Genre: AdventureDeveloper: CyberdreamsYear: 1992
Rating: 0.00 / 10.00
(based on 0 votes)
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Over the history of gaming, very little decent horror games were released, so Dark seed kind of feels like one of a kind. And it has nearly all virtues of a great classic: atmosphere, gameplay, innovation, graphics, sounds. Then why wasn't it a hit?
You play the role of Mike Dawson (yes, the creator the very game). Looking for a break from designing computer games in a quiet place where he can start his career as a writer, Mike moved into a mansion in the town of Woodland Hills. In his first night in the new home he has a terrible nightmare about an alien artifact being painfully put into his brain... and wakes up with a hell of a headache. That's all, for the start.
The atmosphere counts on the artwork of a genius called H. R. Giger, creator of the monsters from the Alien movie series (check his work if you're into bizarre/erotic, Alien is just one of his incredible creations). The soundtrack is also well placed for such a game.
That's pretty much it for atmosphere. The characters and dialogs are pretty shallow for the most part -- which is a great waste of plot. A game with such a potential should offer some weird people to deal with, but everyone is oblivious and all too mundane -- that is, if they decide to talk to you at all. Very sad.
Gameplay is ok, no problems there. There're only a few commands really, and I found that relieving: the game's already too challenging without a dozen commands to try. There's a bit of pixel-hunting sometimes, but nothing too absurd, just the usual look-for-clues kind of game.
In my opinion, the problem that spoils this game is a combination of challenges that makes it practically impossible to beat without a walkthrough. Some puzzles have dubious solutions. Some places need to be checked more than once for you to find vital items (like the overcoat on which you have to click two or three times until you notice there's something in its pocket). Many times in the game you'll have only one chance to grab a clue or item and these demand you to be in the right place in the right time -- and sometimes you have no real reason to be there (like all times you depend on a phonecall -- you'll never know when they'll call you, and there's a very specific time). And finally: you have exact three days to complete the game, and if you miss something in one day, all further progress is in vain. This not only dictates a strong linearity, but more importantly, makes sure you don't finish the game easily. There's a very strict set of steps you need accomplish in order to complete each day correctly, and if you're not home by nightfall, all is lost. Be prepared to load often, and sometimes return to the beginning of the game for very little.
Aside from that, Dark seed is still a very good game. Its plot develops well, with some very interesting puzzles and twists. Fans of horror games can't miss this one! But maybe if you're not a hardcore adventurer, you might find it just too tough to be good.
