Posted on: October 8, 2023
ShinobiSalad
Verified ownerGames: Reviews: 9
Cinematic but dated in gameplay
There's a lot to like about this game. It pays a lot of attention on mood, story, and the townsfolk of the cursed town Illsmouth. The main character, a photographer by the name of Parker, arrives in the town wanting to photograph a comet due to arrive in three days. From this, you come to realise that there is some kind of cult that is connected to the phenomena. You unravel the mystery of Illsmouth through interacting and combining objects, as well as talking to the somewhat odd locals. The great things about the game are immediately apparent when you play it. The story and how the mystery is unraveled is done very effectively. The depiction of the town and its people gives the impression that they are living and breathing in the environments. You often see characters walking past in the background, or some, perhaps, are casually spy on you... there is a sense of paranoia that is felt as you come to know the locals. The story and the representation of Cthulhu is atmospheric and often bombastic. You get to explore the forest, the town of Illsmouth, graveyards and crypts during the night. Visually it is strikingly portrayed, and you find that you'll want to keep playing in order to find out more about the occult and demons and whatnot. I would say that for a Dos game, it is a very aesthetic game. Problem arises through the dated gameplay. The interface and the ingame system is quite fiddly and sometimes glitchy. Instances where you can be trying to analyse an object in order to progress the game, but it doesn't register. Then there's the fact that the puzzles don't seem to have any logic to them... the solutions are actually very bizarre. I had to rely on a walkthrough to complete the game, and I suspect this might be a common thing. If you find you're more resistant to dated gaming systems and mechanics, then this could be for you. Underneath the awkward controls, there's a lot of cinematics and artistry here which I found enjoyable.
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