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Framed is a charming side-scrolling action/adventure game that successfully
combines arcade and puzzle-solving elements into a satisfying experience. In this
game, you start out as a prisoner who, as the title suggests, has been framed and
must break out of prison to prove your innocence by catching the real culprit. The
designers masterfully weaves arcade and adventure elements: as in most platform games,
you have a "health bar" which goes down as you are shot at or hit by the guards. You
can pick up various weapons to defend yourself, as well as "power-ups" to regain
health. However, brute force isn't all that is needed to succeed: you must also solve
various puzzles by collecting and using items, which sometimes must be combined. All
the puzzles are logical, and some are even creative. Although they won't be a
challenge to expert adventurers, they are far from obvious. Excellent built-in hints
should appeal to adventure novices as well. There are a few things that could be
better, such as some extreme pixel-hunting (items are hard to separate from the
background) and unattractive graphics, but none of them cripples the game. While you
do have weapons and ammunition, there are ways to avoid shooting enemies altogether.
Up to 16 inventory items can be held at one time and some can be combined to use to
solve a situation or puzzle. |