Well all that playing of Haunting at Cliffhouse and Amber's Blood got me going on Carol Reed games. I've got all but the last of them, and I never blogged the first few. It's been long enough since I played them (years) that they're almost like new games to me. So I though I'd start with the first, as I have another couple of days before more Kirkus books arrive, and my new carpet probably won't get here until next week. Imagine! Actual time for my little hobby.
Alas, as Remedy was the first game in the series, it lacks the in-game hint system, and the navigation can be quite confusing. Just getting around in this game is a major part of the puzzle. The Nyqvists got better at this in later games.
Also, in the first games, instead of just posting straight photographs of the town, the Nyqvists photoshopped them with a watercolor effect. It really looks quite lovely:
Carol's View
Compare that with Carol's view in Amber's Blood, and you'll see the difference. I like them both.
Also, this game starts with a rather obscurely difficult puzzle, so players could become frustrated right away. You have to combine two rather unlikely items from two different locations in order to get into a locked apartment. Really, the only way to do it would be to scour every available screen for hot spots and get every inventory item possible (and both are in places that you almost have to get lucky to find). And even if you do find these items and actually try to combine them, the solution still doesn't make sense. It does work, though. You get into the apartment.
Fortunately the Nyqvists got better at everything. But as I recall, this is still a quite interesting game.
I'm remembering some of it. I've managed to uncover the target of the investigation, and I think I even recall the reason for crimes being committed, but that doesn't distract from the gameplay. We still have to get through all these puzzles.
This game is where the tower was! I know it's in another game later on too.
I did remember not to go down a particular stairway. Got trapped in there the first time. Yes, you get out, but it's frustrating.
So I left the game at a spot I remember.
Also, this game starts with a rather obscurely difficult puzzle, so players could become frustrated right away. You have to combine two rather unlikely items from two different locations in order to get into a locked apartment. Really, the only way to do it would be to scour every available screen for hot spots and get every inventory item possible (and both are in places that you almost have to get lucky to find). And even if you do find these items and actually try to combine them, the solution still doesn't make sense. It does work, though. You get into the apartment.
Fortunately the Nyqvists got better at everything. But as I recall, this is still a quite interesting game.
I'm remembering some of it. I've managed to uncover the target of the investigation, and I think I even recall the reason for crimes being committed, but that doesn't distract from the gameplay. We still have to get through all these puzzles.
This game is where the tower was! I know it's in another game later on too.
The Tower
I did remember not to go down a particular stairway. Got trapped in there the first time. Yes, you get out, but it's frustrating.
So I left the game at a spot I remember.
Getting around in here isn't easy either
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