fi from parallel universes to time travels and everywhere in between with the main crux being the relative immortality that many of the major characters are granted. The game incorporates this backstory terrifically and with the notable exception of the history museum, backstory is always given in small bite size chunks that leaves you wanting more.

Myth of the Illochim is set within the 3rd century of Perry's life in which he is currently regent of the League of Free Terrans and starts off with an attack on his HQ by some unknown enemy who captures Mondra Diamond, Perry's love interest. As he investigates the attack he quickly learns that it is somehow linked to the mysterious and little known Illochim that Mondra has been researching and who appear to have disappeared from this part of the universe 10,000 years ago. What follows is an adventure spanning many planets and involving many alien races, where Perry discovers the mystery of the Illochim and the abduction of his love.

The puzzles are as equally well done as the plot and work well with it with the lions share going to a wide variety of inventory based puzzles. The rest of these puzzles are made up of a special style of logic puzzle, of which I would call puzzle through obfuscation. And what I mean by this is that the puzzle itself is relatively easy compared to figuring out what the controls do and what the visuals/audio indicators mean. This puzzle style works very well alongside alien technology (of which much is present) and compliments the exploration aspect of any game very well. It is a shame that I see it so infrequently and the only game I can compare Myth of the Illochim with in this department is in fact the legendary classic The Dig.

Matching the rest of the game the visuals certainty do not disappoint. Whether the scene be in a Terran building or far deep below the surface of an alien planet Myth of the Illochim impresses and is always excellently sci-fi with its semi-3D fixed camera graphics and its classical sci-fi flair; And that is just the regular in-game graphics. In addition to these there is the fantastic, almost Hollywood movie quality, cut scenes and one of the best looking interfaces I have ever used in any graphicle adventure.

The one trouble I had with this game is how to rate it. By any scientific methodology this game would come out almost perfect (at least in my opinion), but there simply was not that spark of love that some games have given me.

Rating 8.5/10 - 9.5/10

My mini-review of Perry Rhodan: Myth of the Illochim.