 |
| Source // PlayStation |
The closest I've ever come to an African Safari is whatever the BBC Natural History Unit decides is worth sitting in the blistering heat for years on end with an HD camera to capture and preserve for Sir David Attenborough to narrate over.
Wildlife you've never heard of performing extraordinary feats of survival in some of the harshest conditions for life there is on this planet. Wildlife you have heard of, personified and made relatable. Wildlife, out in the wilderness, minding its own business while we marvel at it all.
From my computer desk, I can glance out of the window and see the wilderness of a weed-covered patio, the odd bird hopping around P2's elaborate feeder, now overgrown with neglect because it's bloody cold out there this time of year. I could never see one animal hunt another unless the cats get lucky. I can't see anything big or bouncy or goofy looking, unless, again, the odd fat cat wanders through.
What I need is a digital safari. A hunt where the only shooting you'll do is through your camera, and where the playground is an entire continent. I need Afrika.
 |
| Source // PlayStation |
Frustrations
Unfortunately, the closest I can get to Afrika is much the same as Africa itself - on the TV. I always knew this would be a tricky PlayStation 3 game to track down. It's exclusive to the PS3 for starters, so no alternative versions to try instead. It was then only released in Japan, I thought, until I learned that it did manage to make its way over to North America. But did it make it to Europe, sitting smack dab on top of Africa? Nope. Didn't come close.
So I'm left to experience a digital recreation of an African Safari through YouTube, where I see that it's a little less flashy than these promotional images.
 |
| Source // PlayStation |
In Afrika you are a photojournalist camping in a tent, email inbox open, waiting for jobs to come in. They can be simple, such as taking a photo of an animal, to the more complex, like taking a photo of an animal hunting.
 |
| Source // PlayStation |
 |
| Source // PlayStation |
Like real-life photographers, it is your job to track your targets down, be it on foot, in a jeep or even floating overhead in a hot air balloon, sneaking up on them to not disturb their natural behaviour too much.
When in sight, it's time to whip your camera out and either wait patiently for the one specific thing you need to capture to happen, say a Hippopotamus yawning, or snap away like a maniac and hope at least one of the shots is good enough, during a chase for example.
If your photos are well-framed and clear, you'll get rewarded with the cash you need to upgrade your equipment to tackle bigger challenges.
 |
| Source // PlayStation |
It sounds fun, right? It's a game, sure, but you get to explore it in your own way. You get to travel across Africa, or whatever imitation the game offers, in search of your animal targets in whatever way you choose. Then you set up a shot however you think will best capture the animal, and keep you alive long enough to get the photos uploaded back at base camp.
The Wikipedia entry for Afrika even says that it is essentially like Pokémon Snap, but in Africa, as if we all know what Pokémon Snap is, which many people do.
Pokémon Snap is a safari through the Pokémon universe, where you do much the same thing, hoping to capture the action for a better score, but you're literally on rails, riding through the landscape at a set pace. The action comes to you, and it's your job to be looking in the right direction.
In Afrika, the world of freedom you're let loose into is a world in which you might travel great distances and not find what you're looking for. You might find an animal that does nothing for ages, and as soon as you get up to reposition yourself, it does the thing you want it to do and you've missed your opportunity.
 |
| Source // PlayStation |
In some sense, that's an authentic portrayal of the life of a wildlife photographer, but does waiting around in a bush make for a good game? I obviously don't know, not first hand at least. You're rewarded with real-life footage of animals, and while these screens are a tad polished up, the game itself doesn't look too shabby at all.
Final Word
Whenever I've gone into a second-hand electronics store, the first place I look is the "A" section of the PS3 games, in the hope that someone, somewhere, has abandoned a copy of Afrika. The PS3 has region free gaming, so there shouldn't be too many issues getting it going. It's finding it at a reasonable price for the short length of time I'll likely play it that is the problem.
Finding Afrika today, in Europe at least, is therefore very much like going on a Safari. You journey the landscape in search of your elusive target, and when you find it you can't quite believe what you're seeing. There's nothing really special about it, it's just a game, there are many, many, many games out there, but the hunt and the journey have made this game special.
The journey will probably be more impressive and memorable than the game. Maybe I've hyped it up in my head and made it something bigger than it could ever be. The march of technology means I'll be unfairly comparing it to games with better graphics or more lifelike animations. I won't be wowed by it as much as we might have been in 2008, and truth be told, some gameplay footage has already failed to really capture my attention - hopefully because it was whisked through, and not played it "the way it's meant to be played" or something.
Afrika doesn't have a whole load of praise on review aggregators, though I read that the music is worth a listen. The game is worth a look if you can find it, but once you're done, the magic dissipates and life returns to normal, for both the tourist and the wildlife.
Fun Facts
The praised musical score was composed and conducted by Wataru Hokoyama, who has credits all over the place, from the movie Dungeons & Dragons to Halo Wars 2. And more well-known stuff, I suppose. Thor, Resi Evil, some Lego movies...
Afrika, developed by Rhino Studios, first released in 2008.
Version watched: Afrika, PlayStation 3, 2009 (cerberlok)