Really enjoyed this game. The idea is that you have access to video clips of police interrogations ranging from a few seconds to a few minutes, searchable via words in their transcripts. One clip will have some keywords that you want to explore more, so you search for them to unlock new clips, and so on. There is a great sense of adventure unlocking this mystery, and the presentation is original. It's not that long (I wish it had been longer!!) and there is no replay-ability, so probably I'd wait for this to go on sale. Overall I completely recommend this game and I hope we see more games like it in the future, games that experiment with new ways of telling stories.
I played this after playing through the masterpiece known as The Cat Lady, hoping for more powerful storytelling. I was definitely not disappointed. This is a fantastic adventure game with good writing and difficult but not too difficult puzzles. Basically, it was right up my alley. The gore is fairly disturbing in some sequences, but I think that some of the things the game makes you do only adds to the thrill and the emotional captivity that the game entraps you with. I think overall I would give this a 3 1/2 stars because of three reasons. First, there is no voice acting, which, if you have played The Cat Lady, you will know how important that is. Second, the game is fairly short (you can play it in an afternoon). Third, I encountered a glitch halfway through that actually caused me to be unable to progress. Luckily I had a save that was not too far before that point and I was able to play through one particular section again, having no problems the second time. Overall, a very enjoyable and emotionally powerful experience with some scenes of incredible dramatic power.
This game is a true masterpiece, an immersive and emotional tour-de-force unlike anything I have ever played. I really cannot hope to explain in this short review how important it is and how much it meant to me. You play as Susan Ashworth, the cat lady, a lonely middle-aged woman who has just attempted suicide. Through her nine lives she struggles with the dark memories of her past and struggles to cope with the seeming endless darkness of the present. At times it seems too much, but somehow she finds the will to carry on just one more second, just one more minute, while she tries to find meaning in life again. It's a work for the ages, with story telling and voice acting that's almost without comparison. I can't remember the last time I've been so immersed in a game's story since I first played Myst in 1995. I hope you will give this game a try, because it is so worthy of greater attention.
I just finished this game and found it to be quite entertaining. Here are my main points: Pros: good atmosphere and great story. I was hooked from beginning to end. Cons: it took me awhile to figure out how the game wanted me to solve puzzles and how to proceed. I personally found it a bit difficult and had to resort to a guide, but your mileage may vary. Also, the game is not *that* long. If you want to play horror adventure games, I also recommend Penumbra: Overture and Penumbra: Black Plague. Both are part of one narrative and have a strong Lovecraftian theme. Overture is 4 stars and Black Plague is 5 stars.
A crowd gathers at the castle Schloss-Ritter. They inform Gabriel, the Schattenjagger, that a werewolf is on the loose. Will Gabriel suspend his disbelief and investigate the claim, and help the people of Munich from the clutches of an evil beast? This is a puzzle adventure game with FMV. It is massively entertaining, with not overly challenging puzzles and great acting. Playing as Gabriel and his sidekick Gracie, you interrogate individuals, collect clues, and unlock the secret behind the legends of the Black Wolf. If you are at all interested in adventure games I would recommend this. Minus 1 star because many of the side stories in the game were ignored at the ending, and some of the "puzzles" are just impossible to figure out without a guide. Like: click this 1-pixel square to get an item that is the same color as the background.
I re-played this title just last week, and I am happy to report that it is definitely still playable. Due to the FMVs, this game (like other FMV titles from this era like GK2: TBW) has aged well. The basic gist of the game play is that this evil fellow named Stauf has brought you to a mansion and you wander around and solve puzzles. Whenever you solve a puzzle you unlock new areas and new videos which provide some plot points. Here are some thoughts off the top of my head: * Because this is FMV, there are a lot of acted cutscenes, all of which are well-acted (imo). Their washed out, shaky quality looks good today and actually adds to the longevity factor of the game. * The main story is OK, but there are plot holes which I wish had been filled. * The puzzles are all quite memorable, although the difficulty varies widely; some puzzles can be solved on the first try in just a few clicks or by recognizing the logic, and others are just random and annoyingly frustrating (knight puzzle, stauf painting). I guess back in the 90s when there weren't decent games coming out on a regular basis, people had the time to figure these frustrating puzzles out, but frankly I can't be bothered. For a couple of them I just wrote computer programs to solve it (Stauf painting puzzle), or looked up the solution.
