Case 2: The Lost Galleon of the Salton Sea
Ok, so the first thing that boggles my mind: Case 2 was released only one month after Case 1, on June 26th 2004. How is that even possible? I can't seem to get one of my own games finished under a development time of two years!! Anyways, with such short development time, one would think that the quality of Case 2 couldn’t be very high, but that isn’t so. In fact, I prefer Case 2 to the first one, though I may be in the minority. For many people, the original Case 2 seems to be their least favourite entry to the BJ series, but I think noone can dispute that this is still a quality game, and for the better or the worse the quality gap between Case 1 and Case 2 isn’t that large.
Story/Characters
Case 2 continues the story where Case 1 left off. Ben has just arrived back home from his Florida trip when the phone rings and he is offered his second case. A man has vanished during a treasure-hunt in the desert and his wife Annie assigns Ben to find him. On this quest, Ben explores the fictional city of Dunesberg, California, and its surroundings, as well as the Salton Sea, where the missing guy was last seen. Like in the previous game, the story is built entirely around the case and doesn’t have much to do with other instalments of the series, something that the deluxe version of Case 2 changes. But in its original version, Case 2 (and arguably even Case 1) could be missing from the series and noone would miss it. That isn’t to say though that BJ2 doesn’t work as a stand-alone case. Even from a story point-of-view, it’s satisfying to have a case where Ben succeeds both unconditionally and completely on his own, something that wasn’t true in BJ1 and that doesn’t really seem to happen again later in the series. In that way, Case 2 is an important step character-wise, as it gives Ben the reputation and confidence to handle the later cases. As for the other characters, they are a bit more memorable this time, from Annie and her lost husband George, to the grouchy coffee shop employee and the ancient bar patron Jebediah Stone.
Gameplay/Puzzles
Control and gameplay is exactly the same as in BJ1, but this time there are more and harder puzzles to be found and the game altogether is considerably longer with more locations, items and characters. That's perfect for me because I love a challenge in my games, but one thing I noticed is that the puzzles are slightly different in style, a bit more over the top and less realism-based compared to other chapters of the series. Not that this is a bad thing exactly, just different. And it makes sense too, seeing as according to the manual another person helped with the puzzle design this time.
Graphics/Music
Graphics are in the same style as in the first game, but a bit more of a mixed bag this time. Some graphics are very good, but (maybe) because of the larger number of locations, the short development time and/or the desert location, some backgrounds seem a bit less polished in this outing, with very few details and drab colors. This is especially noticeable in the room with the destillary and in the sunken ship. Other rooms are just fine though and in general the backgrounds are more than adequate and fit well with the rest of the series. Character portraits are on the same level as in BJ1, only this time there’s a lot more of them. By the way, is it just me or does the Medicine Man totally resemble Sean Connery? Musicwise this game is wonderful and an improvement over the already very good case 1. Annie’s theme, the Dunesberg theme, the song in the Drunken Scorpion, they are all very fitting and perfectly hummable. In fact, this is some of the most professional music work I’ve encountered in any indie adventure, a trend that only continues with the rest of the BJ games. Sound effects are very fitting again. There’s even a new jingle for receving game points, the Skunk-Ape roar was replaced by a gust of desert wind – nice touch!
Final Verdict
A wonderful continuation of the Ben Jordan saga. Yes, it’s another isolated case with little to no connection to the other games, the puzzles are a bit more over-the-top than usual in the series and the desert makes for some rather drab locations, but these downsides aside, BJ2 is a full success in my eyes. Gameplaywise it builds on the basis BJ1 created without reinventing the wheel. It gives us a new adventure that is quite different from the first one, both concering the starting situation and the outcome. It is quite a bit longer and more challenging than case 1 too. And last but not least it has great, great music to boot. With this in mind, I give this game a rating of 3/5. Quite good already, but much better things are yet to come!
Story/Characters
Case 2 continues the story where Case 1 left off. Ben has just arrived back home from his Florida trip when the phone rings and he is offered his second case. A man has vanished during a treasure-hunt in the desert and his wife Annie assigns Ben to find him. On this quest, Ben explores the fictional city of Dunesberg, California, and its surroundings, as well as the Salton Sea, where the missing guy was last seen. Like in the previous game, the story is built entirely around the case and doesn’t have much to do with other instalments of the series, something that the deluxe version of Case 2 changes. But in its original version, Case 2 (and arguably even Case 1) could be missing from the series and noone would miss it. That isn’t to say though that BJ2 doesn’t work as a stand-alone case. Even from a story point-of-view, it’s satisfying to have a case where Ben succeeds both unconditionally and completely on his own, something that wasn’t true in BJ1 and that doesn’t really seem to happen again later in the series. In that way, Case 2 is an important step character-wise, as it gives Ben the reputation and confidence to handle the later cases. As for the other characters, they are a bit more memorable this time, from Annie and her lost husband George, to the grouchy coffee shop employee and the ancient bar patron Jebediah Stone.
Gameplay/Puzzles
Control and gameplay is exactly the same as in BJ1, but this time there are more and harder puzzles to be found and the game altogether is considerably longer with more locations, items and characters. That's perfect for me because I love a challenge in my games, but one thing I noticed is that the puzzles are slightly different in style, a bit more over the top and less realism-based compared to other chapters of the series. Not that this is a bad thing exactly, just different. And it makes sense too, seeing as according to the manual another person helped with the puzzle design this time.
Graphics/Music
Graphics are in the same style as in the first game, but a bit more of a mixed bag this time. Some graphics are very good, but (maybe) because of the larger number of locations, the short development time and/or the desert location, some backgrounds seem a bit less polished in this outing, with very few details and drab colors. This is especially noticeable in the room with the destillary and in the sunken ship. Other rooms are just fine though and in general the backgrounds are more than adequate and fit well with the rest of the series. Character portraits are on the same level as in BJ1, only this time there’s a lot more of them. By the way, is it just me or does the Medicine Man totally resemble Sean Connery? Musicwise this game is wonderful and an improvement over the already very good case 1. Annie’s theme, the Dunesberg theme, the song in the Drunken Scorpion, they are all very fitting and perfectly hummable. In fact, this is some of the most professional music work I’ve encountered in any indie adventure, a trend that only continues with the rest of the BJ games. Sound effects are very fitting again. There’s even a new jingle for receving game points, the Skunk-Ape roar was replaced by a gust of desert wind – nice touch!
Final Verdict
A wonderful continuation of the Ben Jordan saga. Yes, it’s another isolated case with little to no connection to the other games, the puzzles are a bit more over-the-top than usual in the series and the desert makes for some rather drab locations, but these downsides aside, BJ2 is a full success in my eyes. Gameplaywise it builds on the basis BJ1 created without reinventing the wheel. It gives us a new adventure that is quite different from the first one, both concering the starting situation and the outcome. It is quite a bit longer and more challenging than case 1 too. And last but not least it has great, great music to boot. With this in mind, I give this game a rating of 3/5. Quite good already, but much better things are yet to come!