The Demon Within – Reviewed by Juju
November 27, 2007 at 27:9 | In Reviews | Leave a CommentTags: gmc, KingDiz, Knight, The Demon Within
KingDiz is an experienced user of Game Maker; his talents really show through in his updated game – The Demon Within. Based upon earlier incarnations of the “Knight Man” series he created, this game brings a hefty lump of style and fun game play together to give a satisfying romp. Forget this game if you’re on Vista – version 1.01c is non-compatible.
Presentation throughout this extensive game is of the highest standard. A good game has a decent manual that details everything that the game will ask you to do, possibly whetting your appetite for features further into the game. The manual in this case hands all the information you need and teases you with Demonic Powers, in a very pretty and professional package. A tutorial is also included in-game for the lazy. After reading the well-developed opening story, unfortunately presented as just text, the main menu hits you and lays bare the intention of the author – the suspend your disbelief. Furthermore, the HUD, often neglected by game creators, is elegantly obvious to use. Everything is easy to read, rarely getting the way of the action on-screen.
Boy, is there action. Every screen has several enemies, the majority of which take a certain tactic to remove. Some just require a good bashing with your sword, others need you to hang back and nail them with your magic ball. Some swamp you, some charge, some blatantly camp. Every room has a challenge. However, as the game progresses, it becomes abundantly clear that the AI isn’t going to vary a great deal. Does the AI in Pacman change? No – This is partially what makes The Demon Within so addictive! There is permanently an abundance of enemies to blast away, hacking them into pieces (which, by the way, fly across the floor spurting blood) and frying them with your awesome powers. The game never hesitates to challenge you, but ends up with you firmly on top with a grin on your face. Fantastic.
As you’re wandering through this magical and intriguing land, you notice the sheer amount of environmental detail and graphical mastery KingDiz can produce. Boxes exist to smash, bushes to slice up, bits and bobs to break all over the place. In this respect it reminds me of The Elder Scrolls, surely never a bad thing. The graphics work seamlessly throughout, with nothing looking out of place, all maintaining the simple, clear 16-bit era style graphics. I’ve loved retro games because they go back to basics, working on what makes the game fun and a joy to play, The Demon Within is no exception. What is a disappointment, however, is the limited range of animations. Cendah, your little avatar in the gigantic world, has some lovely animation. Your enemies don’t – They simply run towards you and poke you with their swords or what have you. Another limitation is the 4 directions each sprite exhibits. Spriting is hard work but making that extra effort is important for the final effect.
How the game looks is one thing but how it sounds is arguably just as important. The soundtrack doesn’t let you down, with stylish opening tune and largely individual tracks for each area and each chapter. The fact that the music is MIDI is annoying, but the game is already rather large and sacrifices have to be made. I would point out that removing the 1.2 megabyte manual, as lovely as it is, from the game package might be a prudent move to either reduce download size or to add higher quality music. Sounds are very good but not as frequent as I’d like, with noises for attacking, taking damage and so on but not walking – I’d love to hear the crunch of the snow beneath my feet, or the ominous echo as I creep through a dungeon. This would add extra atmosphere to add to the constant surprises and changes in game dynamic as the game progresses.
Some annoying factors include the resolution change and the presence of the standard dialog box. There is no excuse for the latter and the former can be adjusted easily with a box in the corner of the screen that switches between 800×600 full screen and standard windowed mode. The number of checkpoints is surprisingly low, I’d prefer them to be more frequent, but I do understand that a game that has permanent rooms is tricky to create save files for.
Despite a chunky 6.5 megabyte file size, this game is a worthwhile download. The presentation as a whole is magnificent, every room dripping with detail, and the game play is on par with even modern 3D slack-and-hack adventures. The music and sound is of a very high standard, but can be improved further with a few tweaks. Unfortunately, a few minor problems mar the experience that stop The Demon Within achieving top marks.
