Early 1920’s Florida. To be precise, Coral Gables, Florida. Back then, it was an up-and-coming housing town with people buying real estate left and right, creating the real estate boom that would last until October of 1929, when the stock market crashed. If you worked in real estate, chances are you made a lot of money. This is essentially the premise of A Golden Wake, a point and click game that puts you in the shoes of a real estate salesman during that time and place. While that does seem interesting, the game isn’t interesting.
"I’d say that A Golden Wake would be a fine game to look at in a classroom setting, particularly in the Sunshine State. It’s atmosphere and dialogue all feel authentic and evoke a mood that offers a contrast to just about any game out there. It is a shame that the characters and the world couldn’t live up to that atmosphere. They are a cast better suited for an edutainment title than an adventure game, and the title suffers from a lack of real personality. It is often sterile and strives for authenticity over enjoyability, which can be a noble pursuit, but its not one I wholeheartedly agree with. Still, if you are a history buff or a 30 something rocking Windows 95 who yearns for serious adventure games, A Golden Wake will certainly fit the bill. For most others, it will be a decent way to fill the void between episodes of Telltale fare and keep you clicking for a least a day or two." - Alex Santa Maria of Geekenstein
Francisco Gonzalez, the one-man team behind Grundislav Games, talks about his history, process, and why he love point-and-click adventures
Chaz at Twinfinite writes,
By now, I probably sound like a broken record when I say that I love indie titles for the sheer inventiveness and deviation from the norm, but A Golden Wake by Wadjet Eye Games has done it again. Exploring the world of real estate in early 1920s Miami, this point-and-click adventure has you selling property, solving puzzles, and finding ways to move up in society and advance the firm for which you work. Drawing inspiration from historical events and figures, there’s actually a lot more here than you might expect. It’s certainly more fun than I thought I could have selling homes.
