Queen: The Eye

Friday, March 30, 2018

Platforms:	PC
Publisher:	Electronic Arts
Developer:	Destination Design
Genres:	Adventure / Action Adventure
Release Date:	1998
Game Modes:	Singleplayer

When you see the title of this game, your immediate thoughts probably won’t go to music. It should, because Queen: The Eye is actually licensed off Queen the British rock band. The license is pretty tepid as the plotline is but loosely connected. The game is set in the future, where an evil computer called AM… I mean, The Eye (Kerr Avon from Blake’s 7) transformed the world into a total mess. Its objective was to burn humanity of all creative thought. You play the role of Dubroc, a cop who must smash the system. How so? Through the music of Queen, of course.

As a game, Queen: The Eye is a very rudimentary action-adventure game. It’s got combat and puzzles but none of it is very interesting in the long run. The locations especially are all dreary and lifeless despite the five-disc package. It warps from a lame futuristic arena to a lame futuristic factory – nothing stands out as unusual or original. By the time you’ll reach the Innuendo Domain (some hours in), you’ll likely lose any mood to play through it.

The game was specifically targeted at Queen fans. As an odd collectible it worked – plus you have a music CD and game, wrapped in one, which was very unusual at the time. It has a lot of game design that encompasses combat, puzzles, story, a weird universe – but all of it, literally everything on this CD outside of the music, is pretty crap.