Fatal Frame 5: Fourth Drop Gameplay
I have high hopes for Fatal Frame 5: Fourth Drop Gameplay. Last drop we were with Ren and Rui, who went back to the inn to find a memorial photo album. But this drop, I suspect, will be a lot more intense.
Character Cheat Sheet
- Yuri Kozukata – An orphan rescued from suicide by Hisoka, who can see “spirit traces”, like Hisoka. She’s in possession of the Camera Obscura, the camera that can combat ghosts. She can see shadow traces of people and items, and is using that to try and find the missing Haruka.
- Hisoka Kurosawa – Yuri’s mentor who runs an antique shop. She also reads fortunes and finds missing items and people by following their traces… but went missing on Mt. Hikami while looking for Haruka.
- Fuyuhi Himino – Employed Hisoka and Yuri to help her find her friend, Haruka. But while on Mt. Hikami was put into a trance and forced to commit suicide. Her spirit is now bound to Mt. Hikami.
- Haruka Momose – Fuyuhi’s missing friend. We suspect that she might be in the Shrine of Dolls but it’s unknown if she’s alive or dead.
- Ren Hojo – Ren is an author who lives with his assistant, Rui, at the base of Mt. Hikami. He often calls Hisoka Kurosawa to find things with her Shadow Reading.
- Rui Kagamiya – is the assistant to Ren Hojo.
Just to catch you up
We shift back to Yuri. Previously, Yuri went up Mt. Hikami to help Fuyuhi, who came in search of her missing friend Haruka. Unfortunately, before we could find Haruka Mt. Hikami and the Blackwater Maidens who haunt it claimed Fuyuhi. But we found clues that indicated Hisoka, Yuri’s teacher and guardian, is also on the mountain. And that Haruka might still be alive, somewhere in the Shrine of Dolls nestled in the mountain.
Determined to bring Haruka home alive, Yuri returns to the Shrine of Dolls…
Heading back up the mountain trail, Yuri catches a Shadow Trace of Haruka and snaps a picture. Doing so makes the afterimage of Haruka vanish, but a note appears where Haruka was standing.
In it, Haruka writes:
“I awoke to the sound of water.”
“I awoke to the sound of water. Should I press on, or go back? This is the point of no return. If I want to see Fuyuhi again…”
Does this trace know… that Fuyuhi is dead? Or did Haruka believe that Fuyuhi was on Mount Hikami, and that’s why she came?
Returning to Mount Hikami
Yuri continues her climb upward, reaching the Purification Pool. There, in its waters, a Maiden in white appears deep in contemplation. Yuri catches a photo of her, and learns that she’s a Wistful Shrine Maiden. Yuri’s quick hands are rewarded with Haruka’s second note.
“I came here because of the sunset.”
“I came here because of the sunset. It was so beautiful, it made me want to cry. It was the same sunset I saw when I survived. The sun seemed to sink into the mountain. I had to come and see it. Melting away into the waters of the mountain seems natural… It seems right. I feel like the others are telling me to. The ones who didn’t survive. The sunset is drawing closer. Or maybe I’m drawn to it.”
It seems that those who are close to death, who are suicidal or who have survived a near death experience in the past, are drawn to Mt. Hikami as if it exudes a siren song.
But once Yuri puts down the note, she’s immediately assaulted by several bloody-eyed Maidens. With Yuri’s newly updated camera, it’s an easy fight. And with them defeated, she touches them for a Fatal Glance and sees the Maidens last moment. Their brutal murder at the hands of a man who hated their all-seeing eyes.
We head up the path towards the Unfathomable Forest. Just down the path is the bridge to the Doll Shrine. And across it we see an image of Haruka.
Snapping it, Yuri see her standing, waiting. Unfortunately, the bridge is still out. But going to its edge, she see the corpse of a slaughtered maiden floating down stream. Taking a picture causes her to shimmer and fade into the water.
Unfortunately, there’s no choice but to delve back into the wild labyrinth of the Unfathomable Forest. And at the first junction, Yuri finds a strange leather mask. Touching it, Yuri sees the memory of a man with a camera, maybe ghost hunting.
