Scratches 3: Playing on Halloween

Well I had to play a little bit of this horror game on Halloween! Didn't play long though. Yep. Too scary, even though nothing's happened yet. 

I got the two items I'd missed earlier and did more exploring. That's the scary part--going into new rooms when you don't know what might jump out at you. Now, of course I know nothing's going to jump out at me this early in the game, but the atmosphere is just creepy enough to be worrying. I must assume that our author is writing horror, or he wouldn't want to work in this setting. Alone.

I explored upstairs, including the tower. In that I was able to open a window. Then I found a door that I ought to be able to unlock. I have the tool I need to poke the key out of the lock on the other side of the door, but apparently the piece of paper I've already got in my inventory doesn't work there. Maybe I can pick up another piece of paper from my desk in the blue bedroom. 

I also found a room with a sort of camp stove in it. It's quite apparent that's what the matches work on, but it's too early to fire the thing up. When I tried to light it, the dialogue said I didn't have anything to burn yet. 

Messy rooms upstairs, left in mid-construction decades ago. Really depressing. Might as well be in a Carol Reed game, without the sunshine. Of course, it all adds to the atmosphere in this game.

I wandered around outside and found the greenhouse, the chapel and the crypt, all locked. No doubt I'll be able to get into all of them eventually (I seem to remember that the greenhouse is important). That appears to be the extent of the grounds, although the video WT also located a garage. I did find that earlier, so I'll have to explore that next time.

No screenshots on this post, because the WT hasn't gone to the places I went tonight. I've still barely begun the game. I think the next task is going to be trying to get into that third-floor room. 

I do remember bits of this place, especially the rooms upstairs. However, I can't remember even a little bit of the story, so this really is like playing for the first time. 

See? Adventures most certainly are replayable! 

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Scratches 2: Setting the Stage

Just did a bit of exploring in the house, and got into the reading. There's alotta reading in this game. That is one of the things that I don't usually mind (well, it sure ain't literature) but puts many people off adventure games. Really slows down the action, having to spend 15 minutes reading somebody's decades-old journal, which generally is written in teensy handwriting that is difficult to decipher in the first place.

I gotta say, though, that even though I played this game years ago, I can't remember it at all. Yeah, some of the stuff looks familiar, but so far it's like a new game to me. I open doors worried that something might jump out at me. I do not want to go into the dark alone.

I have pretty much roamed the house. I've been upstairs (except the third floor) and looked in all the bedrooms, one of which is mine. I've found objects, such as matches and a stethoscope and a rag and a pen, plus telephone numbers that were in my own luggage. OK.

And I have read and read an read. Here's what I mean about a long journal:

Difficult to read and goes on for pages and pages

So I know that one of the previous inhabitants went to South Africa and encountered a mysterious tribe that literally tore one of its own people apart in some sort of ceremony involving masks.

Plus, I have found a room full of African artifacts, including three masks. Ooooo. There was intimidating African-sounding music in that room. Don't have a screenshot just yet because it hasn't come up in the YouTube walkthrough I'm using for screenshots (I've learned that I missed getting a couple of useful items from that walkthrough. Have to go back next time and fetch 'em.)

The rest of the place just looks awfully run down. The wallpaper in "my" bedroom is really awful (yes, even worse than the stuff Carol Reed put up in her living room). One wonders how anyone could sleep in it, except that at least it's blue. 

Could anyone really sleep in here?

One fun thing in the reading was the back cover of the book the main character (us) has written. He's at this place trying to finish his second book. The write-up on on the back of the bestselling first book is all about Fetch Rock. I love it when games make these little references to other games. Jonathan Boakes does a voiceover in this game, which was released a couple of years after the release of his second Darkfall game about the lighthouse on Fetch Rock. Nice.

A reference to Darkfall 2: Lights Out

So I also explored the kitchen (wherein I missed getting a necessary knife). But I found the servant's room with the camera equipment, and the door to the basement. Of course, we know that, as in all horror games, we're really going to get into the horror in the basement. We know that because the door to the basement is currently locked:

Locked. Of course it is.

I went outside for a bit but decided to stick to the house for the present. I'll go outside and look around when I find a reason to do it.  Next time I have to go get those two items I missed (one in the study and the knife in the kitchen), and take a look at the third floor. Maybe I'll call "Jerry" again too, or perhaps my secretary, as I have their numbers now.

