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It matters not who you are. A tale of love and loss will always resonate. Whether it is set in the future, the past, or the present, it will still captivate and tug at your heartstrings. 41 Hours aims to capitalise on this phenomenon with its clichéd but touching story.
Developed by Texelworks and Eastasiasoft Limited and published by the latter, this is a futuristic FPS. What’s more, it allows you to bend time and there are some testing puzzles to complete. However, its text is filled with errors, the acting is as wooden as Sherwood Forest, and the graphics are pretty dated. Yet, this didn’t put me off. No, I somehow got hooked on the plot, and the sci-fi theme and I enjoyed the puzzling elements.
41 Hours has a tale as old as time.
Clichéd may be a bit strong to describe the 41 Hours plot. Yet, its story is definitely as old as time itself. You control Ethan, a workaholic scientist who is also a trained soldier. He adores his work, but his focus and drive revolve around his long-lost wife. Somehow, he is dragged into a life-threatening situation, and stranger still, he is partnered with a mysterious woman. His sidekick possesses mind-bending skills and out-of-this-world abilities. Accordingly, she imparts her knowledge onto our hero, and he uses these powers to tackle a paramilitary force.
Set across 11 chapters, 41 Hours comprises some interesting ideas that, sadly, lack originality. However, the balanced gameplay and blend of futuristic and sci-fi moments were interesting, nevertheless. These elements are nicely juxtaposed by familiar weaponry and well-trodden locations. As such, it offers some surprises as its rich tale unfolds.
It’s all about the combat and the puzzles.
41 Hours story dribbles along at a gentle rate as fresh information is uncovered, and the truth comes to light. Yet, the action relies heavily on its combat and puzzle mechanics. Here is where I believe the game excels. With an array of approaches to consider, it doesn’t disappoint. You can go out all guns blazing or use stealth as your go-to option. Furthermore, you can open portals in space or use your sidekick as a walking bomb. Each of these options uses energy, and this can be replenished over time or by collecting orbs. Subsequently, you must plan ahead, otherwise, your enemies will annihilate you with ease.
Alongside the tricky combat are some challenging puzzles to overcome. Now, if you are a puzzle master, you won’t struggle in the slightest. However, “normal” gamers will have to consider their surroundings and think logically to progress. What I enjoyed was the mixture of problems on display. Moreover, they incorporated the stealth and portal elements nicely in order to mix things up. This combination of approaches ensured the action didn’t plateau. With a familiar feeling throughout, it risked boring and underwhelming its player base early on. Luckily, though, it does just enough to keep you entertained.
41 Hours belongs to the Xbox 360.
Visually, 41 Hours is appalling. If this title was released in the early 2000s, it would have been a joy to look at. However, modern gamers on next-gen machines expect much more. Disappointingly, the textures are off, the animation is woeful, and killing cows is just hilarious. On top of this, the level of detail is extremely underwhelming. Thankfully, though, its saving grace is its varied stage design. Accordingly, this kept me playing an otherwise dated-looking game.
Sadly, the audio doesn’t fare much better. With awful acting, terrible sound bites, and lacklustre sound effects, it’s laughable. I expected booming and bass-rich gunfire, but it never materialised. The understated style was strange as the developers had some interesting ideas. However, they never coordinated their gameplay mechanics with their aesthetics, and this leads to a disjointed finish.
Decent controls.
For all its negatives, the controls weren’t one of them. The responsive and intuitive layout was a joy to use. Furthermore, in the heat of the battle, it was easy to play. Alongside this, instructing your sidekick was simple, and nothing felt unnecessary or underworked.
With 11 chapters to explore, you get a fair bit of game for your money. However, the replay value and longevity are somewhat capped. With a restricted open world to explore, you follow a semi-linear path. Consequently, this helps the story to flow, but it makes the game much smaller than it needed to be.
41 Hours could have been amazing.
Conceptually, 41 Hours is interesting, though it lacks originality. Had the developers focused on a better finish, this would have been acceptable and forgivable. However, the terrible acting, poor graphics, and lacklustre audio were mind-blowingly bad. Subsequently, I don’t recommend you buy it. Yet, more information can be found here! Will you uncover the truth and save your wife? Bend time, solve puzzles, and fight until the end.
