A brief interlude. Jonathan Boakes and Matt Clark are really truly working on finishing Blackenrock, the long-awaited sequel to The Lost Crown, my favorite game. They decided to release the first couple of hours of the game in beta form for free!
So I went back to Saxton today! This is the first time I've played a game in beta and there were glitches, but I have made it to what appears to be the end of the "demo," because I cannot go anywhere in Saxton except Harbour Cottage (on which Nigel owes rent he certainly can't pay). I can go to Saxton Shore and into the Fenland Eye, but not beyond that. However, there is a massive surprise inside the Fenland Eye! Whoa!
But I did two fun quests, which clearly were intended to get the new player used to the controls and gadgets. Got stuck at one point but managed to get myself out of it. The controls are the same as in Midnight Horror, and that's actually good. You really had to watch the cursor in TLC1 to see when it changed. This time it's larger, brighter, and much more clear. My only criticism is that when we pick a correct item from the inventory the item turns light blue instead of green, and the blue is far more difficult to see.
I do think that this sequel really doesn't stand alone. It assumes that you know the previous games. Perhaps I'm seeing that due to my experience with these games, but it really starts the day after Midnight Horror. It even references a several-minute long "game," called Halloween Haunting from 2013, now available as a YouTube video, in which Nigel and Lucy discover the word "Blackenrock" while using a Ouija board. The Darkfall games are standalone; The Lost Crown is a saga.
At the end of this demo we talk to Hadden, and he tells us something really super intriguing. Super intriguing.
The gameplay is a bit different. Nigel finally can run! If you double click you can advance to the next screen. There are a lot more cutscenes. We have conversations with people without interacting with the game at all, although we still have dialogue trees to click on when the game wants to give you choices. Fortunately, because this uses the old Wintermute engine, the mouse works correctly. No sensitivity issues of the type that plagued me in Ghost Vigil (which I mostly solved by turning down the video quality to medium) and Silent Night. EDIT: I completely solved my mouse issues by replacing my computer hard drive, which was failing. That's why I had mouse sensitivity--and controller--issues.
The game tells us where to use the audio recording and the camera, so we won't be missing any evidence. Plus, we carry our "case file" with us always, so all of our "evidence" is constantly available.
There is a brief action sequence! (Well, there is a brief action sequence in TLC1 too, of course.) This one is more exciting than the "fight" on the train tracks.
The "demo" is available for free form Shadow Tor Studios. I had to break down and finally configure my email on my PC laptop in order to get it. (I use the laptop just for games; my main computer is a Mac which cannot play this, but also could not download the link, which is transferrable via FB Messinger! Instead of a link you just get the download.) I think I'll just delete the account now that I've finished. (Which I did. That was easy!)
I was unable to take screenshots at all. I will have to wait till the game comes out on Steam for that. However, fun fact: there is a QR code on the Saxton Times in the case file. Scan it into your phone and you will get a marvelous result!
But it was so so so lovely to be back in Saxton! How wonderful! The game has exactly the same immersive feeling as the original. I am really looking forward to the full game! I suspect it will still take several months, but I believe it is moving forward!
Cannot wait!
