Ceville is a comedic point-and-click fantasy adventure set in the land of Faeryanis.
The titular tyrant, Ceville, has been deposed in a popular uprising masterminded by his former aide, Basilius, who plans to unleash a demonic horde on the people. On the principle that only he has the right to terrorise his citizens, the ex-tyrant sets out to save the world and his own skin. He's aided by Lilly, an idealistic child with a smart mouth and a quick wit.
The graphics are typical comedy adventure fare, with bright colours and cartoon-style characters. They're not technically impressive, but the settings are vivid and atmospheric. An excellent soundtrack helps to set the scene and plays a crucial part in some simple puzzles.
There are a handful of great brain-teasers, including several that require Ceville and Lilly to split up and deal with elements in separate locations, but most involve more hard work than inspired reasoning. It was only through trial and error that we worked out an early puzzle that required us to send a fairy to sleep by feeding her parsley. Other irritations involved small items in illogical locations. Fortunately, pressing the space bar displays the location of all interactive elements onscreen.
Although Ceville makes a stab at sarcastic humour, much of the banter between Lilly and the despot seems a little forced. The game is funniest when it parodies its own genre. We were amused by a wealth of references to classic games, as well as modern culture and politics. There are few laugh-out-loud moments, but some strong characterisation and good voice acting kept us entertained.
Although it's not the most memorable game of its kind, Ceville is amusing enough to keep you smiling, and most of its puzzles strike a decent balance between narrative flow and game longevity. First-time adventurers will have more fun with Crimson Cow's A Vampyre Story, though.
