OK … I must admit it. I’m a
big fan of action games and anything usually revolving around high speeds, heavy
weaponry or medieval RPG style gameplay. Well, now and then I do get the
opportunity to sit down and read a good book. Usually I choose John Saul or Dean
Koontz … if I’m in that paranormal, creepy, investigative kind of mood. In that
same “P.I.” kind of sense, I also took the opportunity to review Post Mortem
from Microids and The Adventure Company, which is more of a sleuthing “search
and find” kind of game. Since it’s not my usual cup of tea, you might be saying,
“did I enjoy it”? Well, it’s up to you to read on and solve that mystery for
yourself.
Our grisly little tale (or game) opens up in
Paris, France around the 1920’s. A gentleman by the name of Gus MacPherson has
retired from his esteemed private investigations in the U.S. to pursue a career
in painting, definitely more in a starving artist’s kind of lifestyle. A strange
and sensual woman by the name of Sophia Blake shows up one night and asks for
his help. It seems as though Sophia’s wealthy sister and husband were murdered
and decapitated in a nearby ritzy hotel … and the police are evidently moving
way too slow for her satisfaction. Gus decides to help her out. Armed with her
number, some detective tools, and the gift of clairvoyance, he heads out into
the night to get some answers.
The game engine in Post
Mortem runs very similar to other titles in the same genre that are out. In each
area that you can visit, you have full 360 rotational view movements and a small
cursor to indicate the center of where you are looking. When you can move to
another area, grab an item, or talk to someone the cursor turns into a little
icon representing the action that you are allowed to take, and left clicking
activates the action. Right clicking the mouse opens up your inventory, and left
clicking an item in the inventory will allow you to try and use it, read it, or
whatever you are trying to do with it at the time. Simple, huh?
To its credit, one thing
that kept me playing was a well-written and bizarre storyline that introduces
you to some weird (and sometimes creepy) locations and people. The voice acting
and script were done well, and the voiceovers will help give you an indication
of whom you are dealing with. The snobby hotel clerk for example sounds and acts
like a snobby hotel clerk, which in a game that lacks a lot of action definitely
helps in keeping the game moving along.
Another benefit to the game
is the level of challenge (but not frustration) in questioning potential
witnesses or suspects. Due to the fact that there are usually multiple questions
and responses that can be given during a conversation, it’s easy to make a
mistake and say something wrong. Well, with some people it shuts off the
conversation for good, while others you can make a come back with. Even with the
ones who just won’t talk anymore, I never really got stuck since it made me look
a little harder for another possible clue or person to question which gave me
some answers I needed.
While Post Mortem has a
good, entertaining story and some occasional brainwork to be done, there are
also some things that could have been done a little better. For starters, games
like this need a good amount and variation of puzzles to solve. While Post
Mortem delivers some decent ones, many seemed out of place or didn’t seem to
make sense in the outcome or the story. Overall, most of the game will have you
running around talking to people rather than deciphering strange letters or
finding codes to locks or whatever you would think a detective would do anyway,
and some of the puzzles can be downright frustrating (5 lock picks … only two
work … and there are probably 120 possible ways to do them).
Another little issue that I
ran across in my sleuthing around in this game comes in the overall replay
value. Due to most of the game being conversational, you can usually flit around
getting answers pretty quickly … even with a stubborn puzzle or two here and
there. Well, when the game is over in a couple of days, you don’t have a lot of
reason to go back and play it through again unless you want to try and get a
different ending or try a different line of questioning. Add in the fact that
you can’t skip dialogue and may have to go through entire scenes over again, and
you may just say, “forget it” and begin searching for another game to play
instead.
Graphically, the cut scenes
looked great … from the disturbing opening to the bitter and strange end. The in
game graphics consist of still shots that you look around in, dotted here and
there by moving people indicating that you can talk to them. That’s not
horrible, but in a bistro with about 20 people in it, everyone but two people
are accessible and everyone else looks like an oil painting. In addition, the
character animation looked good during a conversation, but the characters tended
to keep repeating the same motions over and over again … sometimes whether they
were talking or not.
From a sound perspective,
the music overall was done well for the time frame and would occasionally switch
tones depending on what the situation was. Also, as I stated before, the voice
acting was well done and the script was well written … so it will most likely
keep your attention as you guide Gus around helping him solve the mystery.
Overall, I have to say that
I enjoyed Post Mortem’s story and the good job that Microids did in the overall
presentation of the game. I personally think that there were some things that
could have been done better, and some extra clues and item gathering like the
old Police Quest games on 386 PC’s could have added to the overall experience.
If you enjoy this sort of storyline and game style, you should have fun with
this one (My wife watches umpteen hours of Court TV and thought it was great).
If you’re more of an action gamer like me, you might want to save the $30.00 and
grab something that delivers a little more bang for your buck.
Gameplay: 7.1
The game itself
is easy to pick up and figure out due to a simple point and click interface, and
the great storyline will keep you sitting down to see what’s going to happen
next. Microids also put a good amount of different conversations and directions
in to make you think a little bit before talking. Unfortunately, the puzzles
seemed a little odd or misplaced at times, and the rewards to some of them
didn’t really make sense for what you were being asked to do. Lastly, while
there are a few different endings to get depending on what you do in the game,
not being able to skip long dialogue you’ve heard before may put a dent in the
replay value.
Graphics: 7.2
The movies were
great, but the rest of the game … while well done … was static backgrounds all
of the time and certain areas suffered a bit because of it since you suddenly
felt like you stepped into an oil painting. Also, the animations were decent but
many of the movements were repetitive loops.
Sound: 8.1
The music score
did a good job in setting the timeframe and the scenarios when you would
interview someone. Also, the voiceovers, acting, and script were written well
and will definitely help in keeping your attention as the story progresses.
Difficulty: Medium
Don’t get me
wrong, there are definitely some brain squeezers here and there which can get a
little bit difficult. Fortunately, Microids made sure that doing something wrong
or not the 100% correct way wouldn’t ruin the game, but made you look a little
harder at a possible alternative solution.
Concept: 7.7
While it’s not
perfect and may not appeal to a bunch of high action gamers out there, it is
definitely unique … and the cool storyline blending a good, old fashioned murder
mystery with some bizarre paranormal things worked out well.
Overall: 7.3
Well, crime
fighters … let me put it to you like this. Microids did a great job putting
together a well-written and scripted mystery to solve, and those of you who love
the “whodunit” shows, books, and movies will probably have a good time with this
one … despite a few flaws. Even being an action gamer myself, I still enjoyed
Post Mortem and really enjoyed the storyline … but I would suggest possibly
interviewing some witnesses who have played it before or make sure you have your
receipt tucked in next to your magnifying glass and camera just in case you
should want to return Post Mortem if it turns out to be a bad lead.
Lastly … in the words of
Sherlock Holmes himself … It is a capital
mistake to theorize before you have all the evidence. It biases the judgment.
Keep that in mind and happy
sleuthing, GZ readers!
