If you've played the Rusty Lake trilogy and liked them, go to their website and play the (free) Cube Escape games. It's not mandatory, but that way you 're gonna be drawn even further into the Rusty Lake mythos, and you'll enjoy this game even more.
If you like creepy 1st person adventures with supernatural elements and a bit of reading for background story, you 'll be right at the sweet spot with this! More specific, if you've played Scratches or any of the Jonathan Boakes/Darkling Room titles (Dark Fall series, The Lost Crown) and liked them, go for it, by all means! As always, playing with the lights out and headphones on is strongly recommended to level up the creepiness.
I had such a great time with this bundle! Memorable to say the least! Memorable characters, memorable story, and memorable locations. The fact that some characters and locations are taken from real life makes this even more interesting! Especially Joe Gould and the bar he used to frequent, the Minetta Tavern, which is now on my bucket list. The voice acting, though not on a Mark Hamill level, is well beyond average, and after some getting used to, it became one with the overall feeling of the game. Watch the trailer and judge for yourself. The writing of the plot and the characters was so impactful that I cared even for many of the minor characters, despite the sound recording problems mentioned in the commentary, and that's saying a lot. We are playing with two protagonists, one ghost and one living. The ghost can do some things the living can't, and vice versa. An interesting dynamic to say the least. Joey Mallone, the ghost from the 1930s is present in all games/chapters, as one of the two protagonists. The living one is mostly Rosa Blackwell. In the second game/chapter we are playing with a different person from the Blackwell family. Initially I didn't want to leave Rosa, having been acquainted to her throughout the fist game, and then I I didn't want to leave the other character and return to Rosa. THAT's how good the characters are written. If you begin to play this and you like it from the first chapter, you're in for a ride, as it keeps getting better and better! Therefore I strongly suggest that you grab the final chapter (the Blackwell Epiphany, which is sold separately) whenever there is a discount, even if you are not yet finished with this bundle. You won't regret it!
I enjoyed the Runaway series more than the Broken Sword series. There, I said it! Because let's face it, if you are going to compare Runaway with another game, that would be Broken sword. And while the Broken Sword series started with a bang, they felt to be going lower with each release, while Runaway kept the bar on pretty much the same level throughout the trilogy. Mind you that, although a trilogy, they are three complete games, meaning there are no cliffhanger endings here, just three adventures with the same protagonists in the same universe. If I had to name the weaker of the three I would say the second (Dream of the turtle). It's plot does tend to be a bit all over the place, but the title alone should prepare you for that. But man, what a cinematic adventure feeling each title has! Gangsters, conspirators, money hunts, flamboyant characters, travels, exploration, twists, all wackiness is there for our entertainment! The graphics speak for themselves through the images and trailers, and the voice overs and music are well above average. In conclusion, play the first (wait for a discount if need be), and if you like what you get, proceed to the rest without fear!
I enjoyed the Runaway series more than the Broken Sword series. There, I said it! Because let's face it, if you are going to compare Runaway with another game, that would be Broken sword. And while the Broken Sword series started with a bang, they felt to be going lower with each release, while Runaway kept the bar on pretty much the same level throughout the trilogy. Mind you that, although a trilogy, they are three complete games, meaning there are no cliffhanger endings here, just three adventures with the same protagonists in the same universe. If I had to name the weaker of the three I would say the second (Dream of the turtle). It's plot does tend to be a bit all over the place, but the title alone should prepare you for that. But man, what a cinematic adventure feeling each title has! Gangsters, conspirators, money hunts, flamboyant characters, travels, exploration, twists, all wackiness is there for our entertainment! The graphics speak for themselves through the images and trailers, and the voice overs and music are well above average. In conclusion, play the first (wait for a discount if need be), and if you like what you get, proceed to the rest without fear!
