At the time of writing there is but one online review from an established source which is a shame as it’s apparent that the author doesn’t think very highly of this game. However, on closer inspection, their review doesn’t hold up very well as they appear to have some confusion over who this game is aimed at, even suggesting that silly parents may purchase this for an unwitting young girl who’d then be shocked by the odd sexual innuendo. Here’s a little tip for that reviewer, or anyone else who suffers from a similar problem, have a look at the packaging and you’ll find a recommended age. This is a game which features many puzzles but, you can trust me on this, the target age isn’t one of them. Let’s see, the box I have here states that the game shouldn’t be played by anyone under the age of 12, problem solved.

An acceptable concern for this type of point ‘n’ click adventure game is that it won’t be able to live up to the high standards set by the classics from Lucasarts. There is always a danger that the humour may fail to capture the subtlety found in Monkey Island or Grim Fandango and instead come across as being obnoxious. Any such worries were instantly put to rest in the very first section of So Blonde as the central character, Sunny, finds herself stranded on a tropical beach beside the sea. While searching the area I had Sunny pick up a Seashell, for closer inspection, which she pressed to her ear and remarked “This is so cool – I can hear the Sea”. It’s all about the subtle humour, ladies and gentleman, as well it should be.

The graphics, which can be viewed in these screenshots, are quite beautiful and the cartoon feel adds to the surreal nature of the story. At certain pivotal moments, in a style which could be described as a cross between a comic-book and an episode of 24 minus Jack Bauer’s angry facial expressions, we are treated to some stylish 2D visuals which help the experience.

Fans of the classic Lucasarts titles I mention above can prepare themselves for some more mind-bending puzzles, which are a given in this type of game, and will find that the usual mix of hard thinking and sheer luck will play as big a part as ever. It’s a little ironic that the superb visuals end up having both a positive and negative effect as you play through the game. Many areas in So Blonde are filled to the brim with detail and, while it does look really nice, the puzzles can often come down to meticulously moving the cursor across every inch of the screen to make certain that you didn’t miss any key elements. This approach leads to uncertainty which creeps in as you come across a problem and, as you struggle to figure out the solution, you find yourself returning to an area multiple times in an attempt to make sure you didn’t miss anything.

I feel that So blonde will certainly appeal to fans of point ‘n’ click adventure games of yesteryear and, while I don’t think this will single-handedly manage to kick-start a resurgence in the genre, it is worth a look for the nostalgia factor alone. This game doesn’t quite reach the dizzy heights of Monkey Island or the others I mentioned but it’s a very worthy attempt and it’s nice to see that there are some people out there who still care a great deal about the genre. I’ll leave you with one fact which I’ve managed to avoid until now, Guybrush Threepwood, as much as I love him, never once looked as good as Sunny.

So Blonde is written by Steve Ince, the man behind the fantastic Broken Sword, and the tight narrative has earned him a Writers’ Guild nomination in the category of Best Videogame Script.

8/10

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