Point And Kick

FULL THROTTLE REMASTERED is the best way to play Tim Schafer’s classic biker adventure.

- Andy Kelly

More than one puzzle in Full Throttle is solved by kicking something, which neatly illustrates what makes it different from most point-and-click adventures. Protagonist Ben is a tough, gruff biker. A burly slab of meat stuffed into a leather jacket with a chin you could polish stone on, this plays into every aspect of the game, from the puzzles and storyline, to the hard rock soundtrack.

But the key to the game is that while Ben is indeed a hard-ass who can handle himself in a fight, he also has a heart. Monkey Island is an ode to the romantic idea of piracy, and Full Throttle does the exactly same for bikers. It’s more about freedom, authenticity and cool leather jackets than the sort of thing you read about in Hell’s Angels by Hunter S. Thompson or watch in Sons of Anarchy.

Ben’s world is small – he mentions several times in the game that his bike is his home – but it’s still under threat. He’s on the run for a crime he didn’t commit and, worst of all, the last motorcycle manufacturer in the country, Corley Motors, is ceasing production of bikes and moving into making hovering minivans. A lot of games deal with the end of the world, but Full Throttle is about the end of Ben’s world. And this makes for a uniquely personal story.

TOUGH TALK