A point and click puzzle game that requires sleuthing...by clicking on EVERYTHING.
My pros: the constant eerie atmosphere. The sounds and mood made me on edge nearly the entire game. It felt like there was someone watching me. The sound design was excellent; background noises to make you unsettled. The graphics appear aged; not a "polished" game. But that adds to the moody environment. There are a few animated cutscenes, usually showing simple things like you driving your car to a new location. I did appreciate that the ending had a cutscene. The puzzles were challenging at times. You do have a notebook in the game and you will use it. A lot.
The negatives: The game is eerie and dark. But some locations were D A R K. To the point where I couldn't see a bloody thing. I was stuck and scummed to a guide for a clue I was missing - it was in a poorly lit room. A bummer, but a minor issue. The voice acting wasn't too bad, but sometimes it was lacking. Certain characters just didn't feel real because of the voice. Since you don't really see them, you rely on hearing them.
I'm personally not a fan of main protags not being able to tell the truth in their story. Our protag here will sleep for days and have vivid nightmares. Was it real? Was it fake? Who knows? I'm not a fan of that narrative, so for me that's a negative. I beat the game not knowing...was he actually Howard? Was he involved? Maybe that's just me.
My pros: the constant eerie atmosphere. The sounds and mood made me on edge nearly the entire game. It felt like there was someone watching me. The sound design was excellent; background noises to make you unsettled. The graphics appear aged; not a "polished" game. But that adds to the moody environment. There are a few animated cutscenes, usually showing simple things like you driving your car to a new location. I did appreciate that the ending had a cutscene. The puzzles were challenging at times. You do have a notebook in the game and you will use it. A lot.
The negatives: The game is eerie and dark. But some locations were D A R K. To the point where I couldn't see a bloody thing. I was stuck and scummed to a guide for a clue I was missing - it was in a poorly lit room. A bummer, but a minor issue. The voice acting wasn't too bad, but sometimes it was lacking. Certain characters just didn't feel real because of the voice. Since you don't really see them, you rely on hearing them.
I'm personally not a fan of main protags not being able to tell the truth in their story. Our protag here will sleep for days and have vivid nightmares. Was it real? Was it fake? Who knows? I'm not a fan of that narrative, so for me that's a negative. I beat the game not knowing...was he actually Howard? Was he involved? Maybe that's just me.