I cant believe the few reviews this game has are so glowing. Go check out steam, those reviews are more accurate. Long story short, it's buggy, poorly designed, and plays on your nostalgia to steal your money. This is a review and also a warning. Don't buy this game. This would be alright as free fanmade little game, but to charge money for this buggy, hack job, one-step above a pirate, game is criminal. This game really makes me wish GOG had a money-back policy regarding poor quality games... shovel-ware like this wouldn't survive at all. The Game itself: It IS classic River City Ransom, so there IS fun to be had... unfortunately it's the same fun you can have with the original so there's no need for this one. In fact this one adds bugs and design problems so stick with the old one. Bugs? Well, the move list is wrong on many occasions, leaving me to wonder what else could be improperly implemented... so the move I bought that does nothing, is it becaus eyou're telling me the wrong button combo, or because I literally just spent money on nothing? You'll never know!!! Don't try running TOO much, there are invisible walls all over just waiting for you to ram into. They seem most prevalent when the screen comes to a halt while scrolling, so you know... bug... what else... Poor design? They tried to improve upon the original stat-increasing system, and now there is NO stat window... you see messages saying that your Attack went up by 3... but you'll never know what your Attack or any other stat is. Or what the stats do. The enemy difficulty ramps in such a way that if you don't grind properly and in the right rhythm, you WILL be screwed and have a HARD time gaining levels for a while... and with SOOO many characters (that will be unlocked) you better not try swapping mid game, or the "newbie" will get his ass handed to him, you had to level him up back i the school when enemiess were easier, he doesn't stand a chance now! So they fixed a bunch of stuff that didn't need fixing, and ignored the things that did... little things, like running into a wall when your already touching it; money bouncing off screen; an obtuse system of just wandering everywhere trying to advance the story (they included a map and hint system, but it too is pretty buggy and doesn't update right half the time, and is NOT indicative of how River City is laid out actually with the connecting screens) And to top it all off, more than 50% off the time I start the game it forces me to play two player, with my gamepad controlling P2, so I have to move P1 around with the keyboard to scroll the screen. Needless to say that gets tiresome, and I just finished uninstalling the game, and am now warning you good GOG people NOT to waste your money on this game.
This is the granddaddy of what's known as "Survival Horror". If you enjoyed the original Resident Evil, then you should like this. The graphics may be a bit dated, but the game-play is rock solid. The game isn't big on Story, and there is NO character interaction. You are, after all, ALONE in the Dark! Basically, you find yourself in a house that is pure evil, and you just want out. It isn't that simple though, the house doesn't want to let you out. Sure the front door is right there, but just try opening those doors... make sure you save first! You'll need your wits to not only solve puzzles, but also to figure out what to do about the ghouls wandering the house. They can be killed by conventional means, but fighting a ghoul isn't easy, you're not some weapons trained SWAT officer or typical bad ass modern game star. Weapons are limited and of the few firearms you find, ammo is even more limited. Fighting is really a last resort in this game. As mentioned, there isn't really a story, just a goal; to get out alive! However, as you play you'll find documents and diaries explaining just why and how this mansion became a den of insanity. It's a nice alternative to a story, considering a story isn't needed. Not to repeat myself, but it's simplicity is it's strong point... just get out! Getting out alive is an accomplishment you'll relish, IF you can get out! As a bonus it come with AitD 2+3. These games are hidden away in the Free Goodies section, and even though they are fully fleshed out games, there ARE just a bonus to maybe kill an hour with. They don't hold a candle to the original game. They do continue the history of The Decerto House, but the game play is nowhere near as good or fun. The second game is more like Resident Evil with guns and weapons aplenty and combat is at the forefront, which might sound fun, but it's not. The third installment is even worse. If you clear the original, you might want to try these, but you'll quickly lose interest, I'm sure.
This game is a mixed bag, let's do some Pros and Cons. Pros. A well made game. It does what it does well. What it is, is much like a classic arcade game, but made for today's audience with beautiful graphics and sound. You aren't a space marine, world hero or bikini clad warrior maiden. I'm not sure what you are, but it doesn't matter. Whether it's a quick a coffee break or you wanna sink in an hour trying to beat your old score/time record, you'll should have fun when you play this. Cons. Sometimes it's TOO psychedelic, you lose track of what's going on or can't see what it is you want to see, and feel robbed of beating an old high score/time. As well, often, whether it's the psychedelia or not, you just button mash so to speak hoping to do SOMETHING because there is just TOO much going on at once to be able to focus. Maybe it's just me when it comes to the sensory overload, I'm sure some gamers go into a zen-like trance with a game like this and just play on instinct a-la KaBoom! or Breakout on the old VCS. Not a Bad Game, Not a Great Game. Certainly NOT worth $15, but if you get it on sale it'll make a nice replacement for Solitaire/Minesweeper (or bloody BeJeweled!) when you have some time to kill, plus it CAN get addictive, wanting to beat your previous score, definitely a "One More Try..." kind of game.
I remember reading about this game back when it was new and it seemed cool and even spawned a sequel. Seeing it here on GOG, I decided to see what I missed all those years ago. Big mistake. I don't understand WHY this game had or continues to get such glowing reviews. It may not be terrible, but it IS a waste of money. Allow me to explain. So what do you get for you money? FMV that needs no explanation. FMV from this era was grainy, noisy, and the actors, I don't know where they find them. Children's shows and silent movies don't over-act as much. The story? It's as "chilling" as a Goosebumps novel by R.L. Stine. If watching Scooby-Doo gives you the willies, then maybe this game will too. The game itself? It's just a pile of brain teasers. Which in and of itself isn't inherently bad. That is, if you are into brain teasers. And if you are, you can buy a book of them which will give you much more for your money than this game does. Or, do a Google search, hundreds can be had for free from various websites that are just waiting to stretch your brain. For free. And some of the puzzles are just too cryptic... They ARE logic puzzles, not like some old Graphic Adventure where you unlock a door with a rubber chicken, but they don't always tell you WHAT is happening, so before you can start solving the puzzle, the first puzzle is to figure out WHAT the puzzle is, if you follow me. Imagine I give you a Tangram puzzle and said "Solve it." You respond "What am I making, a square? rectangle? parallelogram? bird?" And I just stare blankly and repeat "Solve It." So you start randomly making things with it hoping eventually I say "Correct!" Not ALL the puzzles in this game are like that, but some are. If you like brain teasers, I guess you'll like this game, but as I said, brain teasers can be found all over the internet for free, and when you get stumped, you can move on to another one. In this game, when you get stumped you hit a dead end and realize you've wasted your money.
