First attempt wasn't that good and my computer crashed just as I reached the end of the second. This was written at 9am, yay...
And a change of name? Yes I've been getting sloppy recently so I need to remind myself to keep a standard.
And a change of name? Yes I've been getting sloppy recently so I need to remind myself to keep a standard.
[HEADING=3]A Review of Sorts...[/HEADING]
[HEADING=1]Peekaboo[/HEADING]
[HEADING=3]_________...an indie game by Cleril[/HEADING]
Okay I wasn't sure where to put the spoiler boxes so I'll just say now Spoiler Alert- I'm not giving away the end or anything but I would advise going and playing this game first before you read this unless you don't care about having a sub-par experience. Link = http://www.mediafire.com/?emjm2wdmyxn. Anyway, on we go...
I have to admit that I don't really like horror games, I don't event watch horror films or even go on roller coasters that often, for some reason I just don't enjoy being terrified quite as much as most people seem to. That being said I can still appreciate horror games, but I would prefer a game that didn't try to scare me at every turn, I do own games with horror elements however, such as Resistance: Fall of Man and funnily enough the only parts of that game I distinctly remember are the ones in which I was terrified. But to create a game that truly is scary, you need to create the right kind of atmosphere, you need highly detailed halls, eerie music and bad lighting, you need to feel as though it is actually you that is creeping through those tunnels. Due to this, Peekaboo is a game that is set up to fail due to its retro 8-bit graphics and simplistic music but I have to say, I was pleasantly surprised.
The controls in Peekaboo are incredibly basic, you use the arrow keys to move and the space bar to interact with things, whether that be inspecting objects or fiddling around with them to solve puzzles. It isn't a very engaging system but the simplicity of it is charming. The story itself is equally as simple on the outside, you play James, a journalist who is sent to an abandoned mansion in Haven in order to report on a ghost story. Haven is obviously an area of high-superstition as you have to bribe the police to be allowed anywhere near the mansion and your taxi driver warns you that you won't even need to make a ghost story up. This story may not be the most diverse story in the world but it is made vastly better when you reach the mansion itself. It turns out the place is actually haunted and you must undergo a series of tests in order to escape. From thereon you are not told directly what is happening but it is up to you to piece parts of information together. The effect is very impressive since you find yourself drawn into the game as you join up clues and it is also, ultimately, satisfying especially with a story as dark, twisted and well-done as this one.
The game gets off to an extremely shaky start, you are presented with a blank screen and text only dialogue which is livened up, to an extent, by sound effects. The writing is sub-par, especially when compared to Cleril's other games like The Fall(en), some description comes across as very forced and simply reading text gets quite tiresome after a while. When you finally arrive at the mansion you are free to wander around the graveyard that marks the entrance and I advise you to do so. If you look carefully there is a blood-soaked patch of dirt that marks the place where a man, who is still alive, is buried. You are given the choice of calling 911, whereupon you will get through to an answering machine, or pretending that it isn't real. When you enter the mansion proper, you are greeted by something that calls itself Death, you black out as it ruches toward you and then regain consciousness in a suddenly wrecked and blood-stained mansion. This could have been done a lot better if the game weren't made in RPG maker but it's done very well for one that is.
As the door behind you is now locked (when isn't it), the only way to go is forward and to do this you have to collect four gems from for different rooms. To get each gem you have to complete a kind of game, two of these are simple "walk around and examine everything until something happens" type puzzles, which are rather boring but the other two are quite special. The one that I will mention is a dream scene where you dream you are a small child at his parents' graves. There is loud piano music playing in the background which is mildly off-putting, but then death appears at the graves and the music gets more and more distorted, manic laughter begins and more and more blood appears on the floor. It's remarkable as a game with 8-bit graphics actually manages to creep you out and it continues to do so in the so far unmentioned room and at the end.
As with other games by Cleril, the choices that you make during the game are prevelant, the example of the buried man is a minor one. Towards the end of Peekaboo you begin to make decisions that will affect the ending, to my knowledge there are at least three completely separate endings but I'll clarify with Cleril as to how many there are exactly.. They vary from the confusing and unfulfilling to the brilliantly creepy, one such ending had me sitting still for five minutes just to get over the experience. Is there an ending where you escape from the mansion? Well you'll see...
The experience to be had with Peekaboo varies dramatically on the person playing the game, it is possible to finish the game in five minutes if you know what you are doing and you just cannon through it, this will leave the player dissatisfied and ultimately confused as to what was actually going on. To experience the game properly you are forced to take your time in every room, you have to press space bar at anything and everything and while this may leave you with a minor case of repetitive strain injury, it is necessary for the horror element of the game. In some of the rooms there are notes littering the floor that describe previous events and some of it is incredibly creepy and well done. They have a kind of childish quality of innocence masking things that would put anyone at ill ease. The fact you have to completely explore each room in order to get the most out of the game is quite annoying but it is ultimately worth it.
I guess the type of horror Peekaboo is going for is disturbing, there are know "shock" scares, probably as that would be impossible given the style of the game. The simple things like sound effects, music and the notes left around really add to the effect and make this game unique. The beginning is lacking in things to disturb you with but it is vital to setting up the scene, the final parts of the game however, are incredibly creepy in a "Do you want to play a game?" way.
To close I will say that when I was first presented with this game in an unfinished state, I really did not enjoy it at all. But as it is now I would recommend the game to almost anyone as a fine example of an indie game done right, although more work on it could improve it even more. Even so, congratulations Mr. Cleril.
Is this an improvement? Even if it is I'd still like criticism from someone, thanks.
Have I missed anything? I couldn't think of anything else