You'll take the high road, and I'll take the low road... Actually, if it's Harrison Mansolf's math-powered action adventure concoction, The High Road, I'll be the one taking it. In this free, indie download, you play a janitor. That's right. In an odd twist of Good Will Hunting's storyline, you're the unassuming cleaner with the power of mathematics at your side. And your goal? To figure out just what in the world is going on in your building. Stacks of papers everywhere, raging white-collared workers and an evil, money grubbing CEO? Yep, it's exactly like Good Will Hunting. All you're missing is Ben Affleck as your sidekick.
The High Road offers a variety of input, allowing you to choose what combination of mouse and keyboard works best for you. As you move around in this strange, disorganized building, you'll come across hotspots indicated by arrows. When you choose to interact with them (either by pressing [enter] or clicking the mouse) a message will appear or you may just go into a timed frenzy of arithmetic! Rather than rely on resources or weapons you find around you, a thinking cap is all that's required for the math battles, which also include opening locks or acquiring abilities like jumping. For the lowest level of attack, you are asked to perform a simple calculation. Every level thereafter has an additional step to get to the final sum, difference, product or quotient. Whether it's quicker for you to click in the answer or go for the 'ole 10-key, keep an eye out for that timer!
While entertaining and strange, The High Road lacks some overall polish. There are more than just the occasional typos in the dialogue, which itself can at times feel like a distraction from the storyline rather than an enhancement. The controls, as well, while having plenty of options, does not allow you to use [WASD] instead of the [arrow] keys. Despite these issues, Mansolf has created a wonderfully weird experience with a light sprinkling of rude humor that will not only keep you intrigued, but will also take you back to your school days. Now, quick! What's 7*3*5*2?
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Linux:
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Trying to muddle through this game, which is kind of interesting, except I'm lost and traveling in circles. Wish there were more maps!!!!
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