[AndreaDraco83]

After a month of sparse playing, I finally gave up Culpa Innata. Although the settings is very intriguing, I found the game terrible under many aspects: the unbearable long conversations that lead nowhere; the main character which is one of the most annoying I've ever related to; and the whole concept of replayability which, although interesting, sacrifice - in my opinion - too much of the story and the psychological development of characters. Plus, the Italian adaptation is the worst I've ever seen.

What do you think of the game?

[smulan]

Together with Portal the best game of 2007, that's what I think.

[Jehane]

I think Culpa Innata is one of the finest games I've ever played, despite the lenghty dialogues. I liked the setting a lot; the developers paid a lot of attention to detail, this world really felt alive. I enjoyed walking around the various places, exploring them in detail while trying to solve the murder case as well. I liked the feature that allowed me to change Phoenix's clothes every evening and I laughed out loud when I saw what Roger Arnett's assistant had done to Phoenix's face - I even made her go back and get a second treatment just to see the result and laugh at it Also, I've rarely seen such great face animations before.

Phoenix herself seemed a little naive at times; I won't say she's my favourite AG-heroine and I think it'd have done her good to go through some changes - I expected her to be a little different at the end of the game, to be altered by her experiences but she just stayed the same. The subplot (revenators) was very intruiging; I just wished that it would've been explained in more detail but the ending of the game lets me hope for a sequel. I did like the story, the atmosphere and the whole setting; most of the conversations I enjoyed as well, except for those Phoenix had with her best friend Sandra - Sandra was just too one-dimensional for me, she didn't interest me at all, and I kept wondering why the two women were such good friends. And I must admit one reason why I just didn't like Sandra was that all she ever talked about was sex. It got annoying and pretty boring after a while although it fitted this strange new world the two women inhibited. I just felt it was a little overdone.

I certainly won't say Culpa Innata is the best game I've ever played; that privilege is still reservered for good old Gabriel Knight But it's a good game with an interesting storyline; it gives you an amount of freedom in doing and saying things that's very rare and allows you to replay the game, discovering new things that you might have missed before. It's not perfect but there's some potential there for an even better sequel.

[Kazmajik]

I'm with you, Andrea. I found Culpa Innata to be so much wasted potential. I forced myself to finish the game, but my heart went out of it along the way, right around the puzzle where you had to

Spoiler:

make hot wax out of microwaved lemonade to glue together a jigsaw puzzle that had nothing to do with anything.

All the praise for the game has left me suspicious, but maybe it's an Emperor's New Clothes kinda thing.

[Jehane]

Oh yeah, that was a stupid puzzle, I agree with you on that. It was just there to trigger something else in the bar; I thought it was totally out of place while other puzzles fitted right in and could be approached logically.

[Kazmajik]

Thanks for putting the example in a spoiler tag. Without giving too much away, I have to say one of my biggest gripes with the game is that so many of the puzzles just seemed like filler because they were of the mechanical variety and could've been in any game. They weren't unique to the story, and some were so illogical that it completely took away my involvement in the so-called case I was supposedly trying to solve, such as...

Spoiler:

the circuit-breaker puzzle to restore power to the psychiatrist's front door.

It's those lapses in logic that strike me as amateur.

I guess I was hoping I'd get to take on the role of a detective, gathering clues and investigating a mystery. Suffice it to say, they'll have to address some fundamental flaws to get me sold on a sequel.

[AndreaDraco83]

Originally Posted by Kazmajik

Thanks for putting the example in a spoiler tag. Without giving too much away, I have to say one of my biggest gripes with the game is that so many of the puzzles just seemed like filler because they were of the mechanical variety and could've been in any game. They weren't unique to the story, and some were so illogical that it completely took away my involvement in the so-called case I was supposedly trying to solve, such as...

I totally agree with you. When I saw the puzzle you mentioned the first thing I thought was:

Spoiler:

If I can't enter the automatic door, maybe she's can't exit and she's locked inside and, if anyone settles the problem, she will die of starvation, 'cause obviously she COULDN'T call maintenance to save her life: so she's so dumb I'll probably get nothing from her

Then I set myself to solve the puzzle, which was annoying and stupid. And then I thought:

Spoiler:

Why can't I call maintenance? Am I or am I not a member of the most respected institution of the WORLD? Why can't I address her on the phone like other testes? Why have I to to do manual work on electric circuits and wire? ANSWER: 'cause the programmers had any better idea!