So I'm set up to go! Next session ought to get me into the real Act One of the game. 

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Scratches 1: Trying the Director's Cut

I got the Director's Cut of this on GOG recently for about two bucks during one of their major sales. I have the original CD version of the game and played it when it came out. I remember enjoying it, but didn't think it was as good as many old adventure players remember it today. This one ought to have more content, so we'll see. The original game was released in 2006, and I'm pretty sure I played it when it was new. So that's eight years ago.

Hey! It has Jonathan Boakes doing a voiceover! In fact, he's "Jerry," who will be calling us from time to time. Second billing! Not bad!

I cannot understand why, but the game won't let me take screenshots. That is completely weird, and issue I've never before encountered. I can get around it by grabbing shots from YouTube walkthroughs, but it will take a bit of extra effort. The video I like has got text all along the top, so I'll have to crop those shots. The other major difficulty is that the game controls use a large hand icon right in the middle of the freaking screen. So, unless it's a close-up, I'll either have to have the hand in my shot or only post close-ups here. It is a very weird issue.

So here's the mansion as we drive up for the first scene (this shot is from the lead-in movie, so there's no hand icon:

A bit fuzzy from the video, but there it is.

Now I normally like to look all around, but I thought I'd just go ahead and plow into this game, so I used one of the two keys I have on the front door, and in I went! 

The very first thing that happens is the phone ringing. It's Jonathan Boakes playing Jerry, the real estate agent who put us into this place. As so often in first-person adventures, the phone close-up is just the receiver floating in the air. 

Talking to Jonathan. Nice phone!

I left off there, just having started the game. Note that this game will take me longer to play and post about, because I have a Kirkus book crush this week. However, after having really gotten back into playing and blogging recently, I wanted to continue. So I chose my next game (this one), and started!

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Dracula Orgins 6: Well that was . . . Different

Actually Dracula is better looking than the above kitty cat, but that pic seemed relevant to the game.

I didn't even try to figure out the stupid complex puzzle. Honestly, I don't know how anyone is supposed to figure that out. So I just found out the method you have to use. The puzzle appears to be randomized but it's easy once you know how it works.

After that I faced two more ridiculously obscure puzzles. One is a math puzzle that yields the number to a combination lock, and the next wants you to apply the clue that I did find on my own, and figured out on my own, except that the clue is so obscure it would take a freaking miracle to get the thing right. Hint: the clue only applies to the middle of the puzzle. With that information you might be able to get it, but the puzzle still has too many moving parts to make the thing work with just the one obscure clue that you get inside the game.

OK. Quibbles. Those three puzzles are too obscure. The rest of the stuff was fun. Here, for example, is the crypt, in which we have things to do and to collect:

Clues are here

After this we get to the great hall, which has lots of interesting stuff in it, but again, the clues here are so darned obscure that I honestly cannot understand how the game designers expected anybody to figure it out. Nice room, though:

Nice room. Big.

Once we get through the puzzles, we can get into Dracula's real lair, where we'll find more good stuff. And it's kinda red, too, like the bedroom in London:

More good stuff in here

And now we get to the endgame! Once you get in, you have everything you need to solve it. Just hunt around, not forgetting to use the space bar, and the endgame gives you a really nice cutscene.

But wait. There's another cutscene just after that. Yes, you won the game, but the final ending may not be what you expect! I really liked that! Intriguing and . . . different.

So, except for a few too-obscure puzzles with not enough clues (that difficulty could have been alleviated by giving us more clues), this was a really immersive puzzle adventure game. Good story, well executed, excellent artwork, fine voice acting, for the most part very good puzzles, and even some unexpected humor.

It was good! Well worth the time. Just be sure you have a good walkthrough available, unless you enjoy frustration. Yeah, Dracula done quite well indeed. I had lotsa fun!

Dracula Origins 5: Into the Castle Depths

Ooooh! I have made it to the final portion of the game, obviously. Got to Transylvania, and am dealing with the rather nasty inhabitants there. But first, I had to finish the Vienna section.

The only comfortable room in the game. Nice fire too!

Good puzzles in Vienna! With one simple hint I was able to figure out the chemistry puzzle, which leads to a combination puzzle, which leads to the key to the door and an item. That gets us into the library.

Once in the library (which is quite nice, actually), I had to figure out how to open the secret passage into the forbidden monastery. There I hope to find the ancient but still-living monk who can read the even more ancient document I found in the evil tomb in Egypt.

