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Old 01-23-2006, 05:51 AM   #21
stepurhan
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Join Date: Oct 2003
Location: South East England.
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I agree that the driving part of the intro could have used some sense of movement. You do get the Trilby climbing out of his car (with the sound of the door opening) before the full title comes up. He even puts his trademark trilby on as he gets out. Given you know trouble lays ahead (this being a game and not real-life) it's a nice touch that Trilby's opening monologue leaves him looking forward to "a painless and rewarding evening's entertainment"

Two things strike me about the exterior shot in the title. Firstly, the house must be some sort of reverse Tardis since its definitely bigger on the outside than on the insdie. I guess this is Yahtzee wanting to show the big manor house but not wanting to create a lot of rooms. Secondly, does it strike anyone else that the sky is a bit light for cat-burgling, especially when his fence called him "in the middle of the night"

I think the first day is intended as introductory. It gives the player a chance to get the layout of the house and a basic idea of the personalities of all the characters involved (except AJ unless you count unreasoning fear as a personality) You also get several opportunities to get some detail of the backstory of the house and recent events.(The newspaper, Phil's article, the TV, conversations at the house meeting) Its all exposition of course but introduced in a reasonable fashion rather than forced.

People disappearing does stretch the sense of disbelief. However, with the exception of AJs disappearance at the start (is he benind the shower curtain? No, how anticlimactic. ) it is just about feasible. The downstairs hallway is a 3-way junction. If you enter from one way and exit another that still leaves a 3rd route people could be hiding in. It's still a stretch though.

The things I like that comes through in this opening day is the little details that enhance the experience. We already had mention of the spooky sounds (the whispering is the one that freaks me out) but I also like the way Trilby's footsteps sound different on different surfaces and the creak as you open doors. I'm also amazed how well a white circle with a black circle inside convey fear when Trilby wakes up from the nightmare sequence.

Two questions arising from Day One
  1. Trilby wears a mask to hide his identity (he is a burglar after all) Why does he take it off the moment he meets someone in the house?
  2. Does the pool in the back garden remind anyone of the pool in Maniac Mansion?
Spoiler:
Though you won't find nuclear reactor cooling rods when you drain this pool
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