Safecracker is a puzzle adventure game that was released two years ago. It was a modest game at a modest price, and was fun enough for the type of game it was. Now, it has been released for the Wii. Normally, I would not think porting an adventure game to a console would be a good idea because of the difference in the controls and interface, but this port works surprisingly well. About the only negative difference between the PC and Wii versions is the longer transition times between scenes.

The game itself is exactly the same as the PC version. Therefore, the following is the original review for the PC version, ending with comments pertaining to the Wii version:

If you’re looking for adventure, funny quips or hair-raising tension, this isn’t the right place. What are here are puzzles galore, pure and simple. This game isn’t even trying to disguise its main function with any story elements inside the main game (aside from a few diary pages and other letters scattered around), after the obligatory storyline setup at the beginning of the game. Nope, this game is solely about solving all types of puzzles.

Such as it is, here’s the premise: Duncan Adams, an eccentric who died recently, just happens to have been a very rich man who collected safes. He left a will, but unfortunately it’s hidden inside one of his many safes. His family has hired you, a safecracking expert, to unlock the mysteries in his house and find the will. To complicate matters, Duncan Adams also loved puzzles, and all of his safes and doors in the house have been secured with various types of puzzles.

These puzzles include sliders, codes, number and logical puzzles. Most of the safes require puzzle-solving skills, while others will require objects, such as keys, found inside other puzzle-locked boxes. The puzzles begin easily enough, but soon become more difficult. The main difficulty lies in the lack of clues to decipher some of the puzzles, as players may not have accessed the precise clues needed yet. While the game is mostly linear, many of the puzzles are encountered before all the clues needed for them have been discovered. If so, just be patient and keep looking around until the clues are found.

Play begins on the first floor of the house, and as puzzles unlocking doors are solved, more rooms will open. There are two floors to explore, but actually, there’s not much exploring to do. All of the puzzles are in plain view, and any items that need retrieving will be inside the puzzle containers. There are some papers here and there, but most of them can be bypassed totally, as they’re not needed to solve anything. However, a few pictures are helpful in solving some of the puzzles.

Well, that’s about all there is to say about this game. It’s strictly for the puzzle fans out there, you know who you are. My husband and I like these types of puzzles and have been having fun with the game, but the big drawback to this type of game is the fact that the puzzles aren’t replayable. Once the game is over, it’s over. That said, the puzzles here are very well designed and varied; they run the gamut from easy to difficult and are of many different types. This game is fun to work together with a friend, as many people are better at one type of puzzle over another. Most of the puzzles can be figured out with diligence, but a few are really difficult.

- - -

Playing Safecracker on the Wii is a little different, but not much. The designers made excellent use of the Wii controls for the interface. The nunchuk is used to manipulate the camera viewpoint and to navigate between rooms. The Wii-mote is used for interaction with the game. The A button uses objects, the B button accesses the inventory, and the Wii-mote pointer’s function is to highlight and select hotspots. The only real difference between the two versions is the method of scene transition, which uses set points in the rooms to jump from one set location to another. This takes a while sometimes and can be annoying for the less patient of us.

The graphics and sound are exactly the same as in the PC game, and are enjoyable enough.

This is a worthy game for the Wii, and is a reasonable price ($30) for a Wii game. However, the exact same game can be had for the PC for $20. It really comes down to a preference for console games or PC games. We liked Safecracker two years ago, and like it again today. A good choice for any puzzle fan.

Gameplay: 7.0
The gameplay is strictly for purist puzzle fans. There isn’t much of a story, and no dialogue. The puzzles are fun and challenging, though, and are varied in difficulty and type. The interface of the Wii works well.

Graphics: 7.0
The game looks exactly like its PC counterpart.

Sound: 7.0
The music is average, but not annoying.

Difficulty: Medium
The puzzles and activities range from easy to difficult. Some of these may require a walkthrough.

Concept: 6.0
The concept isn’t new, but the presentation on the Wii is well-done.

Overall: 7.0
Safecracker offers plenty of puzzle-solving fun on the Wii. While the game itself isn’t any different from any other puzzle game on the PC, it is different from most offerings on the Wii, which are mainly platform, action or shooter games. Anyone looking for a change of pace and who enjoys challenging puzzles may well be pleased with this game.