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(More customer reviews)WARNING: You cannot use your mouse (or a joystick) in this game at all. The game's navigation is strictly keyboard-driven, and it can be really awkward. If you play adventure games because you dislike action/arcade games where the emphasis is on finger dexterity, then you may want to avoid this one.
My biggest disappointment with this game was that I spent more time correcting my own navigational errors than I did solving puzzles or figuring out next steps. It was especially irritating when the scene contained many objects, like barrels or crates or lampposts, because they would stop me dead in my tracks if I was too close to them. I can't tell you how annoying it was to have to turn 90 degrees, move forward past the object, then turn again just so I could start moving in the direction I really wanted to go.
The game defaults to pressing "W" to move forward, "A" to move left, etc., but at least you can change these settings if you're not comfortable navigating with your left hand. I ended up setting mine to use the number pad, since I couldn't use the up/down/left/right cursor arrows. The cursor arrows are reserved for manipulating objects, accessing the inventory, and talking to other characters. (Not allowing your keyboard's designated movement keys actually to be used for the purpose of movement -- yet another frustrating and senseless bit of game design.)
Another aggravation was that the game had default perspectives that it would jump to after I stopped moving. It would swing around dizzyingly, in order to reset my view of the scene. What was annoying about this was that, all too often, the view was reset to a perspective that had me looking down at the back of my own character's head, blocking out everything else so I couldn't immediately see where I wanted to move next. Eventually, I sort of got the hang of it and was able to move more quickly, but it was always awkward and inefficient.
Unfortunately, the problems with the keyboard interface weren't only related to navigation. Whenever I had to interact with objects, I couldn't do it unless my body was in exactly the right spot and turned in exactly the right direction. Some of the hot spots were so sensitive that if I even twitched in the wrong direction, I was unable to interact with the object in question. For this reason, I had to use the game's search function almost continually. The search function allowed me to see all of the objects I could interact with in an area. Without it, I would have missed many objects because, even though I stopped right next to them, I still didn't manage to trigger the hot spots. The problem with using a search function, though, is that it takes away some of the challenge of the game. Much of the fun of adventure games comes from observing the scene and trying to figure out what's useful and meaningful. Using the search function pretty much hand-feeds you the clues.
As far as game play was concerned, there were only a few puzzles and they were pretty simple. More emphasis was placed on figuring out where to go, whom to talk to, and how to use the inventory. The conversations with other characters were usually short and relevant, and when I did have to speak to someone again, it wasn't too bad, because there was an interactive map that allowed me to jump between locations quickly. The graphics weren't impressive -- not even close to games like Syberia, Aura, Longest Journey, Still Life, etc. -- and the music would swell into a clashing, horror-movie score at the oddest, most inappropriate times. The story itself was engaging enough...an 18th-century murder mystery with supernatural elements (ghosts, witches, demons) and a bit of alchemy thrown in. Near the end, the game was affected by the choices I made (e.g., the game continued for a much longer time depending on whom I declared to be the murderer). It was very easy to die in this game, and there was no recovery, so it was necessary to save often. Also, the ending was heavily affected by how the final puzzle pieces were placed.
A final comment regarding the game's difficulty: One thing that surprised me was how much hand-holding there was. For example, I would go into a new area, look around, find some clues or useful objects, and then decide to go elsewhere. But when I tried to leave by the same door/path, my character would say to himself, "I should stay here and investigate more...perhaps I missed something." The door wouldn't open again until I had seen all possible clues in that area. Frankly, I thought this made the game too easy. However, you might appreciate it if you generally find adventure games too difficult or if you rely heavily on walkthroughs.
Click Here to see more reviews about: Dead Reefs
The island of Dead Reefs was infamous for the wicked pirate inhabitants that would lure passing ships into the reefs slaughtering their crews and looting their cargo as the ships would sink. One stormy evening while on a fateful mission to a neighboring island an ancient order of monks decided to set anchor on Dead Reefs to take refuge only to fall victim to the vile pirates led by the corrupt island ruler Baron DeSantra. After murdering the ship s captain and searching his body the Baron would discover an old relic far more evil than any of them could ever imagine!Since that fateful night a horrifying madness has been infecting the minds of the island residents resulting in a murder every nine years. Believing that the massacre of the monks had cursed their island the residents ended their pirating ways but the deaths continued! Days before the anticipated 11th death was to occur a descendant of the wicked Baron DeSantra mysteriously died. You are the ingenious investigator Amadeo Finvinero and you have been sent by the King to discover the source of all the evil plaguing the island of Dead Reefs!FEATURES:Dynamically evolving events will keep the player entertained for hours Player choices will affect the advancement and outcome of the game Unique devices and contraptions used for traveling within the game Atmospheric sound music and visuals will immerse gamers into the story Characters have real-life personalities and unique mannerisms System Requirements:Platform: Windows 98 / Me / XP / 2000Media: CD-ROMFormat: WIN 98ME2000XP Genre:ENTERTAINMENT Rating:T UPC:625904522504 Manufacturer No:PCO52250MB
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