If you're expecting Dark Fall 2, kill that expectation now. The only thing that ties the two games together is the appearance of a minor character from the first game. Other than that, there's no connection, not even in terms of genre. Dark Fall was a straight-forward ghost story -- paranormal happenings and the like. This one starts off like that in an abandoned lighthouse. The ambience is spooky and there's plenty of tension and thrills. You think you're in for another ghost story, another Dark Fall game. This expectation is fed through the use of the term "Dark Fall" by characters and writings during this beginning portion of the game as well, so it's easy to expect a struggle against a similar dark, spiritual entity yet again. However, this is soon derailed as the plot seems to jump tracks and begin to follow the course of a sci-fi adventure. What you first perceived as a tale of a haunted lighthouse ends up being a time traveling adventure with a confusing and abrupt ending. In fact, the entire plot causes more confusion than resolution. It's hard to put the pieces together and determine what was paranormal and what wasn't, or if anything was in the first place. You're only left with questions of "how?" and "why?" It's sorely disappointing, and the jump from ghost story to science fiction is the reason why I wouldn't label it Dark Fall 2. However, the artwork and sound design are still fantastic, following the high standards that the first Dark Fall set. It's very engaging to view and interact with items from the early 20th Century, and all the rooms are laid out in a pleasant manner. Reading journals of the different characters and the other reading material encountered is engaging. Boakes certainly has a talent for characters and setting, and there was no disappointment here. In short, the atmosphere measures up and is immersive, but the sci-fi plot feels disjointed and gives no strong resolution in the end. I'm glad I played, but it was disappointing.
Here are a few of my takeaways. Notes, not really a review. Hopefully they help you in deciding whether to play. In terms of atmosphere, the game definitely had that. The environments looked good and the sounds were well done. Jonathan Boakes is credited for helping with the sounds too, and you can tell. As regards the "historical content" other reviewers mention, there were very little actual readings on real Celtic mythology or local history, so don't get your hopes up for being totally engaged like I did. Most of what is there in terms of Celtic myth is really neopagan drivel. On the game mechanics, it's par for the course regarding Myst-like games. However, the developer liked to put some very important items in the far lower corners of some screens, making them easily missed and downright invisible. This isn't fun or challenging. It's only frustrating. After I've solved the mystery and knew what I needed to do, I had to resort to a guide just to find a couple of the items I knew I needed. And sure enough, they were all located on the edges of the screen. Bad design. On the story, it's a little tense in the beginning, but once you find out what's actually going on, that all vanishes. One reviewer said that the game's monster was "lame". I found it laughable, and had a nice long chuckle when I got to see it in action on a security cam you get access to in the game. There is some intentional humor in the game too though, and in general I liked how the plot unfolded and was presented. The matter, however, is something else. In brief, the story revolves around a circle of standing stones, and rocks aren't scary. In sum, pacing is good, sound is good, environment and ambience are good, but if you're looking for a scare, look elsewhere. I'm glad I played it, but it was a let down from what I was expecting.