The Library. Very nice.

First, I have to fine a bunch of wooden bats (or are they angels?) that fit into a pattern. The puzzle gives you about half of them, including the one we found with the key. Yes, they all have to be in that library, because it's the only location to which we have access. So they're all there. Naturally, there will be some we can just pick up, and some we have to extract from hidden places. I managed to get all of them except the last. But it had to be there. There was only one place in the library that I hadn't been able to do anything with or to. So I picked a likely inventory item and poked around with it in that place. Voila! There was the bat (or angel--it's hard to tell the difference in real life too!).

So I made it into the monastery, and pretty easily opened the desk, revealing another nifty logic puzzle that kinda looks like the one on the front door of The 7th Guest. Sadly, no, it doesn't work like that. I'm going to confess that this one stumped me. I kept winding up with two dots I couldn't access. Yes, I decided not to be frustrated and got the solution from the WT. Even after that I still couldn't figure out the secret to the thing.

However, I zoomed through the rest of the puzzles quite nicely! It was really just a matter of searching for inventory items, sometimes combining them inside the inventory screen (that, it turns out, is the real secret to this game). There is some serious violence I really didn't expect in this game. We are confronted by a mad monk, and the solution turns out to burn the guy alive. Really. There's a cutscene. I will not include a screenshot of that.

Then we find a satanic mass going on there in the monastery, with the poor good monk we've come to see imprisoned. I was able to figure that one out fairly easily, and then we got a nice cutscene traveling to Transylvania: 

I continue to be impressed with the artwork in this game

And we arrive in Transylvania! Of course we do! The introductory screen is very nice of the castle:

Nicly stormy. just as it should be!

First we arrive at the only inn available. Not very nice, but somewhat picturesque:

Puzzles in here too

There's a fairly nice set of puzzles here. First, we have to get into the stable. After that we have to find out how to stow away in the carriage that's obviously going to Dracula's castle. This involved a buncha steps. Trial and error solves it. Our reward is another nice cutscene:

Stowaway Van Helsing

There's yet another complicated, many-step puzzle in the castle stables. That one almost stumped me, but again, if you just keep hunting around you'll get it. One thing's for sure: if you can't leave an area, that means you've got everything you need there in that scene. It's just a matter of finding it all and putting it together in the right way.

So I did that. However, I have now run up against what initially looks like one of the most complicated puzzles I've ever encountered in any game. I am not in the mood. I will tackle it later.

That puzzle opens the door to the crypt, so it's pretty clear that I'm nearing the endgame. Yes, there's even more stuff in an adjacent large hall (where I encountered one of Dracula's vampire "brides," but I don't think she's going to threaten me very much.

I have to tackle that door puzzle. Tomorrow.

So far, an excellent puzzley adventure game! Great artwork, solid story, decent voices, really nice puzzles and clearly, not too short either! Although I may change my mind about the game if this puzzle is as bad as it initially looks.

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Dracula Origins 4: Playing with Crocodiles

Just did a little bit on the game today. I knew I was almost finished with Egypt (and found out that Vienna is the next location), so I decided to do that. I had this one major puzzle that was supposed to get to the mysterious document hidden in the evil tomb. 

The gold-weighing puzzle was just math. Then there was a puzzle to figure out which of the many little pyramids I'd picked up along the way were the correct ones. That wasn't tough once you played with the puzzle screen for a bit. Then we had to figure out in what order to place the pyramids (I'd already done the blood puzzle). After that the secret door opened, but I realized that there was more to do in the room, and figured out how to deal with the ancient boat on the far end of the tomb. 

Once we brave the dark doorway, we get a nice cutscene with a hungry crocodile:

This guy must really be hungry after millennia in this tomb!

After that I still wasn't done. I got by the croc, but then faced a black mist that Ven Helsing thought was a supernatural force stopping him. I tried every item in my inventory with no luck. OK, the WT. Turned out I need to modify an item before I could use it. I admit, there was a very obscure clue in the documentation, but I don't feel badly that I didn't suss it out.

From there I only had to talk to a couple more folks and I was automatically transported to Vienna. Yay! I had to go through the initial dialogue in the first scene there before I could save, but save I did, and put the game on the shelf until tomorrow.

I gotta say, this is a good game!