9/10
Knight Man III: The Demon Within can be found at http://www.kingdiz.se/km3full.zip
Come along to the topic and tell KingDiz what you think: http://gmc.yoyogames.com/index.php?showtopic=332898
Forest Planet – Reviewed by Jabberwock
November 27, 2007 at 27:12 | In Reviews | Leave a CommentTags: bears, forest planet, shaneheres, strategy
http://www.thepoppenkast.com/file.php?game=FOREST%20PLANET
For the most part, real time strategy games in GM are not much to get excited over. FOREST PLANET, by ShaneHeres, is an exception. It’s quirky, polished, and fun, if not that complicated.
The concept of the game is essentially this: in the future, humans have taken all the bears off of Earth and put them on a forested planet. You control a tribe of bears (the type is up to you, though I suggest the Pandas) that is at war with other bears for no real reason. And you like it. However, there is a problem: the planet is somehow not orbiting the sun, and is slowly flying further and further into space. Thus, you must keep your bears warm while warring with other bears.
In terms of mechanics, it’s a rather atypical game; it’s missing most of the aspects of ordinary strategy gameplay. All in all, it rather resembles the GM classic Medieval Clash, except that its view is overhead instead of from the side, and there are some nuances that are different. The basic concept, however, is the same – gather resources with “workers”, who simply leave your little cave until they run into the nearest tree, and then come back, then attack the enemy cave – or defend your own – with assorted units. To win the game, you must deplete the health of the enemy’s home cave completely. It’s more strategic than it sounds, especially because of the addition of new elements, like Heroes (super-powerful bears), waypoints, and the aforementioned necessity of keeping your units warm by building fires.
The sound is nice – a lot of bear grunts and such stuff. It’s rather humourous at times, and is a nice touch, but expendable. The graphics are fantastic; they have a cartoony, yet well-developed and detailed style. They’ve also got a touch of humour to them. On top of all this, they’re well-animated, and there are a lot of subtle touches – the way the trees sway in the wind and become transparent when you move your mouse over them, for example. All in all, it’s a very aesthetically appealing game.
Conclusion: FOREST PLANET is a game with more depth and strategy to it than is first evident, and even though its replay value isn’t stellar, it should keep you occupied for a while – not only is the gameplay enjoyable and challenging, but there are multiple AI types, and you can customize your bears. How cool is that?
Teleka Preview: Q&A with Obel Isk – by REZ
November 25, 2007 at 25:8 | In Interviews, Previews | 4 CommentsTags: asterisk, bubz, obelisk, teleka, zane
Above: Main characters (left to right) Obel and BUBZ in the stylish look of Teleka
On 64Digits, there are 4 fairly popular games that steal the show. Among these are Platformed and Teleka. Today, I (Clay) talk to 64Digits celebrity, Obel Isk (Zane), about his highly intisipated project, Teleka.
CLAY: What was your original inspiration for Teleka and when did you begin forming the game itself?
ZANE: My original inspiration for Teleka? If it’s gameplay you’re wondering about, I got most of my ideas from one of the older Zelda games. Teleka started out as just a simple minigame called DodgeBubble. You were in a room full of floating bombs coming after you, and you could destroy them by tricking them into ramming into one another. I wanted to give it a story, and it kinda snowballed from there. I started that about two and a half years ago.
CLAY: I see. So Teleka has some major history behind it. What sort of ideas came from this snowball effect?
ZANE: Hehe, snowball effect. I love that phrase. As I said, it started out as just that little top-down shooter. But then I had some crazy ideas. I thought it would be cool if your character could create cyclones that you control. I eventually got bored of the whole minigame scene, so I decided to make it into an adventure game. I dropped the top-down perspective, and placed a little emphasis on exploration. I gave it some worlds to explore and some characters to interact with. I also invented some new items, such as that throwing star among others.
CLAY: I think we’ve all seen the concept art on 64D. How well is that style transferring to a GM game, and what’d it take to achieve that look?
