Xiama
A first-person puzzle adventure set in an Australian rainforest.
Xiama is a 2000 puzzle adventure game developed and self-published by Australian studio Mulawa Dreaming for Windows. It was created by Peter Hewitt and sold through his website and at a stall in Townsville's Cotter's Markets.
Quick Facts
- Developer
- Mulawa Dreaming
- Released
- 2000
- Genre
- Puzzle, adventure
- Director
- Peter Hewitt
Facts from the source article.
Development
Peter Hewitt based Xiama on a trip through a national park, using his own photographs as the game's backdrops. He developed the title alone over roughly one year. The name is an acronym. Playtesting was conducted by a young puzzle enthusiast named Penny, and the puzzles were designed to be accessible to novices while still challenging experienced players. Hewitt's personal favorite puzzle is The Venus Jigsaw. Some puzzles, such as the three turtle puzzles, require no prior knowledge and can be solved through experimentation with buttons. Hewitt anticipated that certain challenging puzzles would take more than one play session to complete, and he considered the cave system a highlight of development. On March 15, 2000, he conceived the Xiama "books" as an alternative to standard saving mechanisms. The Xiama website launched on March 19. On April 24, Bill Basham granted permission for use of his MIDI version of Waltzing Matilda. The post-its feature was implemented on May 18, fulfilling Hewitt's long-held wish to add personal touches. Puzzles were finished on June 1. On June 3, Hewitt arranged with Listening Earth to use their bird calls and dingo howls, and on June 4, Bill Basham agreed to the use of "The Rejection." The game uses the ClickTeam Installation program. No marketing efforts targeted women specifically. Hewitt's web presence offered a diary of the game's development and invited open dialogue. He later released the puzzle adventures Magnetic and Magicama. In 2007, Xiama Revisited was created using BlitzBasic 2D, Paintshop Pro 9, Bryce 5, and CoolEdit 2000, playtested by Doug Bradley and dedicated to the memory of Penny Cadwell. Both versions became free in January 2017.
Plot and gameplay
The game is set in the North Queensland rainforest at Alligator Creek Falls in Bowling Green Bay National Park. The player arrives to meet a friend named Peter for a trek but finds a note saying he has gone ahead, and then explores the landscape alone. Xiama is a first-person game primarily in 2D, with the player moving through static screens and interacting with hotspots to access puzzles. It blends 3D graphics with slideshow-style photo backdrops. There are 24 puzzles across 100 environments; completing puzzles unlocks further areas and increases the player's score. The final puzzle becomes available only after the other 23 are solved. Puzzles are superimposed onto park photos, and upon completion a sticky note with the player's thoughts is added to a journal. Puzzles are scrambled when the player leaves an area, allowing revisits. The soundscape includes bird calls, campfire sounds, stream water, and animal noises; two puzzles involve the folk song Waltzing Matilda. The game can be completed within 24 hours.
Critical reception
MrBillsAdventureland compared Xiama to Jewels of the Oracle, citing its exotic setting and challenging gameplay, but felt its follow-up Magnetic offered a richer mix of game types and wished both had junior versions. Quandary noted the game is not a traditional adventure due to lacking inventory, item collection, and an unfolding story. Pibweb pointed out that the game includes a cave scene, though Alligator Creek has no cave system. Just Adventure recommended it to puzzle, photography, and nature enthusiasts. GameZone appreciated its non-standard approach. Game Vortex observed that puzzle difficulty varies widely. Computer Games Online called it a "fiendishly cerebral offering" and considered the in-game reward a "cruel joke." Academic Stephen Granade found its main deficiencies in the interface and lack of documentation, describing it as playing like Myst but more boring. Adventure Gamers thought it worked better with family and friends and awarded it Best Puzzles of 2000. GameBoomers looked forward to future Mulawa Dreaming projects. Mystery Manor found navigation challenging. BonusWeb forgave the amateurish screens, comparing their charm to the 1995 Czech game Ramonovo Kouzlo. The Players' Realm described it as rooted in the tradition of static panoramic puzzle games like Myst, Riven, and Jewels of the Oracle, where puzzles turn a slideshow into narrative architecture and photographs become rewards.
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