Adventure Gamers - Forums

Doom - 21 July 2021 06:31 AM

And I like the move to 3D, it really “adds a new dimention” to the gameplay - all that area searching, walking through the rocks and discovering new places, following people, etc. I just wish they updated the graphics so that it wouldn’t scare people away.

It’s definitely a one of a kind experience due to the mechanics. A remake/remaster would be something, they could even redo some of the horrible puzzles. I read the Sierra team was heavily held back by technological challenges back then, after all it was their first 3D game and engine. That strange cat puzzle for example was created by the producer of the game, Jane wanted to do a completly different puzzle, but the in 3D development inexperienced team couldn’t do it in time and budget, so the producer took over with a simpler to develop but none sensical puzzle design.

Don’t think a remake/remaster will happen though, GK1 remake already was a financial flop and GK3 is an even more complex game, the amount of detail which went into the game is just insane. A remake of this could never be profitable nowadays, lol maybe if they converted it to a more casual experience like Until Dawn. Best thing would be Activision waving the Gabriel Knight license so that Gabriel Knight kickstarter projects could become a reality and also the final sequel —in my vision Grace would have been kidnapped at the end of GK3 because she carries the unborn child of Gabriel in her womb— to finally wrap up the quadrilogy.

The Black Mirror (2003) - 2/5
Another classic, didn’t like it much although the game has a lot going. Visuals are great and atmosphere is very captivating, story seemed promising in the beginning but turned out to be pretty flat, yes probably I’m a bit too harsh coming from GK3 almost all adventures seem flat. Played the german version, voice acting is one of the best and atmospheric I ever listened to. Puzzles range from harmless to unimaginative waste of time although with a handful enjoyable exceptions. Biggest letdown besides the story is the gameplay. In the whole game there are around 10 hotspots where you have to click right (inspect) instead of left (interact) in order to trigger the necessary action, but in 99.9% of cases right click does not do anything, which is the dumbest thing ever. It essentially means once you have figured out this can happen you always have to click at least twice (l+r) on every hotspot because you never can be sure if left click is sufficient. Also it’s the first adventure game I effectively felt throughout the whole game the developer’s intent to artificially prolong the game with all means possible. The intensive backtracking (yes there’s a lot, like really a lot) alone will keep me from ever playing this game again nor its successors, most of the time it felt like a mere chore. 2 points because it is well made, great audiovisuals and atmosphere and the story is interesting at the beginning.

Finished Last Stop.

A wonderful, deep, rare cinematic comedy. Really enjoyed it even if it’s not perfect. It’s a pity it has a so straightforward and simplicistic interaction, but it also poses the limit of the medium: how can you portrait a playable character that’s utterly negative and unfriendly and still manage to empatize with the player? That’s still an unresolved question, sadly, but you have here a nice attempt.
Still I suggest you to “play” (or better - to press “play”) this wonderfully written, voiced, scored, directed interactive movie, ‘cause it will resonate in you for a long time.

Been a while since I posted here:

Geospots.  A fun game, but just way too easy for even me.  I pretty much walked right through it.

Observation on Xbox x via gamepass-Different gameplay, interesting story, just the right length.  Ending was a letdown though.

Four Last things-  Short game, but great puzzles, great humor, great backgrounds.

Beyond the Sky- Great graphics and sound, some interesting puzzles, but some of them seem incomplete when it comes to clues.. so they tel you what is correct and incorrect and you could modify from there. Bunch of spelling errors.  Translation issues.

Unavowed- Very disappointing.  Generic gameplay and you could see the seams of how they would allow other characters to solve the puzzles.  Constrained environments and boring ending.

Dark Fall Ghost Vigil-About 3/4 finished and it just petered out for me.

Halfway through Creaks and really enjoying it.

Doom I’m glad you liked Gris I agree with your points, I think it’s been the last “simple platformer” that I’ve really enjoyed. Just the way it conveys emotions and themes without the need for narration and the use of color. And like you say is simplistic but its uses that simple gameplay to great effect.

I actually just finished Primordia, based on your comments and other praises that I’ve seen recently. I never got to play it before even though I love Wadjet Eye games so I had to remedy that. I really liked it, loved the setting and the characters. Also liked the puzzles, although I did had trouble with the Memorium part of the code. I liked the idea of the puzzle but I’m not sure it was designed all that well

I stumbled upon the last word/clue early and I actually used that clue to find the word Art since it mentions first letters, so never in a million years I would have thought that was actually the last clue and I had to use all the words. Maybe it was my fault but the fact that you can find the words in different orders can make it really confusing.
 
But overall it was a great little adventure. I wished the story had a little bit more to give at the end, and in terms of themes and mysteries to uncover, but for what it was it was memorable and now I wished they had done a sequel instead of a new game. But I’ll probably play Strangeland next now that I’m familiar with the author.

Baron_Blubba - 30 July 2021 08:46 PM

Torin’s Passage.

Good game. Not great, not very good, but good. I enjoyed it, most of the time. If you’re looking for a solid Sierra title, I think you’ll like it. Easily better, waaaay better, than KQ 7 and Phantasmagoria and Space Quest VI, which were the other Sierra adventure games released around that time. But it’s no GK 2, although there is a really good puzzle here that is verrrry similar to the tape recorder puzzle from that game!

I agree mostly with your assessment I’d probably go one step below even with a meh, not good not bad, pretty forgettable overall.

Just finished Creaks tonight.  Absolutely incredible game.  I greatly enjoyed it.

I’ve just finished Not Another Weekend courtesy of Lady Kestrel as a prize following her excellent tournament as I’d already been hooked by the demo!

The game focuses on a bellboy (working in the 80’s) trying to find ways of getting all of the guests & staff to leave by the end of the weekend. It’s a typical P & C game reminiscent of games of that era which flowed more or less smoothly up until towards the end of the first Saturday. After that I encountered “bizarre puzzles & unintuitive logic”.  There is no voice-acting btw but very pleasing sound effects & background music.

The game would have benefited from a hint system.

I persisted with the aid of a walkthrough here & there (which is not my favoured way) because the story grabbed me.

Aside from the difficult aspects I found the game nicely thought out & structured with a Notemap to help with info & as a use to fast-track to different floors.

The game included many comical quips & also nods to older classics & icons of the 80’s. 

The game does include back-tracking & ‘fetch quests’.

I give this game 5 stars for fun but truly overall as a game I have to demote it to perhaps 3? sadly as it didn’t flow so well later on.  The conclusion was okay.

Got about 85% through Goetia a series of poorly thought out/hinted puzzles and some pixel hunted ruined this for me.

The Sojourn took about 18 hours to complete with all bonus puzzles.  Well thought out and beautiful, the game did lose steam during the last 1/4 to 1/5, where old mechanics were used a bit too much.

The Sorrowvirus was beautiful and creepy, but the gameplay of finding dolls in a time limit just wasn’t fun.  The music also looped near the end in a high pitched whine, which I had to mute.