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Dracula Origins 3: Chasing the Evil

And there is plenty of studying to do in the game! Now that I'm in Egypt, naturally I'm encountering hieroglyphics, all of which must be deciphered. My only really impossible puzzle was deciphering the hieroglyphics. It shouldn't have been impossible, but they gave you about three obscure clues to a couple of dozen hieroglyphics, turning the puzzle in to trial and error. I finally went to the WT. I'd had enough. That's what WTs are for.

However, another trial and error puzzle was plenty of fun. This one involved moving dots around a screen in order to open the door to the thief's house. At first I couldn't figure out how to do anything at all (you click on the arrows, not the dots). It wasn't entirely straightforward, but it was eminently doable and I had fun with it.

The rest of it is just inventory stuff, for example, finding out what's made Mustapha's camels sick. Mustapha is a neat character who provides quite a bit of humor (not what you'd expect in a Dracula game).

Can you save Mustapha's sick camels?

All the rest of the stuff I haven't really found to be terribly difficult. There are a few more scavenger hunts once we get through that locked door to the thief's house. There is danger! Van Helsing gets trapped in the evil temple. He isn't all that worried about it though, and it was only about midway through the game (as I figured), so I just picked up the items available, combined stuff in the inventory, came up with the solution(s) and got out!

I did have one anxious moment in opening the door to the inner sanctum of the evil temple. The game gives you five of the six things you need to open the door. I was pretty darned sure which item was number six, but I couldn't get it to work. Had to go to Google for that, because neither WT I found gave the solution (you have to go through a two-step process on the inventory screen to make the item fit--then the game will give you the item).

Now I'm in the inner sanctum of the evil tomb!

Careful. Stuff in here is baaaaad!

I have all the items I need. I know that because this game doesn't let you proceed until you have everything. I've been picking up little pyramids.  I have gold dust and weights and a scale. I have already got the evil blood from under the evil altar. 

But I appear to be facing a math puzzle. I am not good a math. I will tackle that tomorrow.

Till then!

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Dracula Origins 2: Dealings in the Night--and Day

After dealing with another complex puzzle--and I figured it allllmost out all on my own--I have been just kinda zooming through the game.

Interesting. The game starts out with some really complex puzzles. I didn't mention the four angel puzzles in the graveyard, but they were really quite good, once you realized that you need to click on the stone inscriptions for your clues. Each one is different, but there's quite a nice animation with sound effects for them. 

Once I made it into Dracula's London house and cracked the safe I had to manufacture a wooden key to get into his lair. You bet I needed the WT for some of that. It just isn't straightforward. You need to remember that you saw a vise in the basement and go back there. The game does at least choose four tools that you'll need to make the key. Trial and error does a lot, but the final step is not readily apparent.

After that we get into the lair, which is nicely red:

Fortunately Drac's not home

There is a nifty puzzle in the bedroom. We have to figure out, through trial and error, how to open Dracula's own personal journal. Just by messing around with the hot spots on it I was able to get most of it. But I was left with five colored jewels. I knew where they went but not which order they went in. Tried and tried and finally just looked at the WT. I did quite a lot on that puzzle and mostly earned it.

However, it contains about 20 pages of Dracula's musings over the centuries, and the last several pages are written in cursive that is really difficult to read. No doubt you don't need to read this stuff to play the game, but it does provide the backstory.

After that we have an actual encounter with Dracula himself! Yay! Drac has, however, already attacked Mina. Here's a very nice shot of Van Helsing at Mina's place, then a nice close up of our resident monster:

I really like the art work here

A nice cutscene

Now I've made it to Cairo, Egypt, and rather easily solved a few puzzles there--collecting inventory items in the Museum and finding a cure for sick camels. And I've made it to the cursed tomb where I'm supposed to find important information--if I can survive!

Careful! We've been warned repeatedly about this place!

So this seemed like a nice place to stop for the night. I've been enjoying the puzzles. I don't know why they suddenly got so easy. No doubt the game will rectify that quite soon. But it was nice to just make a lot of quick progress.

Until tomorrow!

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Dracula Origin 1: Trying a New One for Me

Having finally finished playing, replaying and blogging the entire Carol Reed series, I noted that I had another game I'd never tackled on the XP side of my computer: Dracula Origin.

