Not disappointed - an honest opinion

[Toran Blackwater]

I bought the game on sale for 3.99 € and just finished it after about 2 hours. I can't tell I feel scammed - anything up to 6 € I'd accepted as a fair price.

I read some of the immature posts here before playing and guess what? I still had fun.

The game's description was honest enough too: story exploration game, not horror-survival, not scary-adventure, not blast-em-apart-shooter.

And that's what you get: on your return from a trip to Europe you explore the deserted mansion your parents and sister live in and unravel the story behind it. Pretty much what the game's store site promised. Sorry, bashers if that sounded like a Texas Chainsaw Massacre sequel to you ; )

What helps to like this game?

• being mature
  
• appreciating a good narration
  
• being 30+ (for nostalgica - if you don't know tape-decks you might be too young to enjoy)
  
• not being homophobic
  
• not barfing when watching movies with a plot

The focus is on the narration which works pretty well especially thanks to the sympathetic voice actress Sarah Grayson who plays your sister Sam. During your exploration of the house you find her notes and letters which unlock spoken diary entries.

Game-wise there's not too much to do: you can walk through the house and interact with most objects in the house but there's hardly such a thing as a puzzle. My motivation was the main and background story, the concern for the sister and the nostalgica of the 90's-stuff in the game.

The main activity - rummaging around for clues - felt a bit odd when it came to your sisters's room and the parents' bedroom but after all you're playing the concerned big sister trying to find out what's going on in stormy night.

[Knight]

So, just out of curiosity what part of the story did you like and how is it better than the average low budget cable tv show?

[Toran Blackwater]

The story itself isn't too original, but I liked the way it was narrated: letters, bills, drawings, music tapes, voiced diary entries, the setting - there are many pieces to the picture and there was quite some effort. And don't forget it's a low-budget game.

I give the game a solid 75/100.

If you're not that much in story/narration and prefer a more visual approach I recommend The Vanishing of Ethan Carter, another good exploration game.