Players are thrust into the role of Roger Samms, an entomologist who specializes in roaches. After Samms embezzles his research funding, he gets his bags packed for a plane to Mexico. But just before he leaves his motel room, he remembers one more keepsake...

    His only memento of his mother, is a strange locket that he's had ever since he was a child. Just as he picks it up, he is seized by its latent magic, and a strange transformation occurs. He passes out, and when he wakes up he finds his soul trapped within the shell of a roach. The immediate questions that come to mind now are "Why is this happening?" and "How do I get out?"

    These questions pull Samms toward a deeper study of his own character, and towards a journey that seeks to save him from despair.

"DEATH TO ALL THAT CRAWL ON MY WALL"

    Bad Mojo is created by the same people who brought us the only game that I have received five times from hardware bundling, Iron Helix, and it shows. The presentation is rather slick, and features the same hipnotic sensibilites of that game. Just as in Iron Helix, danger, something not common to adventure games, is always imminent.

    The player guides Samms sans Samms body with nothing more than the keyboard. There are no special actions you can partake of, and you can only interface with the environment by pushing small objects with your near non-existent weight.

    Being a roach confronts you with immediate mortality, and in Bad Mojo lots of things can kill you. You can drown in toilets, get eaten by a cat, get burned by heaters, trapped in cobwebs and much, much, more.

    The lives are a bit ludicrous however, but they function well as autosaves if you haven't saved in quite a bit of time. I myself, finished the game without a single loss of life since I am pretty much freewheeling in how many save games I keep.

    Much of the puzzle play is very unique and interesting, but very simple. There are very few puzzles actually, and most of them have some unorthodox logic. I see no reason why I'd really want to turn on a television set or a radio, or look at the tops of liquor bottles in a specific order. But for some reason it is necessary. There are a few clever puzzles along the way, but they also tend be straightforward and rather easy.

    Those puzzles which don't seem to make sense tend to be driven by clues given to you by the Oracle, a mysterious lady who acts as Samms' spiritual guide throughout the game. Regularly throught the game, you'll spot a strange symbol that when touched, will give you advice from her in the form of a cryptic riddle. It's all very strange to hear a urinal referred to as a "porcelain god".

"ALL EYES ARE ON ME, ALL EYES ARE ON ME"

Much of Bad Mojo revolves around exploration. You'll be missing out on most of the plot and story if you run around just trying to solve the puzzles. The game's intro doesn't tell you much about Roger, so you'd be dumbfounded without taking a look at your surroundings.

    This however, is a good thing and a bad thing altogether. Sure, everything looks nice and pretty. But those kind of adjectives don't apply when you're looking at maggot-infested meat or dead cockroaches lying with their guts open for dissection.

    Sicker still, are the sounds that emanate from the slow decay of aforementioned meat or the the crunchy sounds of a cockroach being eaten. I believe I nearly lost my lunch from watching the undulating and pulsating body of a mother termite as it gestates.

    Key plot elements lie within books, papers, faxes and letters, and even objects and photographs that replay the memories they represent. Bad Mojo uses a really compressed Quicktime format for its movie files, and the videos look pretty much butt ugly compared to today's standards. Large photographs tend to produce some rather muddy looking memories, but small clips tend to be sharply rendered.

    Music is pretty much okay, but some of the tracks where so pulse-pounding, hypnotic and repetitive that I got a nasty headache just from playing. One of the eerier tracks from Samms' room would have been a lot better if it had a longer loop cycle.

"NONSENSE, THIS MAN CAN DO IT"

    Perhaps one of the things I like most about Bad Mojo, is its interesting themes and compelling meaning. I mean, the story isn't too great, and its a little trite, but it is a decently told tale. I don't want to spoil anything for you, but I guess it'll suffice to say that Bad Mojo tells a meaningful story about the human desperation and hopelessness that lies in its wretched protagonists.

    The ending is a bit of a letdown, however, but the whole experience overall isn't too bad. There are, however, multiple endings, four of them, and only one good. I'd have to say though, that I preferred one of the sadder endings, but that might just be the fatalist in me.

    While Bad Mojo lacks in powerful storytelling, it still works pretty well, and the fact is it has an interesting and well executed concept and great visuals. I can't say I'd heartily recommend it to everyone, but I'd have to say it isn't too shabby either.