ZANE: I’m not sure if one can even call that concept art. That’s actually how the graphics look in-game. Though I must admit, it looks a little odd. Pre-rendered 3D graphics on a 2D plane might seem a little awkward. With today’s standards, especially in console gaming, most games are presented in realtime 3D. But then again. If you’ve ever played the first Oddworld game, you can probably notice how the game is completely two-dimensional, but the graphics are prerendered. Perhaps Teleka can carry on its legacy? Anyway, achieving the right look was a pain in the ass from the start. I’ve restarted Teleka about six times, three of them due to graphical changes. But I’m finally satisfied with the look now, and this will be the final thing.
CLAY: I understand Teleka features everything from cuddly robots to space age geckos. Can you give us some background on the story?
ZANE: BAHAHA! CUDDLY! Heh, you crack me up sometimes. The geckos are the cuddly ones, trust me. BUBZ will massacre you and your entire city if he’s willing to. Anyway, the main plot is just the typical bad-guy-looking-for-something fiasco, but there are also a few subplots. BUBZ is banished and sent on an impossible mission, Obel is sent with him, and Aster is protecting BUBZ and Obel while trying to hide something the Dystopia is looking for. I would say more, but I would probably get carried away.
CLAY: What kind of gameplay can I expect? What word (i.e. genre) best describes it?
ZANE: I hate sounding like a broken record, but it’s a Zelda-ish adventure game.
CLAY: Sounds like you got a long road ahead of you. Simple question, are you receiving any help on this game?
ZANE: Occasionally. At school I discuss my ideas with my friend Asterisk. He helps me loads with concept and music. There’s also Kenon, who I often consult for ideas. Oh yeah, and Andes. He helps me with all kinds of ideas, such as bosses and items. Serprex and a few others have also helped me with development.
CLAY: Anything special about the game’s score?
ZANE: There are a few things. The song “Invader from Inside” was composed way back for the first incarnation of Teleka, but eventually I decided to remake it for the game’s new feel. The song will be used for a very “heated” part of the story. If you haven’t heard the song, just ask me and I’ll let you have a listen. Also, in the song “Dystopia Incarnation,” which will probably be used for kind of a trashed city scene, you can hear background vocals near the end. It’s me speaking, but the sound is heavily manipulated.
CLAY: Sounds like you’re really paying attention to all aspects of the game. Well, thats all for now. Any final thoughts?
ZANE: Yes, I know I’m a little late, but I would like to thank Al Gore for his work and congratulate him for the Nobel Prize he won recently. Manbearpig is at large, and he must be stopped!
REZ: Havoc’s End – Reviewed by Obel Isk
November 24, 2007 at 24:7 | In Reviews | 1 CommentTags: adventure, clay, havoc, havocs end, REZ
In a world of easy game creation, lack of creativity rules all. But one game dares to be different…
Alright, enough of that. I’ll just get this out of the way right now: REZ: Havoc’s End feels lifeless at times. The enemies are essentially the same but with different sprites, and you only have one simple shooting attack. Not to mention the lack of animation. *phew* Since that’s out of my system, I’ll start reviewing what is quite possibly among the best GM games in existence.
By the way, Havoc’s main character, REZ, is also a pseudonym of the game’s creator. To avoid any confusion, I will be calling the creator Clay and the character REZ.
The gameplay is the same as the first REZ game, but with a little added to it. Usually, you have to collect a certain amount of coins in the area before you can move on. There are also some more objectives, such as collecting rubies or decimating a horde of goblins. My only real complaint is the difficulty at certain points. You aren’t given many save points, and some of the bosses are difficult to tackle (especially Loch, who has you by your balls). It can be tedious, but a great experience nevertheless.
