Galleon: Islands of Mystery, developed by Confounding Factor, has been in development for over seven years. So much has changed in that time. Since the game was announced back in 1997, the development team (which includes Toby Gard, the man behind Lara Croft) has gone through hell due to the countless delays and publisher changes. The game was thought to have been scrubbed long ago, however, recently Atlus snatched up the publishing rights and decided to publish this unique adventure title exclusively for Xbox.

One thing should be set out on the table for all to see: this game is actually surprisingly good if you are an adventure fan and if you are the kind of gamer who can look past the graphical quality. There is a gem hidden in there somewhere underneath the down right ugly exterior. That gem is solid gameplay, fun and intriguing puzzles, and great sound that is powered by excellent visuals and perfect adventure music (although low production values do bring the sound department down substantially). If you are that special kind of gamer who isn't affected by the outer appearance of the game, then read on.

In this age of Doom 3 type of outstanding visuals, Max Payne bullet time, and of sequels and franchises, Galleon is a unique and original game that somehow manages to get the basics right even after seven years and a lot of struggle. This games eccentric personality and originality is really what makes it good, and if you are the kind of gamer who really digs that, then this game would probably be more like a 9 on your scale.

So what makes Galleon so wonderful in its own special way? The story, the presentation, and the quirky characters. You play as the swashbuckling captain Rhama Sabrier, who is in search of treasure and fun. The game is only single player, but that is really not bad since the game is so heavily story driven (by a good story, no less) and it's 15-40 hours of gameplay (depending on if you go for all of the secrets and side quests) are a lot for this kind of game.

Rhama, the main character, really takes the game to another level. He is the focal point of the game's personality. He is witty and he shows plenty of character depth. He is nimble and he loves action. Oh yeah, and he can run up cliffs, walk on slender rails, and hang from ledges. So he's cool. Rhama is a source of plenty of dialogue and he will definitely tell you how he feels. The game itself progresses along with his character through seven massive levels and a cutscene rich, predictable yet interesting story.

When I said that Rhama is nimble, I wasn't kidding. Rhama is the ultimate Spider-Man esque character. He can jump over huge chasms with the proper acceleration, keep his balance as he crosses paths only inches in diameter, and jump onto everything, EVERYTHING, that means from large ledges to the smallest little flag poles. The game's mechanics are strange and yet refreshing. You can do anything and then switch to doing anything else seamlessly. You can attack while creeping along the skinniest ledges, jump, switch directions, and head the another way with ease while in mid-air, and he can do everything from wall jumping to wall running to just about anything else you can imagine. Don't get me wrong though, while this is definitely fun, it can also be annoying when you are trying to be precise in your movements and jumps and Rhama is just too fast and too agile.

The combat system works decently well, although the collision detection can be a bit off at time. It is also quite a bit different from any other game because the pace of the combat is a lot slower than other titles and you have to use the analog sticks. It takes a while to get used to, but it is only a small annoyance. There are plenty of attacks though, ranging from your basic kicks and punches to more advanced throws and spin attacks to using guns and swords.

The puzzles in Galleon are basically trial and error. They normally will have you going someplace or recovering something, or both. There will be plenty of obstacles and so you will have to try many of them multiple times to figure out how to do it right. However, there are hints that will help you along and although the puzzles are difficult, none of them are overly frustrating.

Visually, this game is really a mixed bag. It all depends on your perspective, it depends on how you look at the game. If you are critical of them and look at them from a technical standpoint, the graphics are downright pathetic (after all, they have been under development for seven years). The characters have low polygon counts, the water physics are laughable, and the environments lack the advanced bump mapping that you would see in modern games. However, if you can appreciate them and look at them from a comical view, you will see that the characters are cleverly designed, they have excellent facial expressions, and there is more imagination and detail put into mapping a single level than the whole package in most games.

So, if you can overlook the dated graphics and appreciate the creativity and imagination that has been put into Galleon, you will really come to love the game. While the graphics will definately discourage a lot, the ones who can look past them will find a truly imaginative game.

Just like the visuals, the sound is overall quite a mixed bag as well. The awesome aspect of the sound is the voice-overs. The people doing the voice-overs show their talent by really capturing the personalities of the characters they are portraying. The dialogue is superbly written as well. And the facial expressions were done with care to match the feelings of the words.

Then there is the music. The music really does an excellent job of capturing the adventure setting and it really brings you into the game. However, there is no support for Dolby 5.1 and the music is just loose in its transitions and there are occasional delays. Poor production is really the only thing that brings the sound department down.

If you really love the game, then you will find about 40 hours of amazing gameplay here. However, a standard play through is more like 10-15 hours. So, if you don't buy the game, I would stress a rental. This game definitely deserves at least that.