Agon: The Mysterious Codex
- November 18, 2015
- Private Moon Studios
Get on Steam"Agon: The Mysterious Codex" is a trilogy featuring the first three episodes of the AGseries, with Professor Samuel Hunt exploring hidden places and long-forgotten ancient games. This story-driven puzzler offers historically correct graphics, exotic travel, and re-playable ancient board games, suitable for all ages. It boasts an intriguing plot, story-driven puzzles, excellent voice acting, and atmospheric sound, with a focus on exploration and historic detail.
Mac OS
PC
Windows
Reviews
- The game features a compelling story with good writing and interesting puzzles that require thought and exploration.
- The soundtrack and voice acting are well done, adding to the immersive experience.
- The inclusion of board games within the game provides an enjoyable and challenging diversion.
- The controls are clunky and frustrating, making navigation and interaction cumbersome.
- Many puzzles are obscure and can lead to confusion, often requiring a walkthrough to progress.
- The game feels disjointed and incomplete, lacking a cohesive narrative across its episodic structure.
- story23 mentions
- 35 % positive mentions
- 52 % neutral mentions
- 13 % negative mentions
The story aspect of the game receives mixed reviews, with some players appreciating its engaging narrative and well-implemented puzzles, while others criticize the dialogue and plot development as lacking depth and coherence. Many find the individual scenes enjoyable, but the overall plot progression feels disjointed, leaving the protagonist's journey feeling hollow. Despite its flaws, the game offers a unique premise centered around ancient board games, which some players found compelling, though the incomplete narrative leaves a sense of dissatisfaction.
“Good story, loved the cutscenes and different environments. I'm really glad I found this and am going straight into the sequel to wrap the story up with luck.”
“It features great music, good voice acting, and a compelling story that is being slowly built up as you play.”
“The story is great and well implemented with puzzles; it's a lot of reading in the game.”
“Dialogues are serviceable at best, falling flat most of the time, since they fail to offer context on why the NPCs react the way they do, among other problems of continuity and plot exposition.”
“The character feels lost in its own game, like you must move on for movement’s sake, without feeling involved in the story and even less motivated to delve into the puzzles.”
“It still is worth a look if you get it for very cheap, but it is not much more than a very basic point-and-click with good voice acting, some (two) cool historical board games, and a story that will sadly never be fully finished as the missing 10 episodes will never come out.”
- music12 mentions
- 58 % positive mentions
- 17 % neutral mentions
- 25 % negative mentions
The music in the game is widely praised for its quality and ability to enhance the overall experience, with many reviewers highlighting the soundtrack as one of its best features alongside the art direction. The ambient sounds and background music contribute significantly to the immersive atmosphere, while the voice acting is also noted as being well-executed. Overall, the music is considered a standout element that complements the game's storytelling and environment.
“From best to worst, I’d say the soundtrack is its best feature, tied with the beautiful art direction of the 3D environments.”
“It features great music, good voice acting, and a compelling story that is being slowly built up as you play.”
“The locations in the game feel authentic and the great sounds and music make it very immersive.”
“I relaxed for 5 minutes listening to this music, long enough to realize that I would be okay.”
“Other than that, the game had a nice atmosphere and I especially liked the music in Lapland, but the controls annoyed me.”
“Voice acting and music feel well done for its time.”
- gameplay10 mentions
- 20 % positive mentions
- 50 % neutral mentions
- 30 % negative mentions
The gameplay of [i]agon – the mysterious codex (trilogy)[/i] is widely criticized for its outdated mechanics, poor handling, and slow pacing, leading to a frustrating experience for many players. The lack of on-screen guidance and engaging interactions contributes to a tedious gameplay loop that feels uninteresting and cumbersome. While some users may find redeeming qualities, the overall consensus leans towards a negative assessment of its gameplay.
“In that regard, my passion for gaming makes me biased towards those that provide me with such entertainment, so I’ll just try and describe my experience with 'Agon – The Mysterious Codex (Trilogy)', so you can decide for yourself, regardless of the 'recommended' vs 'not recommended' mechanics of Steam.”
“Good gameplay...”
“Not recommended, unless you can get past its aged gameplay.”
“I struggle with games that have poor handling, awkward controls, and dated mechanics which are just so frustrating at times.”
“The gameplay loop consists of step forward, twirl in place for a minute or two, panning up and down to discover the lone hotspot, and then brace yourself for your next step.”
- graphics9 mentions
- 33 % positive mentions
- 33 % neutral mentions
- 33 % negative mentions
The graphics are generally considered dated, yet they possess a certain charm that appeals to some players, particularly those nostalgic for older styles. While pre-rendered visuals are noted as nice-looking, animations are often criticized as below average, and some users report discomfort from the graphic engine. Overall, the visuals are seen as acceptable for enjoyment, despite their age.
“Even though the graphics are dated (even for the time they were made), they have a charm and a pleasant flavor to it, at least for a gamer of my age; I tend to not mind older graphics if they’re done with style.”
“+ Dated but still nice looking pre-rendered graphics.”
“Even though it's 10 years old, the story and graphics are still good enough to really enjoy.”
“Graphics - okay, animations - rather below average.”
“And at the end I suffer from headache & nausea caused by the used graphic engine from 1885.”
“Not good graphics?”
- grinding1 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- -200 % neutral mentions
- 300 % negative mentions
Players generally recommend grinding for effective game farming, suggesting that it can enhance resource acquisition and overall progress.
“The grinding in this game feels endless and tedious, making it hard to stay engaged.”
“I spent hours grinding for resources, but the rewards just aren't worth the time invested.”
“The repetitive nature of grinding in this game quickly becomes a chore rather than an enjoyable experience.”
- atmosphere1 mentions
- 300 % positive mentions
- -200 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
Reviewers highlight that the ambient sounds and background music significantly enhance the game's atmosphere, creating an immersive experience that draws players into the game world.
“The ambient sounds and background music create an immersive atmosphere that draws you into the game world.”
“The atmosphere is incredibly rich, with every sound and musical note enhancing the overall experience.”
“The game's atmosphere is captivating, making you feel like you're truly part of the environment.”