Clay has always had an interesting spriting style. They are shaped a bit oddly, but his shading style is instantly recognizable. And this masterpiece is no different. However, the character design is a little awkward. REZ looks fatter than usual, Loch looks like the Penguin, and the fairies have almost triangular figures. Also, as mentioned earlier, there is no animation, but that is forgivable. Clay’s graphics, though flawed, have always been among the greatest in GM.
Now onto music. Like its predecessor (REZ and the Forgotten), this game steals borrows its score from various movies and sites. The selection is great, and fitting for RHE’s atmosphere. If you aren’t too fond of the fact that the music isn’t original, don’t fret. I have this strange notion that it may be different in future installments.
And now for Havoc’s story. It’s set in a colonial America during a series of witch hunts. The conservatives witch hunters are heavily interested in killing off a race of two-souled mages known as the Hoods. REZ and his uncle Nod…er…Nor are training one day, but the night before, REZ had a strange vision of himself burning down a village (sound familiar, RATF players?). After training, he sets off to find the wich hunter who killed his parents. Meanwhile, an odd merchant named Loch has arrived. The story has something of a plot twist later on.
Overall, this is one of my favorite GM games. Not because I’m biased and know the creator, but because it has the atmosphere absent in many games. Havoc is lacking in a few areas, but it was made by an 8th grader. If he’s not a prodigy now, give Clay two more years and he will be.
DOWNLOAD RHE AT TNET/REZ
Yum Yum – Reviewed by Fabio
November 16, 2007 at 16:10 | In Reviews | Leave a CommentTags: arcade, derby, red, yum yum
Few games in the GM world can go past the plain platformer or top-down shooter and make itself stand out from the crowd. Yum Yum by Derby does just that. What is the point of Yum Yum? You play as the last White Yum Yum. Other creatures want Yum Yum dead. You must simply survive in the world as a Yum Yum. Yum Yum is a top-down shooting game with a bit more to it. The entire game screams ambiance similar to games like LocoRoco for the PSP. The graphics, music, and gameplay flows smoothly together.
Arcade play at it’s finest.
The graphics are simple shades of red with some other colors, with no outline. Everything fits together and nothing clashes. The sound is great too, with an almost constant change of tracks, all of which fit with the entire feel of the game. The idea of Yum Yum is launching your head at enemies to destroy them. It seems simple, but the new enemies and bosses keep it all fresh. The arcade style of the game keeps you coming back for more. The default control scheme may be hard to handle, but you can change it to a much simpler setting.
The well-presented menu.
It is a short game, though. But a good short. A short like, you want more, you want another taste. That’s what keeps you coming back to play. It’s definitely challenging at first, but once you get the hang of everything the game gets a lot more fun. Online arcade play is another great feature. You can chat and more.
It’s also a small game; there isn’t much in it. The simple game itself, but not much more. But, there isn’t too little to dislike it. It almost seems like there isn’t enough for it’s own good. The originality of the game is unmatched, and it’s all presented well. Although there isn’t much in the game, there was obviously a lot of work put into it, not too much, and not too little. One great experience that meshes together wonderfully.
Yum Yum
Size: 7.0 MB
By: Derby
Completed Game
4.5 out of 5.
MINUBEAT – Reviewed by Foslock
November 12, 2007 at 12:8 | In Reviews | Leave a CommentTags: cactus, minigame, minubeat, shooter
MINUBEAT, by cactus
I would call this a minigame. I usually hate minigames, but this one has given me some hope in that category. The thing that stuck out differently about this game compared to most of the other GM made games that I’ve played in the past is the smoothness and innovativeness of MINUBEAT. The game combines the classic scrolling space shooter with Dance Dance Revolution. The funny this is, you only have a minute to play the game.
Yes, I know these sound like impossible styles to combine, but MINUBEAT does it incredibly. The main point of this game is to press the buttons “Z, X, and/or C” on the beat to the music in the background. The game shows very little documentation but all it takes it a few tries to figure out how to play. You can use the arrow keys to gently move around. “Z” fires three laser bursts on every eighth note (two times a beat) in the direction you’re moving. “X” fires four fast homing mines that attack to the nearest enemy and explode (on a beat) when all of the mines are touching something. “C” as far as I can tell destroys all of the enemy’s projectiles seen on the screen.
