Phantasmagoria 2: A Puzzle of Flesh

we watched Reservoir Dogs on laser disk and laughed at all the same parts

thank you gog

This game will troll you. Over, and over, and over, and over.

Apparently, Phantasmagoria 2 has become a vogue "bad game." However, one should be forewarned, that Phantasmagoria is not funny bad, it's not silly bad, and it's not entertainingly bad, it's just plain bad. It's boring, insipid, and the character performances are so droll as to be entirely boring. Boring. That's the word. I'm not going to grace this review with the name of the person who has popularized this unmitigated garbage (because he is a creep), but I will tell you this. This game is not in any, way, shape or form, enjoyable. The puzzles are moronic and obtuse, the dialogue between characters is mind-numbingly slow and pointless. Nothing of consequence really happens, and the characters seemingly exist apart from the personalities, slave to the plot and whatever insane notion came to the writer's head at the time. This game is dreck, and not in the good way. Go watch The Room again, something, anything, other than this.

As a movie this would make for an average afternoons entertainment - as a game this is a shameless clickfest of hotspots with the occasional puzzle to advance the meandering plot. Repeatedly clicking on characters to watch the next FMV instalment is a test of stamina. The cast are also a moody bunch, taking the hump after Curtis has already apologised for some slight, or moping over the murder of a colleague before cheerfully announcing that they're off to enjoy the latest instalment of their social life. With an inventory which is more to do with show & tell the most baffling puzzle is why Curtis' office colleagues don't punch his lights out when shown the next picture from his photo album which he insists on carrying around with him. Still, it's all here. Evil corporations, an S&M club, grisly murders, a secretive boss, a haunted past and a tormented protagonist coming to terms with his own amnesia and emotional upheavel (yes, you get to sit through therapy) topped off with the most well trained rat in the world. Gold star for the horrific visions, the worst being the game accurately replicating my morning at the office just before the supernatural plotline kicks in.