Nikopol: Secrets of the Immortals
- July 30, 2009
- White Birds
- 5h median play time
Get on SteamIn Nikopol: Secrets of the Immortals, you're caught in a political and spiritual struggle between ancient Egyptian gods and power-hungry factions in a futuristic, totalitarian Paris. As investigative journalist Nikopol, you'll uncover a conspiracy involving immortality, secret societies, and dark secrets. Through engaging puzzles and captivating point-and-click gameplay, you'll navigate a beautifully rendered, atmospheric world filled with intrigue and mystery.
PC
Windows
Reviews
- The game captures the look, feel, and atmosphere of Enki Bilal's works well, making it a recommended experience for fans.
- The graphics and art direction are beautiful, providing an immersive dystopian atmosphere.
- The puzzles, while challenging, offer a unique experience that can be rewarding for players who enjoy point-and-click adventures.
- The game is very short, leaving players wanting more and feeling unsatisfied with the abrupt ending.
- Many puzzles are illogical and require tedious pixel hunting, often leading to frustration and the need for walkthroughs.
- The story is convoluted and poorly explained, making it difficult for players unfamiliar with the source material to understand the plot.
- story162 mentions
- 32 % positive mentions
- 57 % neutral mentions
- 11 % negative mentions
The story of "Nikopol: Secrets of the Immortals" is often described as intriguing yet poorly executed, leaving players feeling that much of the narrative depth from the original graphic novel is missing. While the visuals and atmosphere are praised, the plot is criticized for being convoluted, underdeveloped, and filled with plot holes, making it difficult for players to fully engage with the storyline. Overall, the game presents a unique concept but fails to deliver a coherent and satisfying narrative experience.
“Nikopol: Secrets of the Immortals contains a thrilling story, good-looking visuals, in-game movies, a chilling soundtrack, and challenging puzzles.”
“The graphics are beautiful, and the story is interesting, if a bit convoluted.”
“The story, the atmosphere, the characters, and the unique puzzles make it a few marks above your average point-and-click adventure game.”
“The game is based on a French graphic novel series which is apparently highly regarded, but I'm left with the distinct feeling that a lot of stuff was cut out for the game, and there wasn't any effort to smooth over the resulting plot holes.”
“The story was poorly written to the point of being almost purely nonsensical.”
“It was over before I could even wrap my head around what was going on, which was primarily the result of its bad storytelling.”
- graphics70 mentions
- 60 % positive mentions
- 29 % neutral mentions
- 11 % negative mentions
The graphics of "Nikopol: Secrets of the Immortals" are often described as beautiful and atmospheric, showcasing artistic visuals inspired by Enki Bilal's work. While some players appreciate the detailed environments and character animations, others note that the graphics feel dated, especially by 2008 standards, and criticize the lack of polish on interactable objects. Overall, the visuals are a highlight of the game, but they are not enough to compensate for its other shortcomings.
“The graphics are beautiful, and the story is interesting, if a bit convoluted.”
“The graphics are excellent, I love how you can look 360 degrees in any direction, the environments are very detailed and imaginative, and the story kept with the original tone of the movie.”
“Artwork for this game is astonishing, very surrealistic.”
“They should have cleaned up the visuals around interactable objects.”
“The graphics are also not great, even by 2008 standards (when it was first released), although they're hardly the worst thing about the game.”
“Graphics & sound are mediocre at best and a bit amateurish at worst, the fixed points-of-view feel dated.”
- gameplay30 mentions
- 27 % positive mentions
- 60 % neutral mentions
- 13 % negative mentions
The gameplay of *Nikopol* is primarily a first-person point-and-click adventure, reminiscent of classic titles like *Myst*, but it suffers from frustrating and obtuse puzzles that often require external walkthroughs to complete. While the game features quality graphics and a detailed environment, it is criticized for its short playtime, clumsy mechanics, and a lack of engaging content, leading to a disappointing experience despite its potential. Overall, players find the gameplay to be a mixed bag, with some appreciating its fundamentals while others lament its execution and design flaws.
“Gameplay-wise, it's a first person point & click adventure game, similar in play style to Myst.”