The thing that dragged me into this game wasn’t the short and simple game play, it was the aspect of having to push the keys to a rhythm of a strangely addictive beat playing in the background. Think of a huge machine pounding metal and a grate blowing smoke into the air.
For all of those who don’t like reading a lot of words, here is just a little synopsis of the good and bad parts of MINUBEAT, in my opinion:
The Good:
-Smooth, matching graphics
-Great sound effects and background sound
-Easy controls
-Not to complicated for a minigame
The Bad:
-Too short
-Lack of enemy differential.
-Having to start over at the beginning when dead is tedious
-Lack of story and depth (not really necessary for a minigame)
Basically, I want cactus to make this into a full length game and add more features, maybe add a story and levels. It’s such a good idea for a full length game I think it gets wasted in just a minigame.
Q&A with Nobody – By Fabio
November 11, 2007 at 11:6 | In Interviews | 6 CommentsTags: Archer, Boom New York, Nobody, Smallness
Jan Willem Nijman (Better known as Nobody) is the creator of many GM classics, including Boom New York, Smallness, Archer, and more. He has become an icon of quirkiness and intervention in the GM world. Recently I got an interview with this GM great.
Q: What made you start using GameMaker?
A: I think I once saw Gamemaker in some kind of kids computer magazine. I downloaded GM4, and since I didn’t really know English at that time, I mainly made crappy edits. After a year of non-gm, I came back to it, joined GamemakerGames, and started making “real” games.
Q: What gives you inspiration for a game?
A: Almost anything. Mainly movies and screenshots of other games, without me playing the games. Imagination can do quite a lot with just a screenshot. Also alcohol helps sometimes.
Q: How do you start a game?
A: I make some sprites. If the sprites don’t work, the project won’t be made. After that I start coding. If I get bored within 3 days, the project is usually doomed.
Q: Which is your favorite project of yours?
A: Pfff, hard question. They change a lot, so I don’t really know. Perhaps Boom Manhattan, because of the awesome story. I enjoy making stories more and more nowadays.
Q: What makes a game good in your opinion?
A: A game needs to be fun to play, that’s all. Graphics can be crappy if it still plays awesomely. On the other hand, crappy graphics can ruin the experience.
Q: What is your favorite genre?
A: I don’t play much games myself. I spend most of my time on making them. And if I enjoy a game that’s not because of the genre, but because of the game itself. I don’t really like fps’es, but Half-Life is my favorite game. A game has to be quite perfect for me to like. So dislike most rtses, except for the blizzard ones and red alert 2. I also really liked adventures, my favorite one being Grim Fandango. I don’t know, it was mainly my brother who got me into gaming, with Warcraft 2 and command and conquer. After that, he introduced me into some of the later (3d) Lucasarts adventures.
Q: Can you give us any exclusive details on your latest project?
A: Well, I have multiple latest projects, but sure. The one I’m quite excited about at the moment, is my entry for the Yoyogames winter competition. I’m making it together with Tim (escapader), and it will be a non-combat exploration platform game. I’m doing graphics, he music, and both programming. The graphics are simple grayscale, plus some colors. It has awesome animations. I can’t really show anything, but I can tell something about the story.
The player is happily flying around in his biplane, when suddenly the engine fails. His plane crashes, and he manages to escape with a parachute. You land in a world you later find out to be a giant floating iceberg. The people there are in trouble, since the iceberg is melting. What is causing the melting, and can you rescue the people? That’s what you’ll find out in this game.
Q: What are your other interests in life?
