We replayed Black Mirror, a horror adventure game published by The Adventure Company in October 2003. I first played it in December of 2005, though it took me four months to get through it (25 hours of playtime). I remembered almost nothing of the game, other than it rained a lot, so this was like playing it for the first time. Deb and I played it together. Even so, we needed to look up some things. More on that later.
Overall Black Mirror remains a pretty decent game. It spawned two sequels (both played) and a new and updated version of this first game, still awaiting me in my Steam library. Samuel Gordon returns to his ancestral home (Black Mirror Castle) upon the suicide death of William Gordon, his grandfather. He soon becomes embroiled in a family curse, and works to solve a great mystery surrounding William's death. The story is okay, at least until it is revealed who the killer is. That revelation defies all logic.
The game plays out in six chapters. Locations are gradually added as the game progresses, but it begins inside the castle and on the grounds. There are several people to speak with, and many rooms to explore. The first two chapters include the nearby village and a church. Chapter 3 takes players to another ancestral home in Wales. Chapter 4 adds underground locations including beneath the church and Black Mirror Castle itself, as well as an old mine. Next come many chilling visits to the morgue, an ancient stone ring and a lighthouse. Many locations are seen in late autumn daylight and during night and dark thunderstorms. I was correct; it does rain a lot in this game. And yet Samuel never wears a hat or carries an umbrella--perhaps he is crazy. Presentation is via an enhanced slideshow format, where Samuel walks across the view. Sometimes the on-screen scenario can be extended by walking further or to one side.
I have no quibbles with the graphics. Again played in 640 x 480, Steam has done a good job of keeping this old game looking good. Not having to constantly switch CDs is a good thing, too. Anyway, the body count continues to mount during the game. In addition to William and the wolf, the castle gardener is murdered, a young boy (boo, hiss), Samuel's uncle and his cousin (?) James. Besides a few too many murders, what else is there to dislike about the game?
Well, there are very few actual puzzles. Assemble a torn photo, unscramble some riddles, solve a 4 x 4 sliding puzzle, figure out how to open a jewel box with a puzzle along with a few other examples, this game is mostly about pixel hunting. Hot spots appear red when the cursor is placed on them. Very often spots that have been checked 101 times and not shown up will turn red later, after a certain conversation or action has taken place. Inventory can become crowded at times. Worst of all, some hot spots must be left clicked and right clicked, or else. Yes, players can "die" in this game. After Samuel gets killed a few times by a wolf, and his head sliced off, it is a good thing to save often. This brings me to my main complaint. If you don't save often you get a much more immersive experience in the game. But if you don't save often and you die (not if but when) then a lot of replaying must take place. If you do save often, you totally lose the immersive experience of being in the game. Developers never really get this. It seems a necessity to kill the player many times, to prove how stupid players are and how clever the developers are.
Things I liked were the fact that Samuel would not leave a place if there was still more to do there. That was very handy. And many of the map locations could not be visited if they were no longer needed. Very helpful. Sadly, however, the game lacked flow. As soon as one puzzle was solved, one thought that the way ahead would be clear for a time. Usually another obstacle was encountered almost immediately. And now we come to the game's conclusion. Once we know who the killer is, we also realize that it would be virtually impossible for that person to have committed all the crimes. For so many reasons (no blood anywhere on him, for one). Perhaps this will be explained better in the second game, which I've also played but forgotten.
I can recommend the game, though it falls beneath most games where players cannot die. Good graphics and highly atmospheric locations, a decent enough story (until the end). But beware that right click option. We played for a total of 24 hours, taking solutions where needed and seemingly stuck.
