This one could definitely have a place in many “so bad it’s good” game lists.
One might feel the urge to compare this game to a film like Tommy Wisseau’s The Room. It is even starred by Mike Dawson, who was both producer and designer for the game. But i would say that a comparison with Ed Wood would be more accurate, since he got to work with Bela Lugosi, while Dawson got to work with H.R. Giger.
As most of the comments have pointed out in these logs, H.R. Giger’s artwork, while remaining the main attraction of the game, is still terribly misused.
Narratively, It feels like the whole game was built around an interesting concept, that being the dark world and how it mirrored the “real” world. But that’s the best thing this game offers: An interesting concept that was terribly underdeveloped in every imaginable sense. It features some of the worst writing i’ve ever seen: underdeveloped and apathetic characters, poor reactions to events, elements put there without a reason (Remember that scene in The Room where the old lady suggests a breast cancer that serves no purpose at all to the narrative? Or that football scene? That’s exactly the role of Darkseed’s barbershop). The ending of the game and how you get the girl, is just a marvel of “so bad it’s good” media.
The puzzle design is simply ridiculous. It includes many of the typical “bad puzzle design” tropes. For example: not doing the exact thing at the exact time in the right order would lead the game to an unwinnable state. This happens way too many times, and the first one is as soon as you start the game, when the doorbell rings. If you fail to answer that doorbell, you’ve already ruin the game. And it’s even more ridiculous when you realize that’s not even a puzzle actually. Other puzzles fail at giving you any kind of clue or sign. And of course, there’s pixel hunting too.
And the music, good lord. Not only ruins any poor attempt of atmosphere, but is also headache inducing.
Despite all that, i think the game could still be playable (or watchable through a longplay, which i highly recommend in order to avoid unnecesary frustrations) if you’re: 1. A point and click fan and 2. An enjoyer of janky games/media in general.
One might feel the urge to compare this game to a film like Tommy Wisseau’s The Room. It is even starred by Mike Dawson, who was both producer and designer for the game. But i would say that a comparison with Ed Wood would be more accurate, since he got to work with Bela Lugosi, while Dawson got to work with H.R. Giger.
As most of the comments have pointed out in these logs, H.R. Giger’s artwork, while remaining the main attraction of the game, is still terribly misused.
Narratively, It feels like the whole game was built around an interesting concept, that being the dark world and how it mirrored the “real” world. But that’s the best thing this game offers: An interesting concept that was terribly underdeveloped in every imaginable sense. It features some of the worst writing i’ve ever seen: underdeveloped and apathetic characters, poor reactions to events, elements put there without a reason (Remember that scene in The Room where the old lady suggests a breast cancer that serves no purpose at all to the narrative? Or that football scene? That’s exactly the role of Darkseed’s barbershop). The ending of the game and how you get the girl, is just a marvel of “so bad it’s good” media.
The puzzle design is simply ridiculous. It includes many of the typical “bad puzzle design” tropes. For example: not doing the exact thing at the exact time in the right order would lead the game to an unwinnable state. This happens way too many times, and the first one is as soon as you start the game, when the doorbell rings. If you fail to answer that doorbell, you’ve already ruin the game. And it’s even more ridiculous when you realize that’s not even a puzzle actually. Other puzzles fail at giving you any kind of clue or sign. And of course, there’s pixel hunting too.
And the music, good lord. Not only ruins any poor attempt of atmosphere, but is also headache inducing.
Despite all that, i think the game could still be playable (or watchable through a longplay, which i highly recommend in order to avoid unnecesary frustrations) if you’re: 1. A point and click fan and 2. An enjoyer of janky games/media in general.