~ An epic journey ~
Hello my beautiful people, today I'll speak to you of a series that marked my childhood, the Esklavos series, I love this series even to this day that I've replay them, so let's talk about it.
Trasfondo y Inicios - Background and Origins
Esklavos es un juego de aventura gráfica, con algunos ingredientes de los clásicos juegos de Point and Click, como es el caso de Monkey Island y Goblins. Aunque a pesar de pertenecer a dicha categoría, en ocasiones, presenta escenas que van más allá de la resolución de puzzles, para dar lugar a la habilidad y a la acción. (...)
Cuando los dos personajes principales de la historia Ungo y Virop, se estrellaron en el planeta Akea, tuvieron como principal objetivo regresar a su hogar. Pero a lo largo de su esclavitud, se fueron involucrando más y más en los acontecimientos. Cada uno está colaborando de diferente forma con los Akeos, que ahora marchan hacia la batalla contra los invasores del planeta (Uroz).
En resumen, la serie trata de dos amigos Ungo y Virop y su aventura para regresar a casa de el planeta Akea, puedo decir que de la gran mayoría de juegos hispanos que he jugado (tanto flash como juegos mas desarrollados) esta es una de las sagas que mas recuerdo con amor, ahora hablemos sobre mis 4 puntos.
This series consist in 17 flash games (and a ballad) created by an Argentinian guy named Federico Rutenberg (Alias Fede), the first chapter was created on April 9 2007 and the last one on October 9 2008, nowadays all chapters have their English translation and the Spanish (except chapter one).
What's the series about? well let's take the words from Federico himself in a enterview given in 2008 in the Game-Rol forum (It closed 2011 more info here).Esklavos is an graphic adventure game, with some ingredients of classic Point and Click games, like Monkey Island and Goblins have. Even though it belongs in that category, in occasions, it gives scenes that go beyond just solving puzzles, to give place to skill and the action. (...)tldr, this series consist in two friends Ungo and Virop and theri quest to go back home from planet Akea, i can say that of the mayority of hispanic games that I've played (In flash and more developed ones) this is one of the sagas I remember with deep love, now let's talk about my 4 points.
When the two main characters of the story Ungo and Virop, crashed on planet Akea, they had as their primary objective to return home. But throughout their slavery, they found themself involved more and more in the events. Each one cooperating with the Akeos in different ways, who are now marching into battle against the invasors of the planet (Uroz).
Diseño de Personajes y Mundo - Character and World Design
En el juego tenemos 3 diseños importantes, tenemos a nuestros protagonistas alienígenas de otro planeta, tienen piel verde, son pequeños y se diferencian entre uno es mas musculoso y el otro es delgado y con una antena.
Luego tenemos a los habitantes del planeta Akea que son muy parecidos a humanos normales por con un cuerno es la cabeza, también están los Uroz la raza que controla el planeta Akea los cuales se pueden categorizar como orcos verdes y nada mas, en fin no es nada único pero memorable.
In the game we have 3 main designs, we got our main characters aliens from another world, they have green skin, are small and you take them apart because one is brawny an the other thin and with an antenna.
then you have the inhabitants of Akea who are very lookalike to humans but with a horn on their head, there are the Uroz the race that controls planet Akea which can be compared to green orcs and nothing more, in the end nothing too unique but memorable.
Música y Ambiente - Music and Ambiance
In this the series is really good, the music (and the effects) create what it is a very very good ambiance in the episodes, having the best of the best for the end of course,if we take a look an the ballad of Floda and Ekel (which is after chapter 6) is just a simple ballad but really pretty ans amazing for just a little series of flash games is unexpected but very welcomed.
Really It's important to play all the games with headphones, the games even have voice acting, is incredible.
Jugabilidad - Gameplay
Aunque el juego no solo es rompecabezas y combinar objetos en el ambiente, también tiene sus momentos de acción, aunque terminan siendo esquivar las cosas en la pantalla y luego hacer algo, es algo muy diferente a lo que se ve en los episodios anteriores, cada juego es mas largo que el anterior y esto los hace mas complicados haciéndolos un buen reto.
La pelea con ese escorpión fue difícil para mi
As I said in the beginning this is a Point and Click game, so the gameplay is simple, but that doesn't mean the game is easy oh no almost all puzzles that the game has more so in the end of them they're complicated and hard to comprehend.
Even though the game is not just puzzles and combine objects in the field, it has it's action moments, even if they're just dodging stuff in the screen and then do something, is something different to what you see in previous episodes, each game es longer than the last one and this makes them more complicated and a good challenge.
Historia - Story
Aun así debo decir, la historia es muy buena este ha sido sin mentirles uno de los pocos juegos que me hizo llorar, claro cuando lo jugué como un niño de 13 años pero aun así, la historia empieza muy normal y hasta chistosa a veces, pero se torna en una red de consecuencias en una guerra.
En fin que un juego de flash tenga una historia digna de estar en un libro y disfrutarse para mi es perfecto, de verdad lo recomiendo mucho.
To be honest the story is very alike to The Lord of The Rings, two little main characters help in a war between humans look alike and orcs lookalike, where they find a wizard who's on a journey and ends up in epic proportions and if you don't believe me, you have to see the similarities just in chapters 15 and 17.
Even so I have to say, the story is really good and this have been without lying to you one of the few games that made me cry, of course when I played it at 13 years old but even so, the story starts normal and very funny at times, but it turns into the web of consequenses of a war.
Anyway that a flash game has a story worth of being in a book and enjoy it it's perfect for me, trully i reccomend it.
Conclusiones y puntuacion - final thoughts and scoring
Es interesante que esta saga nunca salio para Steam o alguna plataforma paga, siempre ha sido gratis y accesible, solo como siempre les digo cuidado al ejecutar un juego flash que puede destruir su navegador.
For me this series is a 10/10, is a little frustrating if you can't think outside of the box for some of the problems that the game gives you, or if you're not patient witho some things you're gonna have a bad time.
It's interesting that this saga never got released on Steam or any paid platform, It's always been free and accesible, just as I always tell you be careful when playing flash games or it coul destroy your browser.
¿Donde está Federico Rutenberg? - Where is Frederico Rutenberg?
Pues si vemos la pagina de Esklavos.com donde todos sus juegos están publicados, vemos que su ultima actividad fue el diciembre del 2016 desde entonces no sabemos nada de el, la ultima actividad el Twitter oficial fue en 2014 y puedo entender con la muerte de flash se debió haber alejado de hacer juegos.
Aunque a pesar de eso esta serie quedara en mi corazón viva, sin oficialmente saber que le paso a Federico, espero algún dia ver algún juego o incluso historia que publique, por ahora pueden visitar sus otros juegos (son demasiados juegos contando sus otras sagas) y hasta luego, los veré a todos.
Well if we see the page Esklavos.com where al his games are published, we can see the last activity was on December 2016 since then we don't know anything about him, the las activity of the official Twitter was in 2014 and i can get that with the death of flash he must have gotten away from making games.
Even so this series will remain in my heart alive, without officially knowing what happened with Federico, i hope to see some day another game, or ever other story that he publish, for now you can visit his other games (there are too many games with his other sagas) and until later, I'll see you soon.
Sources:
Esklavos.com.
Esklavos wiki.
Wiki 2 de Esklavos.
Entrevista a Federico.
Jay is games - Esklavos.
Algunos Screenshots fueron tomados por mi.