He sees a noose. But before he can be lured into suicide like Fuyuhi, he sees the man who massacred the Blackwater Maidens plunging through the woods towards him. Moments later, the mask owner is slaughtered too.
I can’t help but to shiver at this. I once got lost in Aokigahara forest in the winter, which inspired this forest. And while I never saw a noose, the forest absolutely gave me the creeps.
Yuri drops the mask but it’s too late. A howl pierces through the woods and the man who slaughtered the maidens is headed right towards her, wielding his bloodied blade.
This is the first time we’ve gotten such a good look at him. And god, does he look insane. Tattoos cover his face, and his hair is a wild shock of white. But what’s important here is that he wants to kill Yuri, and he comes in swinging.
He’s far tankier and deadlier than anything we’ve fought so far. When he extinguishes his torch he turns invisible, and as he reaches the end of his health he bursts into a pyre of flames, still hellbent on killing the camera wielding girl.
But he goes down, and Yuri’s finally able to touch his ghostly essence.
In his last moments, he, like many others, came to Mt. Hikami to commit suicide and was tended to by one of the Blackwater Maidens. But once she glanced at his face and saw everything—his mind and the secrets within—he went mad. He slaughtered her and the rest of the maidens to ensure that no one would know his secrets.
With ever maiden dead, he returned to the body-filled pool of purification where he set himself on fire and cut his own throat.
I can’t really say I sympathize. What sort of terrible secrets wash he hiding that warranted such a slaughter?
Yuri continues onward, scrounging through the undergrowth for items. There’s film and herbal medicine galore. Drawing closer back to the main path, three wandering shrine maidens walk in single file, incandescent and lovely.
They vanish, and following them down the path Yuri sees that they’re now lying across the ground. The tattooed man gouging out their eyes.
Creeping closer, the images of the maidens and their murderer dissipates. But just a few feet away is another of Haruka’s notes.
It reads:
“Fuyuhi didn’t see the sunset.”
“Fuyuhi didn’t see the sunset. Only I could see it. That’s why I had to go alone. The light of the setting sun lives on in the mountain. I wish Fuyuhi could’ve seen it.”
How sad. Even though it led to their deaths, I think Fuyuhi would have liked to have seen the sunset with Haruka, too.
Reaching the entrance of the Shrine of Dolls, a trace of Haruka wanders towards its side, away from the main doors. She sings the Song of Memories, which Fuyuhi held so dear.
She might still be alive. But no part of me wants to go into this shrine.
Entering the Shrine of Dolls
Yuri slides open the side door and a child-sized doll greets her from the corner, staring down at a doll on the floor. They seem too lifelike.
I hate this shrine already.
Edging forward, more dolls stand in the hallway. Yuri presses on and one collapses to its knees. In the next room, there’s a doll discarded on the stairs. Ignoring the basement for now, Yuri heads into the next room, which is full of dolls and items.
Amongst the items is a lens and another note from Haruka.
The note reads:
“Ever since we survived, I’ve felt like every day could be my last.”
“Ever since we survived I’ve felt like every day could be my last. I feel closer to Fuyuhi than ever. It’s nice sharing secrets with her… Sharing my guilt. We often talk about the past. I remember a lot of things from back then…
Like how her face was the first picture I drew in kindergarten. We split the sheet of paper and drew each other. I remember growing taller than her, and how she stayed at my house while hers was being renovated. We often talk about that kind of stuff.
Most of all, I remember singing the Song of Memories at kindergarten graduation. I looked over at Fuyuhi and she was already looking at me, waving.
Whenever I hear that song, it makes me want to go back there… to that time.
My whole life has been flashing before my eyes. Of all the moments, that’s the one I want to keep on living over and over, forever.”
The notes continue to be some of my favorite moments in the Fatal Frame series. It makes the shadow of Haruka worth chasing. Yuri turns and sees a trace of Haruka, crouching down behind the dolls, near an altar.
Yuri crouches down to investigate and finds a wooden grate beneath it. It’s locked, but there’s no doubt that that’s where Haruka went. Yuri just needs to find a way to open it.
But as she stands up to leave, she realizes there’s someone else in the room with her.
A little girl with white hair.
We’ve seen here before, haven’t we? She was the girl sacrificed in Ren’s dream. But she’s here now and she’s giving off nothing but bad vibes.