A: I enjoy music, mainly semi-electronic and buzzy rock. I play the piano and own a guitar, although my guitar skills are very bad. I also read quite a lot, and hang out with friends. Other then that I’m busy with school. In the final year now, after that I plan to study Game Design and Development. So when you will be playing my games in a year or 6, you can say you’ve seen me grow and get famous. 
Q: Any closing comments?
A: Yeah, spread the use of the word slordig, and let it conquer the world! You use it in a positive way, like cool, or awesome.
DDDEVASTATIONNN – Reviewed by Fabio
November 10, 2007 at 10:10 | In Previews, Reviews | 1 CommentTags: contra, DDDEVASTATIONNN, metal slug, radnom games
Classic games. You have to love them. Whether it be Castlevania, Metal Slug, Streetfighter, or even Super Mario. Radnom Games is producing a classic with a bit of a spin; DDDEVASTATIONNN. DDDEVASTATIONNN takes on similarities to Contra, another classic. You play as a silhouetted character whose identity is unknown. Your objective? Fight your way through levels riddeled with enemies. Sounds like the regular formula, right? Wrong. DDDEVASTATION is unique to many ways that people fail to realize. The graphics are a simple, solid color with simple shapes and different colors. It all flows together in a way that is ascetically pleasing to the eye. Different colors represent different things. For example, red represents an enemy. The way you progress through each level in comparison to other platforming shooters is much different as well. All in all the experience itself is somewhat refreshing amidst the dozens of other platforming shooters coming out these days.
Fight enemies on the edge of a cliff.
Something you may not enjoy about the experience is the controls. They take some getting used to, and although they are acceptable, there is some room for improvement. But then again, almost everything in the game is different from the conventional shooter.
Another great feature is the unique boss battles. Each boss has ‘parts’ in which you must destroy. For example, one boss might have an arm, head, and legs. Each part has it’s own health value and you must take out each piece to destroy the entire thing. It’s unique quirks like this that make DDDEVASTATIONNN a refreshing experience.
The varying environments in the game add to the experience. The game puts on this feel of always having a living, breathing atmosphere that you yourself are a part of; something many platforming shooters lack. Enemies vary throughout the levels, each with different attributes.
Stunning environments grace the eye.
Something that may turn people away from DDDEVASTATIONNN is its difficulty. I won’t lie, DDDEVASTATIONNN can be VERY hard at times. But, it’s this very aspect that makes the game worth coming back to. Most games people can run through in less then half an hour, but DDDEVASTATIONNN will keep you coming back for more every time. You’ll actually see yourself starting to improve as you play more.
And it’s not just the difficulty that’ll make you wanting more, it’s the simple want for more of the great atmosphere and just a plain want for more of the DDDEVASTATIONNN universe. This game is a mix of classic and new, and it all comes together very well. A challenging game that will keep you entertained for a time to come, DDDEVASTATIONNN is definitely something to keep an eye out for. I highly suggest it both as one of my favorites and a must-play in the GM world.
A swarm of enemies closes around you.
DDDEVASTATIONNN
Size: 8.6 MB
By: Radnom
(http://www.radnomgames.com/)
W.I.P.
4.5 out of 5.
SOUTH – Reviewed by REZ
November 10, 2007 at 10:7 | In Previews, Reviews | 2 CommentsTags: machete, SOUTH, wingboy, zombie
Let me tell you about a WIP thats still not getting the respect it deserves. A game called ‘SOUTH’ by wingboy.
Its hard to review ’SOUTH’ without reminding the readers constantly how intoxicatingly good it is, but as I walk you through this zombie ridden game, I’ll try not to. For you see, ‘SOUTH’ has a little something for everyone. Provided that “everyone” is above the age of 12 and is prepared to see some zombie breasts. Yes, you heard me right. Are you begining to see why this game is so intoxicating?
