Does Around The World In 80 Days sound familiar to you? The story of Phileas Fogg and his wager to travel around the world in just 80 days has now hit our PC’s and Switches thanks to inkle studios in the game 80 Days.
A copy of this game was provided by the publisher for review
In 80 Days, you play as Passpartout, Fogg’s valet, and you are in charge of planning routes, managing money, gaining information, and making sure Fogg makes it around the world in 80 Days. With thousands of choices, from locations to transportation to who you meet, there are so many ways to make it around the world as well as many ways to fail.
While Paris is a pre-planned destination, from there it is all up to you. You will need various maps and schedules to reveal route options as well as exploring cities and conversing with others to learn how you could travel between locations. Other information you can gain is what items are worth more in different locations and potentially advice on places to avoid based on what is unfolding. I really like this method for gaining knowledge to plan your route, because it makes you have to plan as you go a little more and strategize your time smarter.
You will also be making various choices in different situations and with various people that can impact your travels. Certain choices can affect your relationship with Fogg, both positively and negatively, as well as change your overall character. These choices do affect future options later on. It is really fun to play into a certain character and see where that takes you. Doing that actually took me to the North Pole, a detour through South America, and almost my demise.
The game really embraces steampunk style, both in the art as well as through the Artificers that you constantly run into through your journey. The art is really great and so fitting overall for this game. Seeing how they designed each different transportation type was always really fun.
I really enjoyed this game and have already played it a few times from start to finish. All of my journeys have been very different in so many aspects, from where I went, to how I reacted to situations, to my relationship with Fogg. It is also fun to try to beat your previous journeys both financially (ie ending with more money) and in a shorter amount of time. And I know I still haven’t explored the overall story still.
One thing I wish the game had though was save points, or at least clear save points. There were a couple of instances where I needed to stop playing for a while before continuing, but I wasn’t sure if my game would save so I would leave it running. That is not ideal and would have been even more annoying if I had to stop playing a game for a longer period of time. So if the game does have save points, I want it more clear that they are there. And if not, then they should at save points.
Overall, I really enjoyed 80 Days and is easily one of my favorite games I have on my Switch. You don’t need to know much about the original story of Around The World In 80 Days to enjoy this game.
80 Days is available on Steam, Nintendo Switch, and mobile.
What is your favorite game to relax with? Let me know with a comment.
Oh that looks like so much fun! I’m going to have to try it out when I get a chance.
80 Days looks so good! Games with so many dialogue options and such high replayability factor really make me appreciate good game design.