“I know you want to die. Before you do, how about a game?”
This white hair girl challenges her to a game of hide and seek. Yuri must find a hidden effigy of herself. If she doesn’t, well… we’re not told what happens, but I suspect it’s nothing good.
The ghostly children we saw when we first came to Mt. Hikami briefly surround her before running off, and the white haired girl disappears. Where could it be hidden?
Heading downstairs into the waterlogged basement, Yuri finds shelf after shelf filled with dolls. Amongst them is a maiden like the one we encountered in the tutorial. She’s unmistakable because her top is open and her breasts are bigger than her head.
We make it to the other side unscathed, and find a book called The Doll Memorial. The book states that the shrine was built on top of the river. Dolls depicting those who passed would be placed in the river to be washed away, serving as a memorial.
No wonder the lower level is flooded. Heading into the main shrine room, there’s a man hunched over, his face masked, a black box on his back. The watchful eyes of three large dolls, obscured by thin bamboo blinds, stare down at him like little gods.
Moving into the side room, Yuri’s attacked by a doll for the first time, and I hate it. But this attack is just the first of many. Fortunately, these dolls go down with a single shot.
Through this room Yuri’s finally able to go outside, and if you asked me to draw a map of the shrine under the threat of death, you’d have to kill me. That place is a maze.
But outside, things have changed. The trees are filled with dolls, hanging from nooses.
It’s a disorienting, terrifying sight. One of the creepiest of the game. But once we take a picture of the right hanging doll our effigy is revealed.
The ghost children who accompanied the white-haired girl attack Yuri in a repeat of Drop Two. But they mostly circle around her, and the most efficient way to time it is to wait so they’re all in the same shot together. Sometimes they’ll even stand in a group for you.
Returning to the Shrine of Dolls
With effigy in hand, Yuri returns to the shrine, entering through a door that used to be locked. Inside is a doll crafting room, filled with pieces of dolls that looks too much like a serial killer’s slaughter house. Here we find another book titled Shrine of Dolls.
In it, the book states that the old dolls that fille the shrine contain tiny teeth, bones, and small bundles of hair tucked away inside.
Oh. Okay. So it kind of is a slaughterhouse. But you’re ramming the body parts inside of dolls. Okay.
Anyway.
These dolls are believed to contain the souls of deceased children who were offered to the shrine in a ritual. The cave below the shrine, known as Womb Cavern, also houses several human remains. This cavern, the writer believes, is where the bodies were disposed of.
But now that cavern has been renovated into a storage place for the old dolls.
So… that’s the water-logged area Yuri has been slogging through. The storage room for all these ritually killed children. Things are just getting worse and worse.
Another book nearby details the writer’s dreams with a group of children. In that dream, they’ll play Spirited Away, where they must seek out hidden effigies of themselves. If you’re the last to find your effigy, you’ll be spirited away.
The second game is called “Ghost Marriage”. In this case, everyone hides their dolls, except one person called the “Outsider”. That person then chooses a partner of the opposite sex and searches for their doll.
The owner of a doll that is found is “bound”, or married, to the Outsider. But if the Outsider finds the wrong doll, then the owner of that doll becomes the Outsider instead.
Well, we now know what sort of game the white-haired girl was playing with us. Hopefully Yuri found hers in time.
Returning downstairs into the doll storage area, Yuri finds a man standing in the water. I don’t know who he is or why he’s down here. It’s a difficult fight but we’re able to press on… until we meet the tutorial maiden again. And this time she isn’t passively waiting to dissolve into the water.
She attacks, but she’s easier than the man we dealt with a few moments before. And as we touch her ghostly essence, we see an image of her and four other maidens, standing hand in hand, facing a great tidal wave of black. She and the others succumb to it, sinking into the black waters.
Finally through the storage room, Yuri heads back into the doll room where she was first challenged to the game. Yuri sets her doll on the shrine, and the white girl appears again.
But it doesn’t seem like she wants to play fair, because she immediately attacks us. And she’s so much more annoying than the children we fought outside. But she goes down, and something clicks beneath the doll display. The wooden grate that prevented Yuri from following Haruka is finally open.
