Hands-On Preview: LAN Party Adventure

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Back then, instead of effortlessly connecting with friends across the globe for a gaming session, we had to put our minds to work and endure quite a bit more hassle. In essence, we needed to think outside the box to enjoy a LAN party.

Back in the day, setting up a dozen desktop computers to play multiplayer games was quite the challenge, but boy, do I miss those times. I used to be able to down an entire 2-liter bottle of Mountain Dew without any heart palpitations to worry about. Those were some truly enchanting days.

It appears that LAN Party Adventures is a game designed with individuals like us in mind, who happen to be around thirty years old and have continued to cherish gaming as an art form amidst the challenges of adulthood, taxes, and everyday life.

As a nostalgic gamer, I recently dabbled with a brief demo of LAN Party Adventures and let me tell you, there wasn’t a moment throughout the game where I didn’t break into a grin. The experience was incredibly reminiscent of setting up my very own PC, so similar to the one my family had when I was young, which took me back to those bedroom days themed exactly as 10-year-old me would have designed it.

This game isn’t just about configuring PCs, organizing cables, and handling floppy disks; it delves deeper. LAN Party Adventures will eventually immerse us in the enigma surrounding our friend Pedro who has gone missing. The rest of the team plans to aid in the search for him during game breaks.

There appears to be a deeper conversation to be had than meets the eye, so let’s delve right in. No problem at all.

A Turn Of The Millennium Nostalgia-Fest

This demo for LAN Party Adventures evoked a level of nostalgia in me that few other games have managed. While many modern games pay tribute to the classics of yesteryears, none has transported me back to my childhood quite like this one did.

The narrative commences with your primary character recounting a distressing tale of their computer crashing, forcing them to save money and search for various means to amass funds for a new one. The style of the character, complete with a flipped baseball cap, loose pants, Adidas jacket, and grunge band t-shirt, gives the story an authentic touch, reminding me of when I might have been in similar circumstances.

As far as I’m concerned, I’ve never been a die-hard Korn fan, but there’s a youngster sporting their tee. No biggie! I’ll go ahead and mail him a Thrice t-shirt instead.

The room where you first enter is brimming with around fifty items from the year 2000, subtly altered yet recognizably mimicking the fads of my childhood era, in a way that steers clear of any legal issues.

In this setting, you have Starcraft, Akira, SimCity, Half-Life, Counter-Strike, and a Nintendo 64 console neatly arranged beneath an old CRT TV, with a VCR on top. It’s like stepping back into my childhood, as all these items are set up in the room just as I would have wanted it back then.

On the table, there’s a mug bearing the phrase “Skate or Die!”, reminding me of an early NES game that used to captivate me intensely. Later on, I moved on to Tony Hawk and Skate games as my preferences evolved.

On the desk lies a notebook brandishing the iconic “S” symbol, a nostalgic emblem that adorned numerous school supplies in the 90s. This mysterious phenomenon where everyone seemed to display it is still puzzling us, yet LAN Party Adventures acknowledges this shared experience.

Even though the demonstration was brief, I ended up spending a considerable amount of time exploring every corner of the bedroom and capturing screenshots of items that sparked memories from my past. It was quite nostalgic, but it also made me realize that I’m getting a bit older.

Nostalgia is great and all, but what actually is LAN Party Adventures? Allow me to explain.

Setting Things Up

Honestly, I haven’t had the chance to fully immerse myself in what could potentially make LAN Party Adventures an outstanding video game, but the captivating gameplay showcased in the demo has definitely sparked my curiosity.

As a thrilled enthusiast, I’ve just received all my fresh PC components! My mission for this demonstration is simple: Unbox each item, neatly arrange them on my desk, connect the necessary cables to assemble everything, and finally, bring my system to life by powering it up.

Funny thing, I recently assembled a new computer a week ago, which made the whole experience feel exceptionally relatable and tailor-made to my current situation in life. Remarkable, isn’t it, LEAP Games?

Setting up a computer is more involved than you might anticipate, especially compared to setting up most games. Instead of just clicking ‘play’, you’ll need to perform some physical tasks. For instance, you’ll need to rotate the tower and attach a power cord, hunt for an adapter if necessary, then find enough free outlets to accommodate your setup. Additionally, you’ll have to connect a VGA cable from the tower to the monitor. Lastly, connecting your PC to the internet might involve a bit of a challenge, as you might need to navigate a mini-game to link your device to the modem using an Ethernet cable.

If my experience mirrors yours, you’d likely observe that your wiring setup is rather messy following all that setup. You’d then decide to start over to ensure everything looks neat and organized. As the final step, it was time to turn on the computer. However, more work still awaited.

Next, I needed to retrieve a floppy disk from my bedside table, insert it into the drive, study a few instruction manuals, and subsequently open the computer terminal to type some traditional Y2K setup commands.

Following the internet connection, I managed to respond to emails from my developer, my elder brother, and one of my closest friends. However, an email from my elder brother, inviting me to play a favorite video game, resonated deeply. This was none other than the LAN Party Adventures he knew I cherished so dearly. You see, it’s my elder brother who initially sparked my passion for games by introducing them to me, making this invitation all the more significant.

When I tried entering ‘www.askjeeves.com’ into my web browser, it didn’t work; however, this feature might become available in the complete version.

From that brief glimpse, it’s clear that the game had me hooked. Despite seeing only a small part of it, its charm captivated me, leaving me eager to discover more and uncover how much more exciting it could become. In essence, it seemed like a promising start to an even better experience.

Time to Travel Back in Time for More

In the demonstration, I must admit that what was presented was relatively straightforward, but it served wonderfully as a prelude to more complex events. As the developer team’s information on Steam reveals, LAN Party Adventures transforms into an adventure where you’re tasked with locating a missing friend. The demo expertly set the stage for this scenario.

I’m pretty excited to see just how complex all of this gets.

It’s uncertain if this missing person search will turn out to be serious and risky. However, considering the cheerful atmosphere shown in the demo so far, it seems likely that it will remain fun and casual. But you never know for sure. As I delve into reading emails, contacting my friends, and engaging in some elementary detective work to find Pedro, I can already tell it’s going to be an enjoyable experience.

The intricacy of the LAN/PC configuration is expected to expand significantly, since you’ll eventually link several systems at video game stores, schools, and various locations around your home. I can’t wait to witness how elaborate this setup becomes, and I might even become obsessively meticulous about ensuring my cable organization is flawless.

In the LAN Party Adventures, there is an exciting sandbox feature where you can customize your own room exactly as desired. This mode offers a wealth of options including various types of furniture, computer parts, decorative items, and more to create your ideal setup.

Looking at the image before you, you’ll notice that I’ve decided to treat myself by placing ten Nintendo 64 units scattered across my room, in a playful manner reminiscent of a sandbox. The reason being, I simply have the ability to do so, isn’t that great?

All told, my experience so far with LAN Party Adventures has been warm, reminiscent, distinctive, and genuinely enjoyable. Without a doubt, I plan to explore the complete version once it becomes available, expectedly in late 2025.

To stay involved with LAN Party Adventures, feel free to visit its Steam page and add it to your wishlist for future play.

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2025-05-29 16:09