Ankh: Curse of the Scarab King review

The ancient art of pixel hunting

12DOVE Verdict

Pros

  • +

    Self-referential touches

  • +

    Looks reasonably good

  • +

    Not much else like it

Cons

  • -

    Not exactly funny

  • -

    Annoying voice over

  • -

    Fiddly pixel-hunting

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This conversion of a point ’n’ click PC adventure seems to have been in limbo for about the best part of a year. It’s a comedy set in ancient Egypt, following our irresponsible hero’s attempts to rid himself of the mummy’s death curse that he accidentally unleashed while trying to impress his friends by sneaking into a forbidden crypt.



The script is full of self-referential touches and it never takes itself remotely seriously, but it’s not exactly funny. We never laughed once. In fact, we just turned down the volume so as not to hear the constant overlaying of voice samples as we tapped the screen searching for the one active pixel needed to solve the next obscure puzzle. “That doesn’t seem to work,” we’re told 20 times in 30 seconds. We know!

Being shrunk down to the DS screen does it no favours – it still looks reasonably good, but the precision needed to find and do exactly what you need to has been lost. If the idea of crazy Egyptian pratfalls takes your fancy, we suggest tracking down the 2006 PC original. That said, there’s not much else like it on DS. As long as you’re prepared to endure some graphics-induced frustration and you don’t require many laughs, you might enjoy a bit of Ankh.

Oct 1, 2008

More info

GenreAdventure
DescriptionThis PC to DS conversion didn't come out so well, as the stylus can't match the mouse in the precision needed to pixel hunt through this un-funny comedy.
Platform"DS"
US censor rating""
UK censor rating"3+"
Release date1 January 1970 (US), 1 January 1970 (UK)
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Freelance Journalist

Martin Kitts is a veteran of the video game journalism field, having worked his way up through the ranks at N64 magazine and into its iterations as NGC and NGamer. Martin has contributed to countless other publications over the years, including 12DOVE, GamesMaster, and Official Xbox Magazine.