Descending into Womb Cavern
She slides down it, into the dark, and lands in a cave.
It seems not all of Womb Cavern has been converted into a storage room. This place is still its original stone, with water reaching up to Yuri’s thighs.
The tunnel splits into two and we see a man carrying a reliquary on his back. He warns someone, Yuri? Himself?, not to succumb to the black waters.
He vanishes but his voice echoes on. “It springs forth from the Netherworld. It is the Netherworld itself.”
“It springs forth from the Netherworld. It is the Netherworld itself.”
Or was it the black hair of the women who drowned in these waters that turned the water obsidian?
Looking down the path he took, the tunnel is well-lit with electric lights. Some semblances of modern civilization. We go down the left instead and see a trace of Haruka.
We can hear her saying:
“I need to take my heart… into the water… to the depths… Deeper, and deeper, and deeper…”
We step further into the room to see a pool filled with black boxes. They’re ornately decorated, their lids shut. Except for one, which has an arm protruding through its cracked door. Yuri opens it, to see who’s arm it might belong to.
It’s Haruka.
Yuri touches her, and sees Haruka, overcome with visions of a sunset. She’d been following the sunset this entire time, blind to her path through the woods, the Shrine of Dolls, and eventually here, into the Womb Cavern.
Lured as if by a trance to the black box, where a Blackwater Maiden forced her inside, filling the box with water. But she’s alive.
“Fuyuhi?” Haruka asks, as she stares disoriented up at Yuri. “I’m melting.” She collapses into Yuri, who falls back into the water, unable to hold her weight.
But Haruka’s escape from her almost coffin triggered something terrible. The nearby black box springs open and a woman slides out in a gush of water, screaming, like a terrible birth.
The battle is fast and violent. Once she’s down, Yuri touches the woman’s essence and sees an image of the masked men carrying holy relics on their back. They’re forcing a woman inside the box, who screams and begs for them to let her go. The box is thrown into the dark water and opens, her crushed body floating upward. The box was too small to contain her body, and so her bones were broken to fit.
Did she escape now and attack Yuri and Haruka because she was angry that she was never rescued? We’ll likely never know. But now her box is filled with dark water, with something like hair floating on its surface.
Yuri introduces herself and promises to get Haruka out of this cave and back to safety.
Back in the doll shrine, Haruka follows us through its labyrinth of doors and halls. She murmurs to herself about how she needs to apologize to Fuyuhi, repeating over and over that she’s sorry. If you played other Fatal Frame games, you know this isn’t a good sign. It’s possible she’s still possessed.
Outside the Shrine of Dolls
Outside the shrine, we can hear the Song of Memories. Is it Fuyuhi singing? Haruka runs off, following it. Yuri must follow Haruka’s trace again before it’s too late.
In the distance, Haruka calls for Fuyuhi and then speaks to her.
But if she’s found Fuyuhi, does that mean she’ll see Fuyuhi kill herself? If she does, will she be compelled to commit suicide too?
But as Yuri gets close, she finds that it’s not Fuyuhi. It’s the ghost that tricked Fuyuhi into committing suicide. Yuri takes them down, and finally, we’re able to leave for the mountain with Haruka in tow.
Back at the antique shop
And with Hisoka gone, Yuri calls for Ren and Rui instead, while Haruka rests in one of the spare bedrooms.
They ask Haruka why she was there, on the mountain, in the womb cavern. All Haruka can say was that she saw the setting sun, and it drew her in. She became a part of it, as if she was melting.
She demands to see Fuyuhi, saying she can hear their song. The Song of Memories. No one responds. No one has the heart to tell her what happened to Fuyuhi.
Rui promises that she and Ren will be over at the antique shop as often as possible to support Yuri until Hisoka comes back.
Yuri finds Ren in Hisoka’s office, asleep. But he’s caught in a nightmare.
Yuri touches him and sees his dream. In it, Ren is a child, holding a knife against the back of the white-haired girl. Did he kill her?
He wakes up and he and Rui leave.
Now it’s just Yuri and Haruka alone in the antique shop. But as Yuri has her bath, she leans back into the water and is surrounded by black hair. It pulls her under, submerging her, and when she rises again she’s on the inside of one of the black boxes in the Womb Cavern.
