[h1]Overview:[/h1]
'[i]And I Must Scream[/i]' is a 2.5D platformer that doesn't work and is basically unplayable for a few reasons. The story consists of the player exploring the mind of a little boy named Max and how he supposedly perceives the world around him during periods of trauma. That's pretty spooky considering how creepy the world in his head looks like (or at least what you're able to see). What's unfortunate is that you don't get to explore much because the very first obstacle prevents you from playing the game. To add salt to the wound, the game will crash momentarily after you open it so even if you knew how to get by the first obstacle, beating the game would prove impossible anyways.
[h1]Gameplay:[/h1]
As far as I know, all you can do is run around in a small space. There doesn't seem to be a way to crouch, jump or do anything else so you're essentially stuck at the beginning of the game. You're thrown into a creepy and dark world, specifically in what appears to be a circular structure with a creepy monster in the center of it. It just kind of looks around and when it spots you it just stares at you without doing anything. It's as dangerous as a traffic cone on a soccer field. I actually managed to do some type of attack or something but it did absolutely nothing and I'm not sure how I did it. I quite literally spammed every key on my keyboard trying to figure out the keys because the game tells you [b]nothing[/b] about how to play the game.
Perplexed, I watched the trailer on the store page to see what the purpose of the move was and noticed just how much there actually was in the game. There were many different settings and scenarios that looked interesting and genuinely made me curious about what the game had to offer. It was just a shame because I knew I wouldn't be able to experience it myself since I could only go so far before the game ultimately committed suicide. But returning to what I was originally talking about, supposedly the strange action is meant to knock over the boxes that block your way at the beginning of the game clearing a way for the player to progress but unfortunately I wasn't facing the boxes when I did the move.
Initially I was going to try again, but this time doing the move again but in front of the boxes. But then it occurred to me, what's the point if the game is going to crash anyways? It's not like it would've mattered because my character ended up clipping through the floor allowing me to walk through everything, doing a complete lap around the only area I could explore with no idea what to do next.
Soon after, I finally fell and died respawning in mid-air just under the platform I assume I was supposed to be on. Then a few seconds later, the game crashed... awesome. This game is so broken not only does it crash randomly after a few minutes of it being opened, but when it [i]is[/i] running, it can't even keep itself stable enough for the player to do anything. It honestly doesn't seem like a terrible game had it been functional but the fact that it can't even be played is more than enough to warrant a negative review.
[h1]Controls:[/h1]
As far as I'm concerned, you can move around and if you mash your keyboard like a confused ape, you [i]might[/i] be able to perform the action as seen in the video. But you know what would have been helpful? How about a control menu where players can see [b]how[/b] to play the game. Or better yet, how about making it so that the game doesn't crash every 60 seconds. Even if there were controls telling you how to play, it's not like you would be able to anyways.
[h1]Graphics:[/h1]
Honestly it doesn't look bad. It reminds me of '[i]Limbo[/i]' and '[i]Inside[/i]', two other games that take place in mostly colorless worlds with creepy environments and settings. It has a peculiar depth of field to it as well as an odd grainy effect. It really doesn't look bad, it's just unfortunate that the game isn't able to keep itself running long enough for the player to truly appreciate its visuals.
[h1]Audio:[/h1]
Also something I felt wasn't botched like the game itself. There was creepy ambience that fit the setting perfectly and even voice acting that wasn't half bad either. Honestly I was a bit bummed out because I seriously felt as if the game had some semblance of quality to it. There were just some flaws that the game had but they were also ones that were so severe that it crippled the game to the point of it not being playable at all. It's a shame too because the audio and visual aspects of the game were something I really felt like I could speak for.
[h1]Conclusion/TL;DR:[/h1]
'[i]And I Must Scream[/i]' is a 2.5D side scrolling platformer and puzzle game that is unplayable as it crashes moments after being opened. It has zero control guides, a basic menu and nothing more. It's better to avoid this one and find something else because it quite literally doesn't work. I had to start the game about 5 times because It kept crashing after a fixed amount of time passed before being able to write a review, and most of the reviews are negative. Usually I'd say give games the benefit of the doubt, but hear me out when I say this: [b]Listen to the reviews, don't download this broken mess.[/b]