Before we touch on the major stuff like gameplay, I think its important to mention what everybody sees at first glance, graphics. The graphics of ‘SOUTH’ are well, graphic. The character sprites are very large and detailed, making every encounter with a new kind of zombine both thrilling and fun. The environment sprites compliment the rest of the graphics quite nicely. Pretty much everything has some degree of detail, including the massive/sometimes moderate amounts of blood. Animations, although fluid, sometimes seem a bit wonky. Especially certain zombie walking animations. However, its nothing bad enough to hurt the overall game experience. Not much can be said about the sound effects and music, they’re fitting and they get the job done.
Above: secret areas like this one make exploring levels quite satisfying.
The plot is pretty vague. From what I played in the previous demo, there’s only one cutscene at the begining of the game that attempts to explain what is happening. I’m not even going to try to make sense of the plot, I’ll just tell you what I know. Zombies are running wild in a southern town called ‘Normal’ and as local trench coat wearing-machete wielding badass, its your job to clean up the streets. But you can’t do it alone, so you fuse your hand with a mutant demon that can basically turn you into a laser shooting X-Men character. Alright, I suppose it sounds much cooler without all the pop culture references I added in there, but you get the gist of it.
Above: The game’s main character showing off his trademark ‘electric buzzsaw’ attack
Now here’s the fun part. The gamplay of ‘SOUTH’ is mostly hack ‘n’ slash but you can mix it up by using ranged fireball attacks via your demon hand. You’ll be doing a lot of plowing through weaker, less intelligent zombies but you’ll occasionally run into a fairy clever zombie. In fact, the most dangerous enemies in the game rely on cheap tricks. Although these clever zombie thrills add to the fun, they can get pretty tiresome. For instance, there is one type of zombie that will randomly break through a window and start clobbering you. Seems like a good idea, and its actually pretty fun to fend him off. The problem is, this trick happens too much and you never have enough time to jump back and protect yourself. So get used to the fact that you’ll lose some health no matter what.
Above: These guys will freak you at first when they rip off their faces and charge you but like the window zombie, its a fun yet annoying trick.
All in all, ‘SOUTH’ has a great mesh of graphics, sound effects, and gameplay. The game’s shortcomings in enemy design wouldn’t matter with more zombie types, its all just a matter of lowing repetition.
I realize its not fair to judge WIP, but honestly, I can’t wait any longer to express my liking of this game.
4 out of 5.
The Black Clock – Reviewed by REZ
November 8, 2007 at 8:2 | In Reviews | 1 CommentTags: Black, Clock, Max, Max Robertson, Robertson
Few games made with Game Maker attempt to set a mood, even fewer create a mood that makes the game itself worth playing. One of these unsung few, is The Black Clock by Max Robertson.
From the start of the game, you are thrown into a dark, somewhat depressing world. Obviously inspired by ‘The Ring’ and other grim tales, the game takes on a black and white setting inside a film reel where you play as a boy trapped in the reel itself. The overall story isn’t all that clear, as it is releaved through tid bits of flashing text and outbursts of random silhouettes and outlines of mansion residents. From what I was able to acquire, it has something to do with a mansion being torn down or rebuilt. Which ever is creepier.
The graphics are without a doubt, the most striking feature of the game. Robertson hand drew all of the in game graphics with the exception of a few player sprites. Rather than adding a photo shop effect or pixeling film grain, he gets the point across with almost Tim Burton style ink drawings. The sounds, although very real sounding, compliment the whacky drawings very nicely. The screams of little girls and house wives haunt to this day. If anything, the sounds themselves are the most frightening part of this game.
Another odd thing about this game, although its a horror game with no goal whatsoever, there seems to be very little violence involved. So hats off to you, Robertson, for making me jump a little out of my seat without the ol’ head in a box trick. Innovation at its finest indeed.
I won’t spoil anymore for you. The Black Clock is more of an experiment than a game (which probably explains why it was so short). I reccomend playing it if you’re a fan of exploration games.
GMC TOPIC LINK TO “THE BLACK CLOCK”
This game earns itself a solid 3 out of 5.
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