Outcry is
definitely different. The designers created a unique atmosphere to the game by
depicting it visually as an old, grainy film throughout the entire game. While
the different chapters are depicted in different color themes, they are all
washed with the same overall graininess, light fluctuations and wavering lines
that run across intermittently. This visual affect makes the whole game seem
almost like a memory of times past. The actual time frame of the story is
unstated, and could be anytime between the late 19th century and
early 20th century. This is a strange-looking game, and the story
is just as strange to match.
The
protagonist’s brother is missing, and is searching his apartment for any clues
to his brother’s disappearance. Once he enters the apartment, he listens to a
recorded audio message from his brother stating that if he is listening to
this message, then the worst must have happened. He then begins to investigate
the apartment, and discovers many strange writings and machines. It soon
becomes apparent that his brother believed that a form of time travel could be
achieved by separating the mind from the body. The rest of the game is spent
trying to follow the path taken by his brother.
The story is
bizarre, and the setting equally so. Everything is muted and gloomy, and the
music is soft and sad, as well. This is a lonely game, on the lines of
Myst and The Lighthouse, but even more so. At
least in those games there was sunlight.
Like the
classic Myst, this is a first-person adventure.
The look and type of mechanical puzzles is a little similar to the ones in
Syberia, with a sort of
H.G.Wells or Jules Verne feel and appearance to them. The isolation is
furthered by the soft music and minimal sound effects, plus the lack of any
real human interaction with other characters. This is a puzzle-driven game,
with a mix of inventory-based and mechanical puzzles. These puzzles range from
slightly difficult to very difficult. The main challenge with the manipulative
mechanical puzzles is that there is an almost total absence of any type of
direction while working the puzzle. There is no visual feedback, and only a
few times where sounds give a few hints. And, to find out if the combination
is successful, oftentimes the player will have to leave the location and see
if anything is happening elsewhere. I admit, I used
a walkthrough to get past a few of the lever and handle ones.
The story
centers on a mystical separation of mind and body, which supposedly can enable
a type of time travel. This story is interesting, but is cluttered with too
many different ideas on this subject. Dolmens (ancient stone buildings), Freud
and Jung, and even botany are among the many subjects that are presented to
further the story. By introducing so many different reasons for the
possibility of time travel, the story becomes a confusing mixture of separate
parts, rather than a cohesive whole.
This is a
Russian designed game and has been translated into English for the North
American market. The translation is bad, but is not as jarring as in Sinking
Island, as most of the language is written rather than spoken. I did have to
laugh at the “antic potsherds,” though. Makes you wonder what they were
getting up to, huh? What was really funny about that phrase was the fact it
was spoken in a straight manner by the person reading it in English. Most of
the papers can be read silently, but sometimes there is a mandatory reading of
the material. This narrator didn’t seem to have accented English, but he
couldn’t have been a native English speaker, unless he was a robot. There were
many other strange wordings. What does it mean to “couch” a plant in a
greenhouse? Is this a real botanical term?
Finding the
different clues and items can be a little challenging. Hunting for things is
quite difficult, as everything is the same color and dark, and sometimes
things are found at odd viewpoints, in corners of the screen or way down on
the floor. The camera viewpoints are narrow and players can only see one
aspect of an area at a time in most locations. Also, sometimes things have
interactive icons, but can’t be used yet until something else is done. Many
clues to solve different puzzles are tucked away in dry readings about
psychology and plants, so it is important to not skip reading everything that
is found.
The puzzles
are the best feature of the game in terms of enjoyment, and are
well-integrated with the story and are mostly logical. There is never a
feeling that they are inserted solely to exist; they all have a purpose. While
there should have been more direction and feedback for these puzzles, most
people who really like fiddling with levers and the like will not have too
much of a problem.
Outcry is
indeed a unique and stylish game, and as such, is worth a try for players who
enjoy these types of first-person adventures that are heavy on the mechanical
puzzles and light on the dialogue. I found the story confusing and a little
dull with all the required reading, but others may really enjoy it. This is
much more my husband’s type of game rather than mine; he’s a
Myst guy and I’m a Monkey Island girl. For the
right person, this is the right game. The price is right, too, at $20.
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Gameplay: 6.0
The gameplay is a mixed
bag. The puzzles are quite good and challenging, but the story is all over the
place. Also, the reading of dull material which is written in very bad English
is not much fun, but required. Even if the translation was better, the
material would still be uber boring. The
atmosphere is handled very well, with the use of graphics and music to produce
a creepy, silent world of days gone by. But the story takes away somewhat from
this effect.
Graphics: 8.0
The
graphics are excellent.
Sound: 8.0
The
music and sound effects are exactly right.
Difficulty:
Hard
The
puzzles range in difficulty from medium to very hard. Some may have gamers
scrambling for a walkthrough.
Concept: 6.0
Outcry has a great concept, but the execution isn’t as expected. Again, the
bad writing really takes away from the game as a whole.
Overall: 6.5
Even though Outcry looks and sounds pretty good, looks don’t make a game. It
has to be fun and interesting, too. While there are many aspects of this game
that are interesting, there are also many times when the
gameplay is boring and lackluster. The story as a whole just doesn’t
appeal or resonate, and the writing is bad. Making people listen to the same
spoken passages every time they look at some of the entries is not ideal,
either. The diary is a large pain to try to read while the narrator is droning
on and on. The only solution is to turn off the sound. The puzzles are very
good for the most part, but getting the required pieces and clues isn’t always
all that fun. On the other hand, gamers that enjoy solving mechanical puzzles
in a solitary game setting will enjoy this game, despite the problems.
