The Journey Down: Chapter One is the first episode of an adventure game series made as a remake of the freeware game The Journey Down: Over the Edge. This first episode largely follows the events of the original game, but with high resolution 2D graphics, new cut-scenes in 3D, improved music, more puzzles, new scenes and characters, and full voice-overs.
The player controls Bwana, a rasta-styled character who runs the gas station Bwana’s Gas ‘n’ Charter with his partner Kito. They are visited by Lina, an assistant at Agibo University. In the introduction the office of a professor is raided by two criminals. Lina visits to find an old book that belongs to Kaonandodo, a former sea captain and the owner of the gas station, who disappeared one day when the two were just kids. He took Bwana and Kito under his wing when they burgled the gas station and then raised them and convinced them to become his employees. The book Lina is after is called the Journal of the Journey Down, a collection of notes and scribbles on how to reach the Underland, a part of the world past the edge where a powerful firm attempts to prevent people from visiting. Lina wants to get past the edge using Bwana’s plane. Most of this first episode is spent restoring the main parts of the plane and it ends when the three manage to take off.
The game is played as a classic point-and-click adventure. Players guide Bwana through different scenes and text appears over objects that can be interacted with. There is only one action possible, so conversations, examining, using or picking up are triggered automatically based on the context. Items can be gathered to be stored in an inventory near the bottom of the screen, where they can also be combined. Most of the puzzles are based on interaction with the environment, but there are also a few that require some more thinking. Conversations have different options and it is not possible to die in the game.
Cover Art:
Screenshots:
