by Russ Aaronson

6/25/03

Every reviewer reaches the dreaded “Been there, done that” mentality sooner or later. Requests for you to review the latest hard drive utility or antivirus package seem just a bit ho-hum. The thought of having to delve through the newest barrelful of useless, bloated features in an office suite becomes enough to give you night sweats. And assuming you can even get the makers of a game like Unreal Tournament 2K4 to give you the time of day, who really wants to read your review, anyway.

So I went looking, and was delighted to see a tiny review for something that sounded more original than anything I had heard of in years. It was pricey, but not ridiculously expensive. It included both hardware and software, but the hardware could have purposes beyond the application. And perhaps most importantly, it was a game that I wouldn’t have to play online for three hours against a 12 year old named FlAkUpYrBooT69 in order to truly determine if it worked properly.

The game was called The Journey to Wild Divine: The Passage, and it had me at “hello.” From the moment you first crack open the box, the amount of meticulous preparation that went into this game’s creation is abundantly clear. Actually, the packaging is more of a storage case than a box, with fitted slots specifically designed for every piece of equipment, manual (there are two here), installation disc (separate for Windows and Mac), and even the separate soundtrack disc.

Upon first inspection, the true star of the package is the “light stone” and its three “magic rings.” Throughout the entire game, you’ll need the “magic ring” biofeedback sensors placed on the tips of your three middle fingers. The “light stone” is actually a USB interface about the size of a honey bun that interprets your heart rate and skin response from the biofeedback sensors and sends that information into your Mac (it also emits a pleasing blue glow, much like the Griffin PowerMate). Even if you take away the actual game itself, the cost of Wild Divine is justified by this solid biofeedback equipment; in fact, you would be hard pressed to find comparable, Mac-compatible hardware sold separately. Some enterprising fans of the game have already begun producing free applications to perform basic biofeedback graphing using the equipment, and I would expect some growth in this area as news spreads.

It only takes a few minutes to set all this stuff up: simply plug the magic rings into the light stone, and the light stone into a USB port. Pop in the installation disc, do the usual installation stuff, and you should be ready to go.

The only real hiccup here was the requirement to have Wild Divine go online and authorize your installation. This is becoming increasingly common in these days of simple file sharing, and I’m generally willing to endure the process; but I had to wonder how many people will pirate copies of Wild Divine, seeing as the game won’t even begin if the hardware isn’t plugged in (and, of course, because you really can’t do much of anything without plugging yourself into the magic rings). In this case, the authentication seems like a needless annoyance. On a stronger note, the folks at Wild Divine are so interested in your feedback (sorry, had to say it) that they will reward product registration with a downloadable plug-in that allows you to instantly access any of the “events” in the game. If you’re like me, you’ll grow to love this perk, as there are times when you’ll just want to practice one of the meditation or breathing skills without ambling about for an hour.

And this finally brings us to the game itself. At its heart, Wild Divine operates much like your basic Myst-styled adventure game. You wander about a strange and enchanted land, solve problems to unlock other areas of the map, and basically immerse yourself in a completely different world while you’re playing. Nevertheless, there are two significant differences between Wild Divine and your average adventure game.

First, there is no real “plot” that needs to be uncovered. Basically, you get trained from time to time, complete tasks to get items, take those items to other places, and become confronted by new, more challenging tasks. Frankly, I found the whole business between activities to be a bit uninteresting. The visuals lack the pristine beauty of Myst III, or the atmospheric mystery of Alida. Then again, a sarcastic soul like me will always consider the sight of people riding zebras an invitation to commentary, so your mileage may vary. I also found some of the dialogue to be a bit fuzzy, and I’ve read Samuel Beckett’s The Unnamable. These are all pretty subjective comments, but I do find it strange that you really can’t do too much wandering around in Wild Divine. Finishing the lessons in one area will occasionally cut you off from somewhere you’ve been, and you’ll rarely wonder which direction to pursue next, as your options are always quite limited. This linear system seems to fly in the face of the spirit of this game, and it’s something the designers may wish to consider for the planned expansion module to come.

The other significant difference between Wild Divine and other adventure games is the nature of the puzzles themselves. Most good adventure games present you with puzzles that may take hours to solve, and often can be frustrating enough to make you spit nails. Not so with Wild Divine. This game is all about gaining control of your whole self, so you’ll frequently find lessons that call for you to calm down, be steady, and be still. Otherwise, you’ll never get that arrow to hit the target, or start that fire at the beginning of the game. Still other challenges will require you to become excited in a controlled way, and the stiffest challenges of the game may need a subtle fluctuation between states in order to pass. According to the literature that comes with the game, it was designed to help you center your energy, and then learn how to project it in constructive and powerful ways.

In the interests of full disclosure, I haven’t even come close to mastering all of the challenges in this game. Perhaps my only notable gripe about this aspect of Wild Divine is that it can be very difficult to figure out what you’re supposed to do for some of the challenges. Even the companion guide is far too vague about some areas. I know that discovery is an important part of this game, but a little nudge couldn’t hurt from time to time. If you do find yourself completely lost, there is a vibrant and informative discussion board on the website, as well as more information about the game and its developer than you may ever want or need.

When you add up the ability to access any lesson at any time, the quality of the events themselves, the fact that it’s almost impossible to simply push through to the end of the game (no cheat guide can lower you heart rate for you!), and the potential for further development, you have the makings of a game with more than enough longevity to justify its price tag. Even though I’ll be the first to admit that there’s no way I would ever pay this much money for any game, I recall searching around for Mac biofeedback hardware and considering paying at least a hundred bucks for some chintzy looking equipment from unknown manufacturers. At least with Wild Divine, you’re getting some fine equipment, and a thoroughly challenging game to boot.

I guess the key here is to realize that when you sit down to Wild Divine, you’re doing something more than playing a game. If you’re the type of person who cringes when you even walk past a New Age bookstore, you may find the mystical tone and imagery in Wild Divine to be a bit more than you can stand. Otherwise, you’ll quickly realize that this is one of the only games you’ll play that really isn’t a waste of time. With benefits like reduced stress levels and a lower heart rate, it’s hard to go wrong by putting in a good half hour each day.

If you’re the type of person who finds more relaxation in a few rounds of Unreal Tournament, you may wish to give this one a pass. Unless, of course, you’re too chicken to challenge me to see who can stack those rocks the fastest.

Note: If you'd like to see screenshots of the game, please go to this page of the Wild Divine website.

Product	The Journey to Wild Divine
Company	The Wild Divine Project
MSRP	$159.95
Hits	Great Biofeedback equipment. Some really interesting and effective challenges. Neat packaging. One of the most thoroughly conceived products I've ever seen. Light stone emits a pleasing blue glow.
Misses	Pricey. Some incredibly cheesy visuals and lines. Game itself doesn't really let you wander around very much. May look strange playing in public.
Rating	(5 possible)
Requirements	G3 or G4, OS 10.1.2 or higher, 256MB RAM, 1.5GB Available HD Space, CD-ROM drive, 800x600 display, 24-bit color, QuickTime 6 or higher.

Russ Aaronson

English Teacher,Pompano Beach, FL