Shadowgate 2014 is a re-imagined homage to an old classic. That means that developer Zojoi sought to respect the source material, but add some modern flare. For the most part, they did a great job. For a fresh pair of eyes, Shadowgate offers a 1st-person Point & Click Adventure with the ability to interact with lots of objects. For fans of the original, many of the iconic scenes will be familiar, but slightly modified. I like that some puzzles and items have more of an explanation behind them, vs the original. I like that there are a bunch of new puzzles that keep a similar vibe. I also like that there are a number of options at your disposal: toggle new orchestrated soundtrack vs. classic chiptunes, toggle classic transition screens, toggle classic descriptions. Zojoi understood what made Shadowgate good the first time around, and kept the same spirit for this reimagining. What doesn't work so well is that the UI remains clunky. Simple tasks can take a bunch of clicks, but I presume some fans may not want it any other way. As you get used to the key shortcuts, it does get a little better, but it's still clunky. The addition of story elements in the form of cutscenes also doesn't work that well. The art and acting is fine, but I found the writing to be dull and didn't care to follow it. And the whole thing does seem overpriced at the $20/$30 asking price. That being said, Shadowgate has a lot to offer as a point-and-click. It's got puzzles. It's got enemies, that you have to figure out how to get around. It's got more items than you know what to do with. But most of all, the best thing is that once you've finished the game, the other difficulties mix it all up again. You'll encounter NEW puzzles. NEW enemies. Even NEW locales! Although imperfect, it's about all I could ask for.
Here's a CLASSIC run-and-gun game where getting hit once means death. Except there's a little REWIND button that transforms it from an old-school homage to a next generation title. REWIND lets you go back in time and add a layer of gun-play at virtually any point. *That means instead of having your 1st character run through the stage, you layer on top your 2nd character's run. * That means you can be at two places at one time. * That means you're fighting enemies with essentially 2 characters' worth of firepower. * That means if you died with your 1st character, you could potentially save your 1st character from death by using the 2nd to kill off the enemy before they touch the 1st character. Successful saves allow you to merge your two characters into one mega character with merged weapons and the ability to take more hits. * That means you can layer a 3rd character and a 4th and a 5th and a 6th, etc on top of the other runs. It is fast, frenetic, and challenging as a run-n-gun. But it's also ingenious, and tests your wits with its puzzle-like layering. Add in a dash of humor, and the ability to replay stages for better runs, and you've got a completely fresh take on an old genre.
Loved it. FRACT OSC is an exploration puzzle game, in a mechanical alien world and a brooding synthesizer backdrop. Here's what makes it brilliant: * It doesn't hand-hold you, and instead makes you observe both visually and aurally for cues. * The world is initially very lifeless and silent. As you progress and complete puzzles, the world changes and crescendos with neon flashing lights and thumping music, delivering a satisfying reward to your solutions. * Progressing through the game also unlocks different abilities of a Music Studio Sequencer, which is also included in the game. You can create, export and import music through it, which is a pretty cool intro to electronic music creation. Phosfiend Systems aimed for a certain kind of package with FRACT OSC, and it may not click with everyone. But if you love exploration, logic puzzles and music, there is nothing else like this. FRACT OSC is a reminder that even in a saturated market of me-too games, there are some developers who can hit the high notes. Bravo, Phosfiend Systems.