She bangs her fists desperately against the lid, only for a face to rise out of the waters in front of her.
But it was just a dream. She wakes with a start on her bed in the antique shop, fully clothed but soaking wet. She’s certain that her dream was similar to what Haruka experienced.
Wanting to know more she goes to Haruka’s bedroom. But Haruka isn’t there. Yuri checks the security cameras and sees Haruka leaving, followed by Fuyuhi’s ghost, that is luring her back to the mountain.
FINAL VERDICT
Whoo! Okay, now we’re finally playing a Fatal Frame game. Fatal Frame 5: Fourth Drop Gameplay is my favorite, by far. I was so tired of the dumb inn, of the tutorial, of all that. But the Shrine of Dolls was exactly what this game needed to bring the claustrophobic atmosphere that Fatal Frame games are known for.
I will say, some of the fear was reduced by having the children-sized dolls have their kimonos open so you could see their chest. Like, why? If you want to mingle horny and horror, do it in a cool way. Like, Silent Hill-ish. Look at Asphyixia!
Anyway, that’s my pet peeve.
Otherwise, the battles are more challenging. The aesthetic is on point. The lore, as always, is immaculate. Like, gorgeous, love it. Love the obscene child-killing rituals, the forcing people into boxes. Don’t know what’s happening, don’t care. It’s really cool. It was also a huge mistake to play this game past midnight, I don’t know what I was thinking.
5 out of 5 Cthulhu heads. First one in the series!
Time: Approximately 1 hour 30 minutes.
Gaming
Stygian: Reign of the Old Ones (2019), a Game Review
Stygian: Reign of the Old Ones (2019) is a tactical role-playing video game developed by Cultic Games, evoking Lovecraftian horror.
Stygian: Reign of the Old Ones (2019) is a tactical role-playing video game developed by Cultic Games, evoking Lovecraftian and cosmic horror. Published by Fulqrum Publishing, this game is available through Linux, macOS, and Windows. This review will cover the $19.99 Steam release.
The Great Old Ones have awakened, exiling Arkham after the events of Black Day. Design your character and face the abominations of Arkham. Explore the 1920s through a Lovecraftian aesthetic as you unravel the secrets that plague Arkham, facing unknowable cosmic horror and malicious abominations.
What I Like Stygian: Reign of the Old Ones
The depth of character creation starts the game off on the right foot. While appearance has various options, the game provides greater variety in motives, age, and origins, adding different gameplay elements. For example, age reflects lived experience and physical competency. The younger your character, the less experienced but more physically capable. This dynamic requires trial and error to find the best choice for you.
The paper cutout art provides a unique interpretation of a familiar (but stylish) Lovecraftian aesthetic. While not the most haunting execution of the Lovecraftian, it still manages to unsettle and unnerve while maintaining visual interest. That said, if the style doesn’t suit the player’s taste, Stygian: Reign of the Old Ones might leave that player wanting.
While I find the story engaging and the mysteries worth exploring, there’s a massive caveat to that claim. Regardless, if you fancy the Lovecraftian, few care as deeply and express as much knowledge of the genre as Cultic Games in this installment. This love and knowledge shines through in the often subtle allusions and references to the expanded universe. It may earn its place as the most Lovecraftian game out there.
The characters vary in interest and likability, but there’s usually something about them to add to the overall mystery. Naturally, this remains most evident in the companions that accompany the player on their journey.
In terms of horror, Stygian: Reign of the Old Ones achieves notable success. Despite the subjective points of aesthetics, the game brings out the most unsettling and uncomfortable elements of Lovecraftian and cosmic horror.
Tropes, Triggers, and Considerations
With an understanding of the Lovecraftian comes the question of how to deal with racism. Most properties try to remove this context, but Stygian: Reign of the Old Ones recognizes the text and era (the 1920s) with caricatures such as a lunatic in blackface. I won’t say it fully explores these toxic elements, but it’s not painted in a positive light.
Insanity and mental illness play a large role in the mechanics of the game, such as becoming a key component of casting spells. Loosely related, drug addiction and usage are mechanics with varying degrees of necessity depending on your build.