I had played Dracula Resurrection many years ago and had lots of fun with it (and, in fact, finished without getting a hint). This one clearly is not from that series, but made by a completely different company. It has generally good reviews from the ones I found, and I own it. Now seemed as good a time as any to play it. It came out in 2008. Yes, I manage to stay pretty well behind the times. It's point and click and that's what I like. So far the atmosphere is perfect. Here's Van Helsing in a nicely gloomy graveyard:

Complete with buzzing flies, too!

And ooooh, this one is far more complicated than Resurrection! We've got all the dialogue recorded (that turns out to be a really good thing, actually). We've got an inventory that likes to get a bit sticky (can't get rid of an item without multiple clicks). We do have to use the keyboard for two essential things: first, to access the main menu you have to hit "escape." With the complexity of this game, I find I'm doing that often.

But more than that, you really do need to hit the space bar to locate all the hot spots. This game is extremely finicky. You have to be exactly on the correct pixel to get the hit. Plus, the screens are quite busy, so you'll spend all day clicking on everything--and still missing hot spots--if you don't use the space bar. It even gives you clues on where to step so you get to see the other side of a room, or continue down a path, for example.

Lots of stuff to click here--don't take all day!

Puzzles! This is absolutely a puzzle game, and they're tending to be fairly complex so far. I just had a serious bit of trouble opening a safe in Dracula's London house. I figured it out--I found both spaces, used the correct item on both, and even figured out what to do with the information--but it still didn't work. I finally had to look at the WT. I had left out one step: I had to click on the information to enter it into my records book before the puzzle would work! Turned out I had it right--I was just missing that one step. As soon I a made the second click the safe opened. I already had all the little dials set correctly.

That's just a bit too finicky for my taste. These puzzles, as in all good adventures, don't come with directions either. So not only do you have to solve it, you have to figure out what you're supposed to do with it in the first place in order to solve it!

The game appears to be all from Van Helsing's viewpoint. He's our main character, and fortunately they got a decent voice actor for him. It's a pleasant voice with a touch of accent that fits the character nicely. I've only met a few other characters and they all seem to be at least adequate.

Plus, the artwork is really good. These is a complicated game with complicated puzzles and has complicated scenery. I'm really enjoying that aspect of it.

Is that blood on the floor?

So this looks good! A full-blown adventure game with major puzzles to crack. I have no doubt I'll be needing the WT from time to time. I'm quite happy about my puzzle-solving ability so far, but I admit to getting a few hints to get me started. Now that I have a better feel for the game I might need fewer of those. 

We'll see!

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Time Stand Still 2: Missing Siblings

At last I can finish writing up this game, and thereby finally finished my Carol Reed collection on this blog! Missing siblings come into the plot, which is really rather a good one that delves into hidden history (and hidden rooms).

(Although I still don't see what the artwork has to do with it. Perhaps it's part of an original plot that they cut?)

Nevertheless, this is still my favorite Carol Reed game. I like the house, I like the puzzles, and we get to see more of Jonas in this game than in any other! Carol makes sure that she asks him for permission to borrow an inventory item. She has her moral code!

Jonas gets personal!

I'm quite proud. I was able to figure out the music puzzle on my own. Those not musically inclined can use the puzzle bypass option available in this game. I also again enjoyed the pocket watch puzzle. 

This puzzle takes some searching to find the clue, but you'll recognize it when you find it:

What do we do with these letters?

I'm pretty sure that this is the only game in this series with a cat, although it doesn't look happy:

Look closely or you'll miss it

I should say that the title of the game is grammatically correct. It's an imperative (the author is telling time to stop!) that comes from a sweet little love poem you'll find in the game.

Also, this is the last game in the series that features the lovely watercolor effects that they Nyqvists did with shots of their scenery. I understand why they stopped. The town is very nice to look at without any enhancement. Still, it's a good effect:

Click to embiggen

Of course, "Bigge" shows up for comic relief, as always:

This might be the "most" we ever see of Bigge. (He is wearing pants)

And we have to traipse through the countryside to solve the mystery:

Watch where you're going

And if the mystery gets solved a bit too easily, so what? I certainly had fun (again!). Be sure to read the final newspaper article you find to "solve" the haunted house mystery too. That solution only gets a brief mention, but it's there.

So at last I have completed my Carol Reed collection! There's a new one every year, so I'll look forward to the next.

Try these! They are fun--and not easy either.

