Wood gleams as though polished and marble reflects blurred images of people walking across ballrooms. There is a lot of detail lavished on surface images. From the elegant streets of Paris to the imperialistic avenues in Berlin, you can almost squint and convince yourself that you are looking a photo.
I have to say that the graphics are a mixed bag. It is an entertaining, interesting tale, made all the more impressive because of just how much of it may or may not have happened. I can’t give much more away than that without spoilers, and besides, you can already see much of her life story in a local library or right here, but the game will guide you through much of Mata’s real life, along with a few extrapolated possibilities. It would have been awesome if the developers had included any of the historical story on the disc as well, but sadly, that’s not the case. What keeps it back is the fact that, aside from the story, that’s all you have. Mata Hari oozes almost as much charm as Mata herself, whether flowing through German officers clubs or carousing with the French Intelligence community. Players with a bit of familiarity in French or German will get an extra tickle out of these parts. All of the dialogue is spoken, occasionally in the native language of the speaker. The presentation of the game is wonderful. The game offers you plentiful opportunities to travel across nations, meet famous people, and steal national secrets.Īs there isn’t really anything extra in the game like multiplayer or time trials, it has to hook you entirely based on the story. You will guide Mata from just after her first dance, through her induction into the shadowy world of spies, double-agents, and European superpowers. The game begins in Paris in 1906, or maybe 1907, the narrator isn’t really sure. Mata Hari is based on the real life of Margaretha Geertruida Zelle, who took the stage name Mata Hari in 1897. Join me, won’t you, while we investigate Mata Hari: Betrayal is Only a Kiss Away. Today, we take a trip back to a different era, and an entirely different type of espionage. Perhaps we think of James Bond or Jack Bauer and the ultra-macho roles that they fill. Things like nuclear secrets, global counterfeiting rings, terrorism, that sort of topic.
When most of us think of spies, government secrets, and the threat of war, we tend to think of the hot-button issues that face us today.