Review for 44 The Jail
44 The Jail by Marcial Gutierrez is a self-published adventure game that immerses players in an engrossing prison narrative. Set in Argentina during the 2010s, it features adult content using minimalist art and music that sometimes enhances and, at other times, moderates the story’s thematic impact. Player choices influence the outcome, leading to multiple endings.
Elias Di Lorenzo, the protagonist, decides to go for a walk after having a glass of wine. Suddenly, a shadowy antagonist shoots him. When he wakes up, he finds himself in a prison cell where he meets other characters – Jessica, Raoul, Eric, and Professor Gamberno. Each has a unique reason for being in prison, and a few have mysterious, questionable backgrounds.
The graphics are simplistic; backdrops and furnishings are recognizable, but they lack embellishment. This approach works in this game's favor because its main environment is a prison. Prisons aren't known for their beauty or decorative elements, and 44 The Jail is filled with cells and corridors in solid grey, dark blue, and white. The most “decorated” rooms are the two-story library with shelves of books and the infirmary, which contains medical charts. As befits my idea of a prison, the rooms are stocked with necessities only, reinforcing the idea that no one really wants to be in a prison.
Sound effects (like creaking doors) are used sparingly and well. If background music can enhance a scene, it is used; if not, it is omitted. For example, during an encounter between Jessica (who is surprisingly caring and empathetic) and Raoul, the suspenseful soundscape intensifies, heightening the tension as unexpected action unfolds. The music reaches its crescendo at the high point of the proceedings, making the scene truly impactful.
Players guide Elias using a mouse-driven, point-and-click interface. Left-clicking on an area guides Elias to that location, while right-clicking on items has him look at them and then left-clicking allows him to pick them up. There is no hotspot indicator, but the game informs the player of a hotspot by revealing its label at the bottom of the screen when the mouse is hovered over it.
Having conversations with characters is crucial for understanding the story. Clicking on a character causes a list of dialog options to appear at the bottom of the screen. Though the game is not voiced, the narrative is sufficiently compelling that a lack of voice acting did not affect my enjoyment of the story. This game contains depictions of violence and sexual situations, making it unsuitable for children. (I played the English version but there's also an option to play in Spanish.)
It's fortunate that the interface is easy to use, because players will need all their mental energy to solve the challenging puzzles. A conundrum that stood out for me was figuring out how to open a scarlet box using items I found around the prison. And there was one puzzle employing colored lights to open a door, where I was unable to spot any clues to assist with the solution, and I had to seek outside help to make progress.
But most of the challenges provide ample hints to deduce their solutions through careful observation of the environment. Sometimes all I needed to solve them was to take a break from the game. However, taking a break was difficult for two reasons. First, the player can't type their own labels for the saved games, and the labels the game generates aren't descriptive, making it hard for the player to remember where they stopped in the story. Second, when playing the English version and loading from the main menu, the labels are in English; but when loading from within the game itself, the labels are in Spanish.
Aside from this confusing language lesson and a puzzle with particularly inadequate clues, 44 The Jail is a decent game. The powerful narrative includes adult content and is sufficiently poignant to overcome the lack of voice-overs. The puzzles are largely cunning yet fair, and the distinctively austere art is enriched at appropriate moments by a well-integrated soundscape.