Time Stand Still 1: My Favorite Carol Reed Adventure

(First, my thanks to Cindy Pondillo for giving me a coupon that allowed me to get this game. I thought I had it, but apparently not. This was one I lost in an early computer crash. So glad to have it again! Cindy is the designer of Intrigue at Oakhaven Plantation and Haunting at Cliffhouse, both blogged and Cliffhouse reviewed, on the right. Anyone who enjoys Carol Reed games would enjoy Oakhaven and Cliffhouse too! Buy 'em on those links. More than worth the money for the fun you will have!)

Right. So I have to complete my Carol Reed collection on the blog. This one and East Side Story have been missing for far too long. Just finished blogging East Side Story, so the obvious next step is Time Stand Still, which introduced me to Carol Reed in the first place. 

I guess that's why, when I think of Carol Reed mysteries, I think of this game. When I was reviewing for the Four Fat Chicks adventure game website (as it was then) one of the other reviewers sent me the first three games. I played Remedy and Hope Springs Eternal, but those were just to introduce me to the series. My review was for this game (you will find a link to the review to the right). Either I paid more attention to it, or I enjoyed it more, but for whatever reason, this game sticks in my mind. 

Of course, there was the lovely scenery:

And there was meeting Jonas again (and it's in this game that he makes some advances).

Jonas gives us a puzzle: put labels on herb plants. I remember that I had a devil of a time with that puzzle the first time I played, but since there I've been growing my own herbs, so I knew what three of 'em look like! That narrows down the guesswork from six to three. Jonas then gives you cards with pictures, and from those I was easily able to get those last three right. 

The case this time involves a supposedly haunted house. Here's the house, which looks rather nice from the outside:

Inside we find this drawer to open, and hey, there's an informative article that sends us to a new locations, and behind it, a puzzle that the new location will give us the ability to solve. I eliminated some serious frustration this time by (having re-read my original review of this game) taking note of some shapes that we find in that new location. And bingo! The puzzle is a cinch to solve. However, new players will either have to remember those shapes and make the connection, then go back to find the clue, or read my blog here and take a note. Save time. Take the note.

I have always remembered the fantastic bathroom that is on the second floor of the house. It not only has that shower stall and sauna (yes, that's a sauna on the back right), but it has a seating area and great bathtub to the right. Ever since then I have coveted that bathroom. Sigh.

However, having solved the puzzle, met Jonas, labeled the herbs and admired the bathroom, I decided to quit for the night. Ought to be able to finish tomorrow without too much trouble.

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Moebius Review

I admit it. I have yet to be disappointed in a Jane Jensen game. This one looks to be the start of a series. Super!

Several things set Jensen apart from other game developers. First, her stories drive everything in her games, including the puzzles. Second, she sticks to her own in-game systems with points, which adds an element for players who want a bit more of a challenge. Third, her characters, even the heroes, have real flaws. For example, in her classic Gabriel Knight games, Gabriel is a lovable rogue, but a rogue nonetheless. We wouldn't want to see his assistant Grace end up with him. Fun though Gabriel is, Grace deserves better.

Story and Characters

In Moebius we have another complex and intriguing storyline, and, again, with two characters to play. Although David only gets a few scenes If the series continues David clearly is going to be the sidekick, and a good one too, with completely different skills than Malachi. We have a hint of the supernatural, as always, although much of this sticks to reality until Malachi starts to have his visions. Where is the game taking us? 

With Malachi's character Jensen takes some risks. This guy comes across as only barely likable much of the time. He's arrogant, snobbish, and frequently rude. It's possible, players, that he may change his ways a bit. Be sure not to miss the cartoon at the beginning (you have to click on the link deliberately to access it). It provides some necessary background for Malachi. However, Malachi's major characteristics are his brilliant mind and his willingness to take risks, and we're willing to follow him because we know we're going to win with him somehow. Once David comes into the picture as a far more likable character the game gains quite a bit. Now we can really root for our heroes.

Gameplay

A warning: this game gets into serious history in the character analyses sections. Malachi is so smart that he can analyze people merely by looking at them. He spots telltale clues, and you the player have to interpret those to Malachi's satisfaction (fairly easy multiple choice with some humor thrown in). The plot of the game revolves around discovering which characters actually are reincarnations of historical figures, and what those characters will do to alter the future. Those puzzles require quite a bit of on-screen reading. I enjoyed them, but they are complex and not easily solved. It was a feature I've never before seen in a game. Quite an innovation, but not to the taste of all players, I would assume.

