The Next Step in Horror
I have not been too fond of Konami on the PSX like many have... although their games have been rather popular, I have not enjoyed them as much as I was told I was supposed to. This game is different though.
What we have here is another in the growing line of "Horror Adventures". Horror has not been unknown to games - many of the first on Sega Genesis - since they did not fear parents wanting to keep their kids from graphic games... things like Splatter House and Chakan the Forever Man have made way for some cool newer games such as D, House of the Dead, and Resident Evil.
I must admit, I turned the game on and the mono intro did not thrill me - it wasn't bad, but it should have been in stereo. The intro took a different approach - kinda like Twin Peaks... it seemed "odd". The story is setup that you and your daughter are going to a resort town and along the way, run off the road trying to avoid hitting a strange young female... you awaken to find your liitle girl gone from the car. As you search the foggy desolite town, you begin to get a feel for how strange the game is... one high point is the use of strange camera angles as you walk through an alley - I will not ruin it, but it is wierd... you get attacked and wake up in a diner with a lone police officer who is also stranded.
The game keeps you in that creepy feeling all the way through - I personally liked it alot... it makes you jump a few times. The music is also very odd and goes well with the game. The town shifts from normal to an alternate "possessed" version, which makes the game feel bigger... it's a nice idea to cuz it makes the area look new even if you've been in it already - it also serves to freak you out... one minute a deserted schoolroom with dislocated desks and fog outside - the next a "Hellraiserish" room with one desk with words written in blood, chains hanging from the ceiling and metal grating floors.
On easy level it took me 7 1/2 hours to defeat the game - using a walkthrough from the net... so puzzles didn't stall me. Also, I didn't do everything and got the worst ending. It was not easy to die at all, possibly due to such low damage from enemies from it being on easy. The town is not fully accessable, the game limits where you can go, but there is still a feel of covering ground. You often find yourself running through foggy streets and having your only help, a radio which picks static up when an enemy is near, going off. Kinda adding to the "alone" feeling. Whne you do find others - they seem to freak you out as well - knowing less than you do. They voice acting is o.k., but the main character does not seem frantic enough that his only daughter is lost and may be dead... the other characters creep you out because they are rather calm in a way too - it adds to the wierd factor of the game as they DO NOT act irrational.
I would almost call it "Twin Peaks" meets "Resident Evil"... it is odd. The graphics are nothing too spectacular. In being fully 3D, it has lost some flash... it has nice lighting effects and such, but the limits are there in character design and texture. It does well for the limits and still holds up. I really could not put it down once I got going - other than it actually giving me the creeps late at night when I first got it...
I give it a 10 - I loved it and wish for a remake on Dreamcast - make it bigger and longer!!!!
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