“For the gameplay itself, the core is made up around point-and-click puzzles to solve.”
“The gameplay is fundamentally sound.”
“To further complicate things, the game's frequently frustrating and obtuse puzzles are presented—visually and mechanically—in a manner that would have seemed quaint in a game 10 years its senior; as difficult as it may be to tell at face value, Nikopol was released contemporaneously with titles like Dead Space, Fallout 3, Far Cry 2, and Mirror's Edge, just to name a few.”
“Gameplay was loaded with odd puzzles and 'pixel hunting' searches.”
“Pixel hunting, incredibly slow and dull story, clumsy mechanics, idiotic puzzles, an incredibly poor and lazy game.”
- atmosphere26 mentions
- 85 % positive mentions
- 8 % neutral mentions
- 8 % negative mentions
The game is praised for its immersive atmosphere, effectively capturing the essence of Enki Bilal's work with detailed art and dystopian environments. While the visuals are described as beautiful, some reviewers note that the game relies heavily on static images and lacks widescreen support. Overall, the atmosphere, combined with unique puzzles and an intriguing story, makes it a compelling experience for fans of the genre.
“Nikopol: Secrets of the Immortals is a decent quest with an emphasis on puzzles set against some beautiful and atmospheric backdrops.”
“The story, the atmosphere, the characters, and the unique puzzles make it a few marks above your average point-and-click adventure game.”
“The game captures the look, feel, and atmosphere of the books quite well with attention to detail, and this is the main reason to recommend the game for fans of Enki Bilal's work who have a thirst to play a game inspired by that work.”
“Play it for the atmosphere, the (weird) story, and the rather varied and imaginative puzzles.”
- music14 mentions
- 86 % positive mentions
- 14 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
The music in "Nikopol: Secrets of the Immortals" is generally praised for its quality and ability to enhance the game's atmosphere, complementing the impressive visuals and storytelling. While some reviews note that the voice acting may not be as strong, the soundtrack is described as chilling and fitting, contributing positively to the overall experience despite the game's relatively short length. Overall, the music is considered a standout feature, adding depth to the game's stylistic presentation.
“This game though had quality graphics, appropriate music, a very nice voicing, a nice detailed map, and a general gameplay; not confusing at all.”
“Graphics are nice, music is awesome.”
“Music is quite good, voice acting not as much and the game can be finished in like four hours, making it really a narrative quickie but still... it's nice.”
- grinding6 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 100 % negative mentions
Players generally find the grinding aspect of the game to be tedious and unengaging, with many puzzles described as dull and lacking challenge. The repetitive nature of the puzzles, combined with frustrating controls, detracts from the overall experience and story progression.
“Most of the puzzles I played in this game are more tedious than challenging.”
“Puzzles are dull and tedious, and nothing of interest seems to happen in the story.”
“Though it was a bit tedious (not only because the mouse was twitchy at times) due to some rather ridiculous puzzles.”
- humor4 mentions
- 100 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
The humor in the game is derived from its ironic setting in 2023, especially as players reflect on it in 2024, and the comedic effect of poorly translated dialogue filled with obvious misspellings. This combination of situational irony and linguistic blunders adds a layer of amusement to the experience.
“It's funny that this 'sci-fi dystopian future' is set in 2023 and I'm writing this review in 2024.”
“The dialogue features hilariously obvious misspellings that add to the humor of the game.”
“The humor in the game is enhanced by the absurdity of its setting and the quirky dialogue.”
- character development2 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 100 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
Reviewers praised the character designs for the Egyptian characters, particularly highlighting Horus and Anubis, indicating a strong appreciation for their visual representation.
- stability2 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 100 % negative mentions
Users report significant stability issues, with many spending extensive time troubleshooting and seeking help in forums without finding effective solutions.
“I spent hours troubleshooting and visiting forums to get this up and running, but to no avail.”
- optimization2 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 50 % neutral mentions
- 50 % negative mentions
Users have reported performance issues related to optimization, particularly in the main menu and during certain video sequences, indicating that the game may not run smoothly in all areas.
“I experienced performance issues in several areas, including the main menu and some video sequences.”