Jensen's usual point system is still there, but seems less emphasized this time. Players who care about that can check their progress, but you can ignore it if you want. The puzzles remain inventory based, and that's just fine with me, but they can become fairly complex. Often you really have to think how something would work in order to solve it--such as the darts game sequence in Cairo. I don't mind having to go back to a scene to get an item because to me that's more realistic, but I will admit that having to return to New York from Washington D.C. just to fetch one common item indeed was a bit of a stretch.

Fortunately, Jensen has improved her inventory system massively since Gray Matter. That one had a serious learning curve that involved steps to make items active before you could use them. This one is far more intuitive. Grab and go, as it should be.

The Look of It

Scenery throughout the game, while sometimes cartoonish, looks very nice. Jensen has always relied on a graphic novel approach, and she sticks to it here. 

I lamented in my blog entries that this game would have worked extremely well in full-motion video. Jensen was almost the only game developer who did that really effectively back in the 1990s, with her classic Gabriel Knight 2: The Beast Within. No doubt it's far too expensive to use now, but the cartoon characters just don't come across as believable this time. David is fine, but Malachi doesn't look at all realistic in many scenes. I would imagine that's also a function of budget. Too bad it had to happen with the main character though.

That quibble, however, is about the only real criticism I have of this game. As always it was absorbing, challenging and excellent entertainment all the way through. 

Real Adventuring is Back!

OK, it isn't going to be for everyone, certainly not shooter fans. This is a point and click adventure game in the classic mode--the mode we adventure fans crave. Thankfully, good, absorbing adventures like this are still coming out. If you're an adventure fan you absolutely will not want to miss it. At only about half the length of the Gabriel Knight games but longer than Gray Matter, it's well worth your money and your time.

Jane Jensen still rules. She's got major competition, thankfully, but for adventure fans, missing one of her games just isn't in the cards.

Go for it!

East Side Story 3: I Did Some Bad Things . . .

So I confess it. I had to consult the WT numerous times in order to finish the game--even once for a puzzle (gasp!). My justification, as always, is that I was only doing a replay for this blog and I wanted to get it actually done before embarking on other things.

So yes. I followed the verdamnten walkthrough. I have to say that of all ten Carol Reed games so far, this one is the most complicated. And it's without a hint system! It's also kind of the most nasty mystery. Plus, in this one you can get killed by the villain if you don't move quickly enough. In fact, the required move is so quick that you'll probably get killed several times before you get it right. In later games Mikael made the villain confrontation much much easier--basically you can just keep trying inventory items on the bad guy forever--the villain will just stand there being threatening until you bash him with the right thing. But this guy will get 'ya until you figure out the right move and then make that move immediately.

Bigge shows up! (Bigge is the name of the guy "playing" this recurring character--the voice is done by Gareth Williams.) 

Always the comic relief

But golly, we've got to roam around the derelict factory almost forever before figuring out how to get in--and how to get out. Then we have to go back there for just one more inventory item, but at least there's a clue for that. No clue to just where it is, though. Keep looking.

In this game we sometimes don't get an icon to pick up items we'll need later. First, we have to find the need for the item, remember where we saw it, and go back for the thing. Again, while that is more realistic, it adds yet another layer of complexity to the game. Really, this thing would take weeks to figure out. Maybe I did spend that much time with it when I first played it--can't remember.

However, for the first time, the game lets you pretty much figure out the mystery before it unloads all the explanation. And it has a couple more game jokes. First there's this building. Look at the signs on the left side. They're all famous game developers. Then we find a disk in an office with a label that fans will recognize.

Click to embiggen

So those are fun.

But yes, in my faulty memory, this is the most complex game in the series. Much longer than the first three, so that fulfills a wish. An awful lot of time is spent in unlovely run-down places such as the factory and the tunnels though, and searching for illusive things within a tiny circle of moving light--things you don't even know are there. Hitting every possible node just becomes essential for any chance at finishing the game. I imagine many players became frustrated with this one.

And the games did get easier after this. Still, the most challenging Carol Reed game manages to keep attention absorbed (if you can keep from throwing the computer across the room) and provides a great deal of entertainment. It's a decent story too.

So I challenge you to try this game without a walkthrough. You can do it. Just don't expect to do it in one sitting.

Have fun!