Dark Fall 2: Lights Out

I recommend this game - with caveats. I will preface my remarks with the comment I purchased Dark Fall I and 2 for the princely sum of 2 bucks. I say this because the amount to game play and entertainment certainly makes the purchase price a real bargain. That being said, there are definitely a few issues that I had with the game. Primarily it has to do with the navigation of the game play. To say it was quirky would be an understatement. There were times I was ready to throw the game out and put it up to 'you get what you pay for' because of the frustration of not being able to navigate, sometimes simply moving from one room to another. It is horrible in places and that by itself should tell the developer that a fast travel device should be incorporated. Going through the aggravation once is bad enough, but given the game design revisits are necessary to complete it. Also, there are a plethora of red herrings in the game that makes meticulous note taking seem superfluous in retrospect. That being said, it was an enjoyable challenge and worth the effort I will pursue the further iterations when they become available 'on sale', but I will hold off until that happens. Hopefully the developer will incorporate changes in future offerings that address the issues I mentioned.

Completed the game in just under 14 hours with VERY light walkthrough help, for reasons I will describe in the spoilers. Very much enjoyed the worldbuilding and general progress on top of the prior game-- certain transitions within the game from one environment to the next made my jaw drop and I'm very glad they happened when they did pacing-wise. Having played a fair number of adventure games I wanted to outline some "Riven doors" below: [spoiler]The top of the ladder in the lamproom in 2004 is above the floor-- if you climb the ladder all the way up you can't explore the room. I assumed nothing in the room was interactable for quite awhile before a walkthrough enlightened me that you need to be one node beneath the top of the ladder to dismount it. I found this especially confusing because that's not how the same ladder works in 1912.[/spoiler] [spoiler]To re-enter the elevator shaft in 2090AD from the DEOS compound you need to enter the elevator and look right specifically to get a magnifying glass in the top quarter of the screen allowing you to climb back into the shaft. I expected that magnifying glass prompt on any of the walls and since I couldn't find it on the back wall I got stuck in the DEOS area for trying to figure out how to time travel out.[/spoiler] [spoiler]The floppy disk on the top of Fetch Rock in 2090BC is VERY hard to find.[/spoiler] All this said I appreciate a game that doesn't assume the player is stupid. I read the wikipedia article after completing the game and found all the review snippets included far too harsh-- especially those that found it mechanically/graphically subpar. The things that make this game great are timeless-- it's presented well, the writing is excellent, and it made me feel awe and excitement. The only thing I truly wish it had was a similar "epilogue" to the prior game, but I can live without that. Give it a try!

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It may be old but its a classic ! A truly atmospheric blend of MR James style ghost story, with a Sci-fi time travel twist in which a certain Sapphire and Steel wouldn't be out of place. A perfect game for those long winter nights and an excellent sequel to the original Dark Fall. Every few years I have to come back and lose myself on Fetch Rock and it never fails to enthral. I for one cannot wait for the next instalment on a decaying pier. Come on Jonathan !

Liked: Good fun game with lots of intrigue and a good plot. Loved the creativity in the portals going to different scenes. Loved the play on time, probably best part of the game. The puzzles were generally good, some easy some harder and more complex. Disliked: I spent too much time on a key puzzle which was, in my opinion, illogical. I think those who have played know which one that is. It’s Drake’s closet puzzle. Without giving it away, think about it, developers should know that the birth dates would not be relative to the keepers’ disappearance date but more likely to the date Drake got his promotion and moved into his room, i.e., 1907. And even then, the puzzle is still obtuse… The point and click has had its days.

Не самый плохой квест, но по сравнению с первой частью эта - однозначная деградация, причем во всех аспектах. Даже графически более слабая первая часть выигрывала за счет своего своеобразия, эта же часть слишком обычна и невзрачна. Вытягивает историю интересное повествование и все такой же проработанный мир, который для этой серии игр хорошо продуман. Но такие концовки - это конечно позор. Сразу становится понятно, что это самая слабая игра серии. Для тех, кто уже знаком с этой серией игр - пройти стоит однозначно, как часть вселенной dark fall. Для первооткрывателей - на свой вкус, знакомство с серией именно с этой части может оставить неверное ощущение, да и концовка игры, без лишних спойлеров, скорее всего вас расстроит

The story starts out pretty strong and interesting. The puzzles up to a point are solid, not too hard, and not too easy. But then all of a sudden I got horribly stuck, and I just kept walking in circles, unable to figure out what to do next. I looked up hints just so that I could advance, but then I kept having to cheat because I didn't understand what the game wanted me to do. Eventually, it just got too boring and frustrating, and I stopped playing.