I Have No Mouth And I Must Scream

I played this game when it came out - I still have the original packaging sitting here on my shelf. I debated whether to give this game 4 or 5 stars. On the one hand it is not as good as some of the very best adventure games, such as Gabriel Knight 1 and 2, or The Longest Journey. However I decided on the higher rating based on the strength of the source material and its uniqueness in being a well-done point and click adventure with decidedly adult themes and situations. When this game was announced I was in college and I had never heard of Harlan Ellison or this story. If you have not read it I strongly recommend you do so as it is fantastic - don't worry it won't spoil the game. For that reason alone I have positive feelings for this game as it introduced me to an author and his collection of work that I now very much enjoy. The great thing about the game is that it is not a simple retread of the original story (which is rather short and would not supply enough material for a game of this length). Rather, it delves deeper into the backgrounds and personalities of each individual character. Why did AM choose these particular people? What is it about their pasts or their personalities that he chooses to exploit against them? For those interested there was a fantastic article a while back in Game Informer about the making of this game, focusing on the writer and his collaboration with the notoriously difficult Ellison.

1. This game has MIDI music, but there is a way to replace it with high quality recordings of original tapes. To do this, you must use SCUMMVM, the DOSBOX version sold here on GOG doesn't have the option to swap music files. To get this game working under SCUMMVM, do as described in this post: https://www.gog.com/forum/i_have_no_mouth_and_i_must_scream/scummvm/post6 To get better music: https://www.gog.com/forum/i_have_no_mouth_and_i_must_scream/enhanced_soundtrack_ingame_howto 2. This game is sort of like an "interactive movie", only done in adventure game fashion. The focus is on the story and the characters. DO NOT follow a guide verbatim like people are suggesting in other reviews as it's very distracting and makes the story less surprising and enjoyable. Try to beat every character's scenario by yourself - some times you can get things wrong and die, or get to a point where you can't progress further. Save often and think carefully. Look at everything and talk to everyone, this often triggers events. And watch out for actions that lower your "spiritual barometer" (pay attention to changes to music and your char's portrait). 3. Only use a guide when you get stuck, or, if you really want to make sure you will get the best ending, look at your character's portrait at the end of every chapter. If its background gets white, you did everything the way you should. If it does not, then you can use the guide to check and replay the "correct" way. 4. The best ending can be unachievable when you make mistakes early in the game, and there are at least a couple of points where you can get stuck with no way to progress. However, those quickly become obvious. If you will need to start over, you will have to restart only one chapter, and you can get through it quickly when you know what to do and skip all the dialogue. You won't need to replay the whole game, don't worry. 5. Enjoy one of the most atmospheric and memorable games in the world.

Vastly Superior to it's Sequel: I Have No Nose and I Must Sneeze

Seriously. Yes there are some graphics violence and disturbing pictures, but the worse is the theme and script in this game. They are superb for its time and very adult in nature. A more or less classic point and click adventure game in a sci fi setting. You are among the last people in the world and you are being mind....tortured by an intelligence which you might as well call the ultimate evil remaining. Or is it? An easy to play but hard to master game with tough puzzles and not for those who don't have experience in hard adventure games. Unless of course you really want, who am I to stop you?