The creepy David Bowie soundtrack (with equally odd singing avatar music video) alone makes this game worth it. The graphics are quite outdated now, but I have massive nostalgia for this game. It was the first truly immersive game I ever played. It's atmospheric, weird, and often frustrating. The story makes no sense. Still, I loved it, and will replay.
I picked this up for 99 cents at the last Insomnia sale, and I wasn't convinced I would like it. In fact, I like it better than some games I've spent a lot more money on. It's just a fun little game. The controls are a bit awkward at times, but I found this game addictive. Once I started playing, I couldn't stop. It was like a sci-fi version of Super Mario Bros. The visuals were quite beautiful as well. A fun way to lose yourself for a few hours.
For a Myst fan, this game was tedious due to the need to always be in the right place at the right time. The effect is of feeling rushed. No chance to slowly explore the world--the train has a schedule, and if you don't do the right things at the right times, you end up dying and have to rewind and do entire sections of game over again until you get it right (a la Groundhog day). I didn't enjoyed the timed element, and would have rather solved the story elements at my own pace. The graphics are pretty, and the story interesting, but I ended up using walkthroughs because I was so frustrated with the timing element.
As far as point-and-click adventure goes, this had all the right kind of puzzles (challenging, with enough clues to figure them out with minimal or no outside help), and the characters/world was interesting, but for a game created in 2012 I found the movement/interface a bit clunky. In fact, when I bought this, my immediate impression was that this was an old game--maybe created in the 1990's. There isn't much freedom of movement, and while the artwork is beautiful, there aren't many things/objects to "interact" with other than the object needed to solve the puzzle. I liked the multiple endings, and it was a fun take on the post-apocalyptic scenario. It's definitely worth a buy if you want to lose a few hours, but I wouldn't say it's nearly as satisfying as other games out there.
I love classic adventure games (hence my constant lurking on GOG). I am a to-the-core Myst fan, but Tex Murphy also has a special place in my heart for the sheer, LOL-humor of it. It's detective noir that doesn't take itself too seriously (for the better, I think!). This game really worked for me. The puzzles were fun, just challenging enough (no pointless code-locked doors, puzzles with no clues, or a lack of clear direction--RHEM, I'm talking to you!). This game had me laughing all the way ("how about a little menage a trois?" *smack!*), and the story really sucked me in. It's the characters and the story that make Tex Murphy shine, and the FMV makes it feel like you're watching a movie. In many ways, it was like getting to walk around inside the Bladerunner movie. Chris Jones as Tex is fantastic, and while some of the other actors can be a little wooden, it's all in good fun. I especially love that you can solve the game all on your own without needing a walkthrough. I almost never had a "what the hell am I supposed to do next?" moment. If you like classic point-and-click adventure, this game is for you.
I had a great time playing this game. It had a creative world, an interesting story, and plenty of sub-quests to keep one busy for hours. My only real qualm is that most of the puzzles were a piece of cake for an avid adventure gamer. Most of the time, it was a simple case of collecting the right things and putting them in the right place. But if you want to lose a day or two in another world, this is the game for you.
This game isn't perfect. The "what to do next" part of the game isn't always clear, and I got stuck at one point when I couldn't figure out where I was supposed to go to cue the final end scene. It's also possible (and happened to me) to accidentally kill off all the plants you need to continue the game and have to start over from the beginning. That being said, I had fun playing this game, and I loved the story and the imagination behind it. I definitely got lost in this game for hours on end--in fact, I wish it had been even longer. I would play this game again, only because it's so much fun bioengineering stuff.
I should preface this by saying that I prefer games with a story. This was flat-out boring and the controls were not intuitive or user-friendly. It took me a very long time just to figure out what I was supposed to be doing or how to make things work. Once I did, I did not find the game stimulating at all, most likely due to the lack of characters. If you like chess or strategy games, I suppose this game would keep you going, but for me, it felt like I was just moving pieces around on a board with no real motivation to continue on. I played for an hour or two, then uninstalled.