At lest, the puzzle was simple and didn't last long

[MysterD]

Originally Posted by Jehane

Oh yeah, that was a stupid puzzle, I agree with you on that. It was just there to trigger something else in the bar; I thought it was totally out of place while other puzzles fitted right in and could be approached logically.

I didn't find that puzzle too hard...

Spoiler:

...since the answer to the entire formula to make the glue at the bar was actually spelled out completely from a piece of paper/flyer you can take from Arnett's place.

You just has to realize you had to make it hot somehow and the only object there was the microwave.

[mgeorge]

Originally Posted by MysterD

I didn't find that puzzle too hard...

Spoiler:

...since the answer to the entire formula to make the glue at the bar was actually spelled out completely from a piece of paper/flyer you can take from Arnett's place.

You just has to realize you had to make it hot somehow and the only object there was the microwave.

That paticular puzzle was easy even for me, (only because it was spelled out for you), however the game was filled with puzzles that didn't seem to relate to the story very much. And I had to use a walkthrough on quite a few of them. But for me it's all about the story and gameworld, and I thought they did a very good job on that end of it.

Plus the

Spoiler:

Renovator

storyline must be explored further!

And Jehane I totally agree with you on two points. The "makeover" thing actually had me laughing out loud, very rare for me in any game. But you're right about Phoenix. After what she had been though, her outlook on life should have changed by the last 1/4 or so of the game. It was like they took the game in a new direction and then abandoned it totally.

[Kazmajik]

I didn't find that puzzle difficult at all. There's a similar one in Still Life that's a little worse, where you have to bake a cake for no reason. I just question the logic behind the puzzle in the first place. Put another way, if you tried that recipe at home, would you get anything like you did in the game? Of course not.
Portal tested my brain way more than Culpa.

[fanatic4hockey]

Originally Posted by Kazmajik

I didn't find that puzzle difficult at all. There's a similar one in Still Life that's a little worse, where you have to bake a cake for no reason. I just question the logic behind the puzzle in the first place. Put another way, if you tried that recipe at home, would you get anything like you did in the game? Of course not.
Portal tested my brain way more than Culpa.

Still Life's cake puzzle drove me nuts! Curious question, ofcourse this is directed to everyone. How often do you gals/guys use walkthroughs? I get mad when I do (guilt feeling), but then the nail biting starts and things get a little antsy.

-ceiling of an hour/per puzzle.

[stuboy]

I've heard very mixed things about this game; and not mixed in an average sense, but a rather polarised one. I suspect it might appeal to those who like "the kitchen sink" in terms of dialogue and world details and so forth.

[Kazmajik]

I try to avoid walkthroughs at all costs. I started playing adventure games back in the mid 80s, and especially with Infocom text adventures it would sometimes take weeks to get through a game, days to figure out an obtuse puzzle. So I've got lots of patience. Many of the games lately have been comparatively easy, so seldom do I feel the need to resort to a walkthrough. Maybe after I've finished a game I'll check out a walkthrough to see if I missed anything interesting. But so many games are so linear and restrictive that even that isn't necessary.
With Culpa Innata, the scoring system could've been interesting if it led to different endings, but I don't think that it does. Has anyone found this to be the case or not the case? I don't really want to play it all the way through again to find out. The game just dragged too much for me.

[Haohmaru]

I gave up on playing Culpa Innata after about day 4 of the investigation due to an intense feeling of boredom playing the game. The game was supposed to be a murder mystery, and yet the first few hours of the game sees the player travelling around and question people (with the conversations being irritatingly cut short due to an artificial feeling time constraint), no crime scene to investigate, no evidence to analyse, no autopsy report or anything of interest, just mundane questioning of people. The game was also supposed to be a Sci Fi vision of the future, so why present the player with an ancient monastery as the opening location in the game? The only thing that felt sci fi in the game (up to where I got to) were the door security hologram things, which only amounted to more mundane conversations. The PDA was nothing more than a diary and inventory management screen already present in plenty of other games.

