14 DAY TRIAL // 
Developed by Koboldgames and published by Daedalic Entertainment for the PC platform, “Journey of a Roach” is a recently released point-and-click indie adventure that tells the brief yet engaging story of a bug random feature roach's adventures.
Set in a post-apocalyptic world where the human race has been presumably wiped out, “Journey of a Roach” takes the seriousness out of “apocalypse” and gives it a more colorful twist. The focus of activity shifts to an underground labyrinth that is seemingly the only good place for roaches and other insects to co-exist, giving shape to the more-or-less popular “roaches are able to withstand any conditions, including nuclear explosions” theory.
What starts off as a quest for reaching the surface to retrieve a flower (symbol for existing life after nuclear warfare) quickly becomes a recurring rescue mission for Jim's friend, Bud who gets stuck in sticky situations out of his own clumsiness, and even falls prey to the enemy.
Jim, a rather naive but good-hearted roach, must make his way through the underground tunnels to find Bud and resume their initial journey. Eliminating obstacles, helping out other insects, and piecing together disguises to infiltrate into the enemy camp are part of this little insect's adventures.
Jim stumbles upon well-rounded-up humanoid characters from various backgrounds, such as Nazi roach soldiers, Rastafarian fireflies, cheating gamblers, fake Black widow spiders, or hyperactive baby bees, and unveils some minor side stories along the way.
Common to all point-and-click games, the ingenuity of the puzzles relies on improvisation, from using a human bone as a lever to operating heavy machinery to fend off enemies. Evidently, it is possible to combine two or more pieces to create one “key.”
The game's most attractive feature is probably the way Jim interacts with the environment, which is quite compelling and probably one of a kind in the actual gaming world. While roaches cannot jump, reach or swim, they make up for their shortcomings by crawling on walls and ceilings, thus bringing any surface to horizontal view.
An apparent drawback in the navigation mode is that climbing walls can be done only by using the left or right arrow keys, while the up and down buttons are ineffective. This makes room for further logical puzzles, though, where the player has to explore all reachable surroundings to find alternative routes.
Figuring out the course of action when dealing with puzzles is intuitive enough at the start of the game, and it evolves into complicated scenarios where the player should tap into his creativity levels whenever he gets stuck (the puzzles make sense when solved, in most cases).
Although there is no clear map or guideline on how to overcome a writer's block, the first issue that should be covered is ensuring that all collectable objects from a location are identified and placed in Jim's inventory. A helping hand in this matter is the Space bar; holding it down zooms out of the image to display a larger perspective of the location, while small arrows point out items that can be picked up.
The in-game visuals and cinematics of “Journey of a Roach” are beautifully designed in a cartoonish manner. The atmosphere feels dark and grim at the beginning but quickly takes a turn for the better when Jim reaches rooms with an abundance of lively colors. In addition to that, the insects' facial expressions are excellently put together in tricky situations, whether they are overly dramatic, scared out of their minds, playing it cool, or day-dreaming.
The same progressive steps can be applied to music, as it starts off somewhat childish (matching the general lighthearted atmosphere) but evolves to epic-movie proportions toward the end.
As far as communication between characters is concerned, the developers have opted out of voice acting, replaced it with buzzing noises and went for a graphical approach by displaying drawings wrapped in speech balloons. They indicate either puzzle hints or a character's wishes.
Saving the game can be done at any point throughout the chapters. The most frustrating aspect of “Journey of a Roach” is the overall gameplay time, as the story ends just when familiarity sets in. Just to put this into perspective, a Steam achievement is granted if the game is finished in 18 minutes or less. The product can be purchased for $14.99 / €14.99, but its disappointing lifespan clearly does not justify the pricing.
The Good
- Clever gameplay
- Novel premise
- Imaginative mechanics
The Bad
- Way too short
- Lack of voice acting
- Graphics could use some polish
Conclusion