If these are deal breakers, perhaps give Stygian: Reign of the Old Ones a skip.
What I Dislike about Stygian: Reign of the Old Ones
In terms of story, this game is unfinished, leaving many plots, quests, and arcs with unsatisfying cliffhangers. My understanding is that Cultic Games planned to finish the game, but money ran out, and the focus shifted to an upcoming prequel. I imagine the goal is to use this new game to support a continuation. But that doesn’t change the unfinished state of Stygian: Reign of the Old Ones. The beginning and middle remain filled with content, but the final act (loosely stated) falls monstrously short.
While this unfinished state mostly affects content, I did run into game-breaking bugs. From my understanding, these bugs completely hinder progress. Most are avoidable, but some are unlucky draws.
It’s these points that make this a challenge to recommend, requiring the potential player’s careful consideration.
Final Thoughts
Stygian: Reign of the Old Ones accomplishes what many games fail, bringing to life the Lovecraftian. Unfortunately, this game falls short at the end and leaves game-breaking bugs as potential deterrents for full enjoyment. If what you read above entices you, it may be worth the investment. However, it’s unfair to recommend this game within its compromised state.
(2 / 5)
Gaming
Ashen (2018), a Game Review
Ashen (2018) is a souls-like action RPG developed by A44 and published by Annapurna Interactive available across all platforms.
Ashen (2018) is a souls-like action RPG game developed by A44 and published by Annapurna Interactive. This game provides a single-player and multiplayer experience with passive multiplayer mechanics. For this review, I am discussing the 39.99 Steam release, but it’s also available in the Epic Game Store, Xbox, Nintendo Switch, and PlayStation.
In this bitter world, your character seeks to make a home for yourself and others. This goal requires you to fight for every inch of land, building connections and alliances to maintain a thriving village. Venture further to make the world a more hospitable place, but know the further you travel, the greater the threats.
What I Like about Ashen
In 2017, Ashen earned a nomination for the Game Critics Awards’ “Best Independent Game.” It would later earn several more nominations in 2019. At the National Academy of Video Game Trade Reviewers Awards, it received nominations for “Game, Original Role Playing” and “Original Light Mix Score, New IP.” It was nominated for “Most Promising New Intellectual Property” at the SXSW Gaming Awards. Finally, at the Golden Joystick Awards, it earned a nomination for “Xbox Game of the Year.”
The multiplayer experience remains essential for Ashen, focusing on you and a partner venturing together to explore an open-world environment. However, the single-player experience is my focus and the game accounts for this gameplay. Ashen often pairs you with a villager who helps with the challenges.
The art style remains a plus throughout the gameplay. Though muted in colors and lacking finer details, the style creates a unique world that allows players to get lost along their journey. If the aesthetic doesn’t evoke that curiosity, then Ashen becomes hard to recommend.
Vagrant’s Rest and the inhabitants remain a strong incentive to continue on your journey. Seeing the progression of the town and building connections with the people provide the most rewarding experience.
In terms of horror, the art style often evokes an eerie atmosphere. However, I won’t go so far as to say the game is haunting. Instead, it evokes emotions that can unsettle and unnerve the gamer.
Thoughts and Considerations
The souls-like influence remains straightforward. Progression requires the player to defeat enemies and collect currency for weapons or certain item upgrades. Ashen simplifies and focuses its gameplay, reducing variety to polish its choices. The gameplay remains fluid, with a few hiccups that might be a computer issue.
If you prefer magic or defined classes, the gameplay doesn’t enable this variety. Item upgrades and choices define your playstyle, allowing most items to be playable at any stage of gameplay.
Weapons make a greater difference in playstyle. Most of these differences are self-evident (i.e. blunt weapons are slower but stun), but upgrades make any weapon viable. You pick an aesthetic and function, sticking with it until something better catches your eye.
What I Dislike about Ashen
As mentioned, the game had some technical issues. I often assume this to be my computer, but I did note a few others mentioning similar issues. The gameplay remains fluid, so take this comment as a small point of consideration.
With limited roleplay options, liking the characters or art style remains essential for your time and money investment. As mentioned, the game doesn’t hold the variety of FromSoftware, which means their selling point comes from that unique art style and world.
