Can YOU review The Dungeon On Blood Island?

[CharlesX]

This is my joke review of The Dungeon On Blood Island. I have definitely not been given an advance copy, or any more information than any one else. If anyone wants to join in the fun they may do so, probably with spoilers.

What was it the 2nd Doctor said in The 5 Doctors? "I read about this in The Times". "The reporters are still here". "Tomorrow's Times".

The Dungeon On Blood Island Review

SPOILER: Click to show

I thought the introduction was average. For me, the start wasn't the best, a little Livingstonian. Actually, the whole gamebook is Livingstonian. I wouldn't disagree with those who think his Deathtrap Dungeon is the better gamebook, but this is very much a different gamebook. Unfriendly encounters and friendly encounters work out in rather different ways. The enemies are memorable, and getting the Golden Orb (the proper way) feels satisfying. This is not a gamebook one will finish in one or two attempts - Amazon isn't wrong when they say "Be careful - The main character can die at any point!". The traps are some of the best features, along with the illustrations.
This was a retread and didn't always surprise, although when I read reference 252 I spat out my drinking water! Yes, on the whole the gamebook didn't disappoint, especially the ending. Parts of the middle either worked better than expected or didn't work. The difficulty curve was a factor, as always.

Rating 8 out of 10

  

[blueswift]

This is a joke review. I have not been granted a sneak peek at this publication nor do I boast membership in the author’s inner circle. Sir Livingstone has no idea that I exist and even if he did, he wouldn’t spend his time telling me any information that hasn’t already been released publicly. While some of the following remarks are critical, I sincerely wish the author and illustrator big success. This is just jesting in good fun:

SPOILER: Click to show

The absurd Background section is comical for all the wrong reasons. Once the adventure begins proper, things backslide into the abyss even further. Overly linear and it’s an exhausting amount of bookkeeping to write down the titanic amount of junk you can collect.



Nearly all enemies are generic fantasy-fare goblins and orcs. Of the few enemies that are original to this book, i.e. not scissored and pasted from other Livingstone adventures, none are featured in the illustrations. One of the illustrations is of a tiny spider sitting on a table next to a bottle of wine yet Lord Carnuss is not pictured once! Lord Carnuss is the final adversary and is largely inept at posing a threat to you. His only weapon is a rusty breadknife that has the name ‘Higson’ carved on one side of the blade. The other side of the blade has ‘Creature of Chaos’ scratched into it. He’s shirtless and has no shield. He’s clad in faded boots as well as a green skirt-like garment.



Fortunately, not all is terrible. Carnuss is given far more backstory here and is a little more of a sympathetic character than he once was. He’s bullied by his wife and is overshadowed by his brother, Baron Sukumvit. Carnuss desperately wants a son whom he plans to name Agamemnon but Carnuss’s wife is having trouble conceiving. Meanwhile, he’s terrified that his cousin, Richard, will come and avenge a wrong that Carnuss once inflicted on Richard. Sir Ian neglects to tell us what this wrong was. Sequel hook perhaps there, Sir Ian?



Perhaps the most enjoyable part of this was the cameo of the Snow Witch. However, her physical appearance is radically different. Why change her appearance?



Overall, this is a silly romp that might elicit an unintentional chuckle. The doppelganger fight was enjoyable even if I did get my footwear damaged in that brawl. Illustrations were careful and Sir Ian’s commitment to this franchise is commendable.