Recently I read the short story “I Have No Mouth, and I Must Scream”, this was an amazing and surprisingly short read. So seeing this turned into a video game had me wondering how they’d do it honestly, it’s really not much of a story that you can adapt. But to my surprise they managed it, and I really liked it.

If you’ve read the book then you already know it’s setting and story, but if not; this is set in post-apocalyptic world where the evil supercomputer, “AM”, has wiped out humanity except for 5 people who it decides to torment for eternity. As you go through the book you’ll notice how flawed these people are, and it’s certainly no different here. It’s even more in-your-face about their flaws, which isn’t always necessarily a bad thing though in my opinion.

The narrative is obviously masterfully crafted, delving into existential themes such as free will, identity and the nature of suffering. The writing is sharp and evocative, capturing the bleakness of the characters’ predicament while also offering glimmers of hope amidst the despair, personally I prefer the original story a tad bit more but the game still offers a near on par narrative in my opinion.

Visually, the game’s pixel art style has a gritty, dystopian feel that contemplates for it dark subject matter. The environments are atmospheric and immersive, from the decaying ruins of the world to the weird and twisted landscapes of the characters’ minds. This is the style I was looking for in a story like this and I personally think it succeeded in doing it.

However, the game is certainly not without its flaws, I do have some complaints unfortunately. Now I don’t think I’m inept, but some of the puzzles can be obtuse and frustratingly difficult leading to moments of trial and error that personally detracted from the overall experience.

Overall “I Have No Mouth, and I Must Scream” is a great adaptation and of an excellent story that definitely is a must-play. This is an amazing experience that challenges you to confront the darkest aspects of human nature. Its rich storytelling, complex characters, and philosophical depth make it a standout title in this genre, despite its age.

8.5/10

I Have No Mouth, and I Must Scream is a unique gem of a point-and-click adventure game. As an adaptation of the short story of the same name it uses the genre’s characteristic features - puzzle solving, slow paced gameplay and rich atmosphere - to tell a psychological horror story where the player must guide five characters through their own personal hell-like scenarios.

What makes it different gameplay-wise from other adventures is the fact that it was meant to be 'unwinnable'. In each character’s chapter you can fail at saving them from their mental torture, indicated by their psychological 'profile picture' on screen. Certain actions might worsen their condition, which makes the omni-present control of the antagonist that more terrifying. (You can re-try each chapter, though, and already completed ones stay that way.)

As someone who loves it when video games use the unique strengths of the medium to tell a story, I Have No Mouth, and I Must Scream does this in a really immersive way that connects the player with the characters to share their horror.

What the fuck is this masterpiece of a game? So brilliantly crafted with such intriguing characters and plot. This game was super interested all the way through.
The game itself though has aged poorly. I am rly annoyed that they punish you for looking at the hint book. If they just let you use the hints without ruining the health bar that would be far better since the puzzles are rly cryptic.

This would easily be a 5 star for me but I’m really mad about something. THE GLITCHES IN THIS GAME ARE FUCKING AWFUL. I encountered many pathing glitches where I would get stuck and literally reload the game. But the worst of them all? I played the entire game without voice acting….. I am genuinely so sad about it. When I started gorristers story AMs dialogue had voice. And then once it started everything went away. I’m so fucking mad about it. I went into the game knowing that there was gonna be good voice acting. And next thing I know I’m at the end playing it like a visual novel. I only found out how to fix it when I went to the settings and fucked with stuff. I no joke played the entire game unvoiced. I’m so sad.

This is my favorite fighting game in terms of "complete package" and the best too; it has the most epic arcade mode I've ever seen in any fighting game, and depending on your score during the fights, you get Shin Akuma / God Rugal, or Akuma base / Rugal base as the final boss in the arcade, as I said it all depends on the player's performance, if you have a high score you can fight against Geese or Bison; it has probably the best set of backgrounds + soundtrack, I really love the style of the sprites of the 2D characters with the 3D backgrounds, it's very well done, it has many game modes for a FG until today, I really enjoyed playing online on the Dreamcast , has my favorite cast of characters in any fighting game, no other has Terry Bogard, Rock Howard, Sakura, Shin Akuma, Orochi Iori, Chun-Li and Ken all in one game, with 6 Different grooves to choose from, being customizable, and the Ratio system that is awesome, if you train enough, your characters are very good, even the lowest tier, it is obvious that there are dominant characters in this game, but the case here is, with the right choice of Grooves for your character and the right Ratio for each one of them (if you're playing in that mode), in addition to the necessary dedication, you get good, very good, and you feel gratified with that because it was with your own training, intelligence and dedication that you got good at this game, whether playing with 1, 2 or 3 characters on your team, they are all totally viable, and the Grooves and Ratio system only reinforce that. Another reason for this game to be 10/10 is the Color Edit mode, I kept changing the colors of the characters a lot, one of the first memories I have in any FG, is to make the Balrog look like Dudley just by changing the colors. About other aspects of the game, this game has the most hype training OST ever, the training scenario is awesome too, the online mode is good as already said, the Survival mode was really cool, and the Replay mode was very rare to get see in FGs of the time, it was good that they implemented this tool, the feeling of running of the characters too, is something that I never felt to be managed so well in another FG before, the "feeling" of everything about this one is just very good game, down to the collision particles of the moves, supers and specials, even the announcer is spectacular, the announcer, that's what I can say, THERE IS NO MORE FUCKIN' AND ICONIC ANNOUNCER IN ANY OTHER FG IN THE UNIVERSE, take that hot take there. This is one of those very few fighting games that you actually get to play in different ways for each character you choose. This game is very nostalgic for me, it was the only FG I played with my brother and my sisters too, good memories. This game has a place in my memories, it was, is, and always will be my favorite fighting game.

Great! I knew that groove was in your heart! T-T-T-T-The millionaire fighting 2001 is about to begin! Hardcore fans have been eagerly anticipating this event, and now the waiting is finally over! Check your training wheels at the door, ladies and gentlemen, this is gonna be one incredible battle that won't easily be forgotten! The time has come when the new history is going to unfold. You can feel the intensity in the air as the hopes, dreams, and hearts of these warriors are about to be put to the ultimate test of skill! What they are after is the title of the WORLD'S STRONGEST!

N-N-N-N-Now, are you ready to get it on?