Review of Amerzone: The Explorer’s Legacy for PS5

Amerzone – The Explorer’s Legacy offers a fresh and exciting retelling of Benoît Sokal’s cherished classic, reinventing it for a new audience. If you’re curious about what Amerzone – The Explorer’s Legacy holds in store, dive into our review!

The game takes players on a captivating journey following the adventures of French explorer Alexander Valembois. His expedition leads him to the mystical land of Amerzone, a fictional country nestled in South America, during the early 1930s. Valembois’s journey was filled with astonishing discoveries, including the magical White Birds, a species teetering on the brink of extinction due to a friend’s rise to dictatorship in Amerzone. The game’s narrative leaps forward to the early 2000s, where you step into the shoes of a journalist, tasked with fulfilling Valembois’s dying wish to return a white egg to Amerzone, in hopes of saving the birds.

Originally released by Microids over two decades ago on PC, this classic adventure reemerges on the PlayStation 5 in a stunning new adaptation. Drawing inspiration from Sokal’s 1986 Inspector Canardo comic strip L’Amerzone, the game was initially celebrated for its pioneering 3D first-person perspective. Now, in 2025, the Unreal Engine 5 breathes fresh life into this beloved title, transforming it into a stunning visual journey. This new version retains the charming "click-to-move" mechanics that evoke nostalgia, but with the added flair of seamless area transitions that truly make the environment come alive. The visual overhaul, complete with detailed lighting, adds vibrancy to each scene. Voice acting continues to enrich the experience, as it did in the original.

Players can choose between two play modes: Traveler or Adventurer. Traveler Mode is perfect for those who prefer soaking in the narrative and atmosphere without being bogged down by challenging puzzles. This mode offers more guideline documents and precise hints in your journal. Adventurer Mode, meanwhile, delivers a more authentic experience reflective of the original, presenting harder puzzles and sparse hints. For those craving a challenge, you can even disable hints and remove objectives entirely.

In the game, controlled from a first-person perspective, the left analog stick maneuvers your view across each area. It also serves as a cursor for interacting with items by pressing the X button. If you need to speed up the cursor, simply hold down L2. The L1 button allows for zooming adjustments, while pressing Triangle reveals all possible interactions in the current location. Access your journal via the DualSense’s Touchpad, where you can review missions, diary notes, inventory, and collected documents.

Engaging with items by examining them from all angles ensures you don’t overlook crucial details. Holding the X button over an object lets you rotate it using the left analog stick. A magnifying glass cursor signifies discoverable information, while a hand icon indicates you can manipulate the object.

Throughout your exploration in Amerzone – The Explorer’s Legacy, you’ll uncover artifacts that enrich your investigation, recording them in a dedicated journal tab. While optional, these investigations deepen your understanding of the game’s world and narrative. They’re essential for trophy hunters aiming to achieve a 100% completion rate and earn the coveted Platinum trophy!

Yes, the game is loaded with trophies. Earning the Platinum trophy requires conquering tasks across 18 Bronze, 5 Silver, and 6 Gold trophies. Beyond progressing through story chapters, you’ll need to complete tasks like conducting your first investigation, tuning into the radio, making strategic phone calls, placing professor’s slides in a projector, discovering fast travel maps, and experimenting with the Hydrofloat’s conversion modes.

Amerzone – The Explorer’s Legacy beautifully reinvigorates Benoît Sokal’s original adventure, ushering players into a world filled with mystery and intrigue. At its core, the story revolves around Valembois’s exploration of the enigmatic Amerzone, where he encounters the extraordinary White Birds, now endangered due to political turmoil. In a leap to the present day, players take on the mantle of a journalist charged with continuing Valembois’s legacy.

Revived for modern consoles, this 2025 reimagination for the PlayStation 5 leverages the power of Unreal Engine 5, showcasing stark improvements from the 1999 PC original. While true to its roots with its classic navigation style, the enhanced visual transitions and detailed lighting offer an updated appeal. Players can pick between Performance or Resolution modes to optimize their gaming experience, making for an unforgettable journey. Priced at $39.99, it’s set to hit PlayStation 5 on April 24.

This review of Amerzone – The Explorer’s Legacy was based on a PlayStation 5 copy provided by Microids.