The "selfish" culture that society had developed in the future was an interesting concept, however to me it just came across as a more extreme concept of capatilism present in today's society. To me it didn't present a believable argument that by people pursuing personal greed, selfishness and dispensing with meaningful relationships that this would somehow erradicate crime! If anything a society built upon those values would just see an increase of jealousy and crime against individuals.

Overall, I'm sure Culpa Innata would have gotten better as the story developed, but only the most patient of people are willing to play through a game that offers no hook or interest from the beginning. I also found the main character to be extremely aggravating, especially when gossiping with her best friend, the way she talked to her she sounded like a mother lecturing a child. Finally, I'm not sure if this problem was particular to my computer setup, or was just a sign of the mediocre graphics, but the game had a constant grainy look to it that would give me a headache after about 30 minutes of playing. This was especially apparent when first heading outdoors, the sky had all of these grainy black dots shimmering in it.

Anyways, my first post to this forum and starting with a rant. I had to get that off my chest! I'm glad some people liked this game, seems like quite a few share my thoughts as well though. Hopefully the next game from this mob will make some attempt to engage the player before they lose interest.

[Keregioz]

Originally Posted by Haohmaru

Finally, I'm not sure if this problem was particular to my computer setup, or was just a sign of the mediocre graphics, but the game had a constant grainy look to it that would give me a headache after about 30 minutes of playing. This was especially apparent when first heading outdoors, the sky had all of these grainy black dots shimmering in it.

That "gainy" look you mention has nothing to do with your setup. It's a film grain effect which it's supposed to make the game look like a movie. Fahreneit (indigo prophecy) also had it but there was an option to disable it. Personally I like it. Just thought I should clear that up.

[sue3737]

I am just about finished the game....I would have been finished by now but after long conversation near the end it crashed! I haven't had the time yet to go back to my previous save and go over it again...maybe at the weekend.
However, I think the concept of the game storywise is good, I have for the most part enjoyed it.. but must admit I have been quite bored at times.

I have been right clicking (skipping) most of the conversations for the last third of the game I am ashamed to say ...but it had become tedious, I even skipped conversations with the chief !! It is a long game which is usually a BIG plus for me as I find most games nowadays too short ( I am an 80's adventure starter and games seemed so much longer then!) But with this game it has felt more drawn out than long.

I think I would have liked a bit more interaction, I like searching for, picking up and using items to complete a challenge so maybe thats why I got a little bored.

But it is still pretty good

[Kazmajik]

I think the game could have been improved if it were condensed into about 7 or 8 days, instead of being spread out over something like 23. The way the game played out you were in the office around 10:30 am, it took you an hour to go to interview someone, when that was over it would be a couple hours later, and after going somewhere else for another interview it would then only give you the choice to go home, where it would be around 7:20 pm. Everything you did caused several hours to go by, and next thing you know, it's time to pick out another outfit for the evening borefest with the "best friend". There was no sense of time reality.

[Haohmaru]

Thanks for explaining the grainy effect Keregioz. I think it worked a lot better in Fahrenheit since that game had a cinematic quality to it and was supposed to be an interactive movie. Culpa Innata didn't give that impression.

I agree with the statement about the passage of time. I was expecting there to be some sort of visual clue showing the sun setting, shadows lengthening etc. Didn't expect anything like Morrowind, but apart from the game clock appearing some times you were given no sense of time passing.

[Mikekelly]

I also think Culpa Innata is one of the finest adventure games ever done. The setting is excellent with a vibrant world. Changing clothes was fun and the face animations were amazing.

I've actually found both classic adventures The Longest Journey and Gabriel Knight with reviews that said the games were terrible and not worth playing. No adventure game is liked by everybody. Culpa Innata is an amazing game - a game that will stand the test of time well.

[Drunken Irishman]

Originally Posted by Mikekelly

No adventure game is liked by everybody.

Then how do you explain the phenomenon of Monkey Island?