Ankh 2: Heart of Osiris
- June 16, 2009
- Deck 13
Get on SteamIn "Ankh 2: Heart of Osiris," both Assil and the pharaoh must regain stolen possessions - Assil's ankh and the pharaoh's freedom. While navigating old Cairo, they encounter various challenges, hilarious situations, and familiar faces from the first game. The pharaoh's mysterious enslavement in his own quarry and Assil's relationship issues add to the complexity of this sequel, filled with the same humor and intrigue as the original.
PC
Windows
Reviews
- The game features decent voice acting and colorful, cartoony 3D graphics that are enjoyable for its time.
- It offers a mix of fun and challenging puzzles, with a diverse cast of characters that add to the experience.
- Fans of the point-and-click genre may appreciate the humor and imaginative story, making it a nostalgic trip for some players.
- The game lacks modern support, including widescreen resolution and has numerous technical glitches that hinder gameplay.
- Puzzles can be convoluted and often require a guide to complete, leading to frustration rather than enjoyment.
- The story is poorly explained for newcomers, making it difficult to engage with the narrative without prior knowledge of the first game.
- story13 mentions
- 46 % positive mentions
- 31 % neutral mentions
- 23 % negative mentions
The game's story is a mixed bag, with some players appreciating its imaginative elements and humor, while others find it confusing and reliant on the previous installment for context. While the narrative includes enjoyable puzzles and engaging moments, it suffers from pacing issues and a lack of coherence, particularly in its character development and serious themes. Overall, the story's effectiveness varies significantly among players, with some praising it and others criticizing its execution.
“No but they have a good sense of humour, fun puzzles and imaginative story.”
“Fun and intuitive story line and problem solving.”
“The story line is an A+.”
“The story is a direct continuation of the previous game and will make even less sense if you haven't played that one already.”
“I've seen plenty of sequels that want to rely so heavily on building up to the third installment that the story goes missing, but I've rarely seen a second game that uses the first as its crutch.”
“The story also wants to hit these serious moments and build up this particular love triangle when I had no absolute belief in either because of how odd the former stood out like sore thumbs and how forced the latter felt.”
- humor7 mentions
- 100 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
The humor in the game is a mixed bag; while some players find it charming and reminiscent of classic point-and-click adventures, others feel that it often misses the mark and lacks genuine comedic moments. Overall, it may appeal to those who appreciate its style, especially if found on sale.
“It's funny, irreverent, and well put together.”
“Nice point & click adventure with lots of humor and charm in it, reminiscent of the good old DOS days.”
“You should buy this game if you like adventure games, humor, and you find it on sale.”
- graphics4 mentions
- 50 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 50 % negative mentions
The graphics are generally considered acceptable for a 2007 title, featuring colorful and cartoony 3D visuals similar to its predecessor, Ankh 1. However, some users noted issues with poor texturing and occasional zoom-ins that detracted from the overall experience.
“Nice looking cartoony and colorful 3D graphics.”
“Same decent graphics as in Ankh 1, still interesting plot and almost every time logical puzzles.”
“The game's graphics, while cartoony and colorful, have poor texturing, and the game likes to do the occasional zoom in on some of the objects, which made me sneer at my laptop screen.”
“Graphics are okay for a game from 2007 and the early days of 3D adventures.”
- gameplay3 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 100 % negative mentions
The gameplay is criticized for being mechanically flawed and lacking intuitiveness, with inflexible narrative mechanics that hinder the overall experience. Additionally, the pacing is described as excessively slow, detracting from the enjoyment of the story.
“This seems like a lot of negative feedback, and yes, mechanically the game isn't great.”
“It isn't a particularly intuitive game, and the narrative mechanics are far too inflexible.”
“Along with that, the story's biggest flaw is caused mainly by the gameplay, which is about as slow as a donkey with two broken legs and no carrot in front of its face.”
- music3 mentions
- 33 % positive mentions
- -33 % neutral mentions
- 100 % negative mentions
The music in the game features a decent soundtrack that enhances the humorous tone, though some scenes suffer from a lack of background music. Overall, while the graphics remain consistent with the previous installment, the music contributes positively to the engaging plot and logical puzzles.
“The soundtrack is pretty good and the game has a humorous touch!”
“There is a lack of background music in some scenes.”
“The same decent graphics as in Ankh 1, but the music is underwhelming.”
“The musical aspect in the quarry is confusing and detracts from the experience.”
- stability2 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 100 % negative mentions
The game suffers from significant stability issues, with frequent technical glitches, screen distortions, and crashes reported by users.
“Technical glitches up the wazoo.”
“Along with the occasional game flops, like screen glitches and crashes.”
- optimization1 mentions
- 100 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
The game suffers from poor optimization, lacking support for modern display resolutions and widescreen monitors, which results in a subpar experience on contemporary gaming PCs.
- monetization1 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- -200 % neutral mentions
- 300 % negative mentions
The monetization strategy of the game has been criticized as a cash grab, with users feeling it exploits nostalgia rather than offering genuine value, suggesting it capitalizes on abandoned titles for profit.
“This seems to have been put on Steam as a nostalgia gouge, or just a cash grab to try to profit from abandonware.”
“The monetization strategy feels exploitative, as it prioritizes profit over player experience.”
“I can't believe how many microtransactions are crammed into this game; it feels like they are more focused on making money than delivering a quality experience.”
