Redjack: Revenge of the Brethren

Redjack: Revenge of the Brethren
Box cover
Developer(s) Cyberflix, GTE Entertainment
Publisher(s) THQ
Platform(s) Mac OS, Microsoft Windows
Release July 31, 1998
Genre(s) Action-adventure game
Mode(s) Single-player

Redjack: Revenge of the Brethren is an action-adventure video game developed by Cyberflix and GTE Entertainment, and released by THQ in 1998.

Gameplay

Redjack had several different engines implemented into the game, the main engine was rotatory 3D engine, used for the main exploration and adventure. When the character gets into a fight, the game loads a new engine for fighting characters, generally one-on-one. There are also different screens, such as when concocting a volatile drink, shooting from a cannon on a speeding cart on tracks, figuring out a color system to make a pair of doors open, and several others.

Plot

You play a young blond-haired man named Nicholas Dove who inhabits Lizard Point. You are being pressured by many people who are close to you to make something of yourself and you decide to join a pirate crew in order to make your living. You meet a pirate named Lyle who tells you that the captain is hiring men because he lost some in an "accident", Lyle also saves you from some cutthroat assassins. Captain Justice only hires those that are generally brave enough to form his crew and dares you to kill a shark and it is a must to be able to fight. After killing the shark (with poison) and finding a sword and learning to fight from the drunken pirate Lyle, you may return to him and join the crew.

After taking the pirate's oath, you are free to roam the ship and you meet Sullivan, who admits to you that she is in fact a woman disguised as a man. When you set port in Port Royal, you are given a watch by Captain Justice so as not to be late getting back to the ship. You visit Erzulie who tells you of your future. You then witness the murder of Captain Justice by assassins and you are blamed for it as you are in possession of his watch. After escaping from prison you are captured by Bone and saved later on by Lyle who manages to get you marooned on a desert island with Sullivan, who was found out.

You wash ashore onto Redjack Island where you explore the island and get inside a monument of sorts and find out that Redjack is there, sitting dead watching the ocean. You light a fire signal and are found by a balloon ship. You are then taken to Blackbeard's fortress and request an audience with him after making him a drink. He tells you a little about the mythology of the brethren but is knocked unconscious in the middle of it by Bone and his men. You fight the men and kill Bone and set sail for Cartagena.

You enter the city through a secret sewer entrance and get inside the building, you free your captive friends, Elizabeth and your brother, who you find trapped in cages, you then enter the Viceroy's room and get captured by a man named Marquez, who turns out to have been Redjack's betrayer. After breaking up the reunion of the brethren, Marquez included, you fight his men and then later rescue Anne and kill Marquez, then going on to sink the Spanish fleet and rescuing Blackbeard and you then find treasure at the wreckage of Redjack's ship.

Characters

  • Nicholas Dove - the main character, Nicholas is a pirate charged with the safety of Redjack's daughter and with finding his betrayer.
  • Lyle - a drunken pirate who teaches you to fight.
  • Anne or Sullivan - Redjack's daughter and a disguised crew member aboard Captain Justice's ship.
  • Redjack - the leader of the brethren.
  • Elizabeth - a possible love interest in the game.
  • Captain Justice - one of the brethren and captain of the ship which you set sail from in Lizard Point.
  • Blackbeard - a pirate captain.
  • Marquez - the viceroy and Redjack's betrayer.
  • Bone - a nasty pirate who has a particular dislike for Nicholas.
  • Rockfish - an inventor and former member of the brethren.
  • Cross - a forecaster of things to come.
  • Erzulie - a seer who tells you of your future and gives you 2 potions.

Development

According to Jack Neely of Metro Pulse, developer CyberFlix had Redjack "on the drawing board for years" in various forms as it developed other games, such as its 1996 hit Titanic: Adventure Out of Time.[1] PC Gamer US reported in early 1995 that the game, then called RedJack's Revenge, was being created concurrently with Titanic and was "in the early stages" of development.[2][3] Despite the other pirate-themed games of the period, a writer for the magazine noted that "Cyberflix feels the outlaw spirit and mysterious lives of these roguish individuals just hasn't [sic] been given the full attention they deserve." The game was set for release in the fall of 1995.[2] Ultimately, it did not launch until September 22, 1998.[4]

In February 1996, the magazine reported that Red Jack's Revenge had been pushed back to a late-1996 launch, alongside Titanic, and was set to be a musical.[5] This version of the game had a lighthearted tone, with songs written by CyberFlix composer Scott Scheinbaum, among others. CyberFlix ultimately reworked the project after its musical version was "laughed out of a focus group", according to artist Jay Nevins. As a result, the team opted instead for a more serious theme, a redesign that delayed Redjack past its earlier ship date.[1]

Reception

Reception
Review scores
PublicationScore
CGW[6]
PC Gamer (US)58%[7]
PC Zone75/100[8]
Macworld[9]
MacAddict"Spiffy"[10]
Next Generation[11]
Computer Games Strategy Plus[12]
MacHome Journal[13]

Jack Neely of Metro Pulse wrote in October 1999, "RedJack didn't sell nearly as well as hoped; its total sales may have been as little as 10,000 nationwide, hardly 1 percent of Titanic's success."[1]

Macworld's Michael Gowan wrote that Redjack "features a good story line, slightly rough language, and arcadelike swordplay that's a bit too hard to master." He summarized it as an "enjoyable pirate adventure".[9]

References

  1. 1 2 3 Neely, Jack (October 21, 1999). "Game Over". Metro Pulse. 9 (42). pp. 9–12, 22, 23, 40.
  2. 1 2 Staff (March 1995). "Under Construction; RedJack's Revenge". PC Gamer US. 2 (3): 33.
  3. ↑ Staff (March 1995). "Under Construction; R.M.S. Titanic". PC Gamer US. 2 (3): 36.
  4. ↑ Hulsey, Joel (September 22, 1998). "RedJack ready to sail". Computer Games Strategy Plus. Archived from the original on February 8, 2005.
  5. ↑ McDonald, T. Liam (February 1996). "Multimedia: The Next Generation". PC Gamer US. 3 (2): 74–76, 79, 80, 83.
  6. ↑ Scorpia (March 1999). "Ho, Hum, No Bottle of Rum". Computer Gaming World (176): 172.
  7. ↑ Bennett, Dan (September 1998). "Redjack: Revenge of the Brethren". PC Gamer US. Archived from the original on January 18, 2000.
  8. ↑ Hill, Steve (November 1998). "Reviews; Red Jack: Revenge of the Brethren". PC Zone (69): 112.
  9. 1 2 Gowan, Michael (February 1999). "Name Your Game; From Goofy to Gory, Macworld Reviews 48 Ways to Play". Macworld. Archived from the original on August 10, 2001.
  10. ↑ Lee, John (September 1998). "RedJack: Revenge of the Brethren". MacAddict. Archived from the original on July 18, 2001.
  11. ↑ Staff (September 1998). "Rating; Redjack: Revenge of the Brethren". Next Generation (45): 142.
  12. ↑ Yans, Cindy (December 10, 1998). "Redjack: Revenge of the Brethren". Computer Games Strategy Plus. Archived from the original on February 8, 2005.
  13. ↑ Kramer, Greg (September 1998). "RedJack: Revenge of the Brethren". MacHome Journal. Archived from the original on April 21, 2002.
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