Downfall: Redux

"The Cat Lady" is easily one of the best point and click adventures I ever played- not only because of its immense atmosphere, but also because I loved the well-written plot and the deep characterization of its protagonists, the good soundtrack and its unique graphical style. Its predecessor "Downfall" didn't accomplish that brilliance: Although it was very intriguing, the plot became somewhat unfocused after a while and rushed through many horror cliches, leading to a rather disappointing ending. The characters were not written as good, too and also the puzzles felt somewhat random and did not make much sense at all. So what to expect of the remake? "Downfall Redux" feels just like an update- no more, no less. In fact it stayed very true to its original with some minor tweaks to the story to fit it in the canon of "The Cat Lady" more smoothly and added voice acting, overhauled graphics and new music. The soundtrack is fantastic and brings along haunting Dark Ambient, soft piano pieces and even a really cool Punktune. Characters and animations are much better now, while the mostly greyscale backgrounds of the haunted hotel could get a bit boring sometimes though. I did not like the voiceacting very much either- especially Joe's voice could not convince me. The puzzles are very much like in the original (which is not a plus). Biggest changes in storyline are that Agnes and her role have been slightly altered, while the Queen Of Maggots had a much more "Cat Lady"- like appearance (even with a cool "hush a candle" scene). The horror cliches were turned down a tasteful bit. And there's a cameo of Susan now, too. The endings are quite different and depend on the dialogue choices you made throughout the game. And wow, I LOVED the "buried alive" scene which was redone beautifully! So "Downfall Redux" is a good game after all- but it really doesn't play in the league of a "Cat Lady". If you can accept that you will have some fun for about 6 hours.

The strongest parts of the game are its visual style, story and music. Voice acting, especially in the prologue, is quite bad. If you can get used to the voice acting, this game offers a great experience for around 6 hours. If you've played the orignal Downfall or The Cat Lady, you'll definitely like this one.

A horror adventure game with a strong atmosphere and an artistic look on characters and their relationships. The visual style really accentuates the creepiness and the disgust that the game wants you to feel. Part of one of the strongest contemporary horror series around, this title does not let down. You come to care about the characters and about what the outcome will be for everyone, but these outcomes are where I believe the game falls short. Not in the "well this isn't what I wanted" way, but in the "seriously? These are the endings?" way. But that's my take, and I definitely encourage anyone reading this to try it out and come to their own conclusion!

If you're feeling blue, get this. Everything's arted in high resolution black and white with red things accentuated. Voice acting is top notch. Story presents itself without much puzzle-solving, but contrary to newer Telltale games, you' actually got an inventory and thus a few interaction possibilities, but it never goes in the way of the story. Also dialogues have meaning. It's a dark ride, but not without the possibility of salvation.