Passive multiplayer is a major part of the marketing for Ashen. While I don’t mind this mechanic, 6 years after release reduces the overall impact. When so few wanderers appear in your game, it’s hard to see the overall appeal.
Final Thoughts
Ashen delivers a highly specialized souls-like experience, preferring to perfect what it can at the cost of variety. If the art appeals and the thirst for a souls-like has you wanting, Ashen stands as a strong contender. However, there are many contenders which make this hard to overtly recommend.
(3 / 5)
Gaming
I Have No Mouth, and I Must Scream (1995), a Game Review
I Have No Mouth, and I Must Scream (1995) is a point-and-click horror game based on Harlan Ellison’s award-winning short story.
I Have No Mouth, and I Must Scream (1995) is a point-and-click horror game based on Harlan Ellison’s award-winning short story of the same name. Developed by Cyberdreams and The Dreamers Guild, this adaptation brings a new perspective to a familiar story. I heard of free purchasing opportunities for this game but cannot verify the quality. For this review, I played the 5.99 Steam release.
Play as one of the remaining humans on earth: Gorrister, Benny, Ellen, Nimdok, and Ted. Each faces a unique challenge from their common torturer, the AI supercomputer known as AM. Chosen by AM to endure torment, these challenges require the participants to face their greatest failures and tragedies.
What I like about I Have No Mouth, and I Must Scream
Having experienced this story a few times, Harlan Ellison provides the most substantive execution of his vision and moral questions in this game. While all have individual merits, I assume the added content and context better dive into the relevant points he hoped to explore. He also played the voice of AM, giving us the emotional complexity of the machine as he saw it.
As the above comment indicates, I Have No Mouth, and I Must Scream remains a faithful adaptation with only one notable change. While that one change does reflect in that character’s journey, it uses that opportunity to the fullest. Where the short story left room for potentially inaccurate interpretations of the characters, this added context makes us better understand them.
The game’s writing remains a selling point for this story-driven experience. It dives further into the lore of the human characters and even allows further development of AM in the process. There are many ways to progress, and the multiple characters allow gamers to adventure further if stuck. That said, progressing individual characters to complete their journey remains essential for the true ending and experience.
As a point-and-click game made in 1995, I Have No Mouth, and I Must Scream holds up well. In many ways, it pushed the genre in its time with dynamic storytelling and game features. Harlan Ellison was someone who pushed boundaries to challenge himself and others. He saw the gaming industry as another opportunity to evoke story-driven art, a focus reflected here.
Thoughts, Triggers, and Considerations
I Have No Mouth, and I Must Scream adapts a dark and bleak story from an author notorious for his dark material. This game is no exception to that standard. Mental illness, sexual assault, genocide, and torture envelop the game. These elements are handled with attention but remain triggering to those sensitive to such dark material.
If these are deal breakers, I Have No Mouth, and I Must Scream will likely earn a skip.
What I Dislike, or Considerations, for I Have No Mouth, and I Must Scream
While the short story remains a haunting example of fiction in every sentence, I Have No Mouth, and I Must Scream doesn’t evoke the same tension. It allows room to breathe or refocus on another character, which reduces the horror such a story evokes. While the characters participate in their torment, the loss of agency and hopelessness doesn’t translate in the execution.
Some mechanical and gameplay issues are noteworthy. For example, the saving mechanic remains dated, piling up if you save often or for specific reasons. Most of the mechanical issues stem from outdated UI from a gamer of a more modern era. Play it long enough, and elements start to click, but it needs that user investment.
Point-and-click caters to a niche audience, so modern gaming audiences aren’t inherently the demographic. The puzzle-solving and gameplay won’t win you over if the genre isn’t to your taste. Even within the genre, many of the puzzles remain challenging. For fans of the genre, this likely earns a positive merit. For those looking to continue the short story, this challenge will prove an obstacle.
Final Thoughts
I Have No Mouth, and I Must Scream provides a new opportunity for the award-winning story to reach new audiences and continue to grow. Not satisfied with repeating his story in a new medium, Harlan Ellison expands this bleak world through the point-and-click game. While not as haunting as the short story, this game provides the most context and development of any adaptation before it.
(4 / 5)
