Very-very mild spolers, mostly vibe-talk.
At the time of writing this I have played a total of 8 ND games.
Second ND game I ever played, first being Danger by Design. I absolutely detested DAN, and if I hadn’t already bought CRY, I most likely would have sworn off of ND forever. Luckily not only did this game improve my impression of the series, it also absolutely rocked! CRY delivered on most, if not all, fronts. It really managed to demonstrate what about these games is so appealing to people.
This game was a total blast, and scratched my brain in a way, that immediately made it not only my favorite ND game, but one of my all-time favorite point-and-click games. In fact, I liked it so much I was worried all other ND games would be a letdown (they weren’t but CRY is still my favorite).
Firstly, I want to talk about this game’s atmosphere. It is a very bold choice to tell your player that your game should be played in the dark. When I read that, I thought “Yeah, sure”, but as soon as it opened, the rain, the spooky mansion, the jumpscare (worked on me ngl), the characters, the mystery, the plot, made me go “Okay, I see you, let’s do this properly”. And I’m so glad I followed this rule, because for the next three nights in a row I was sat. I would wait impatiently all day, just so that I could play this once the sun was down. I even played this with sound, something I hate doing (I know it’s weird, don’t come at me). But CRY made such an impression on me that I was compelled to turn up the volume (plus I really wanted to listen to the rain). I have since always had volume on for ND.
So, this game’s atmosphere, even upon introduction, was so captivating and powerful, that I did two very ooc things for myself. And boy did it pay off. This game’s aesthetic is far more complex than just rain+nighttime. It is so thought-out and rich in detail that I really felt like I was there, in the house, running around and solving the mystery.
For the entire game I was anxious that it would at some point turn to day, but thankfully it didn’t. Nor did it stop raining (poor Nancy had to do all that walking around without an umbrella).
Locations in this game are simply delicious. The mansion, the garden, the grounds, the swamp, the little shop. This game is also lit in a very pleasing manner, I know people tend to complain about it being too dark, but in my opinion it was just right. I really felt like I was in a poorly lit house in the middle of nowhere.
I also loved the puzzles in this one! I managed to do most of them on my own, and only once-twice opened the guide. I did use hints extensively, but since they are built in-game I don’t count them. They were also pretty helpful, so I’m glad I didn’t have to break the immersion by opening walkthroughs.
Even those puzzles that gave me trouble, were still really enjoyable. Like the one with the tombstones. I had to read through that book with dead people 9-10 times out loud, and walk back and forth between cemetery and the house like a 100 times. At one point it became really funny, because I just imagined if this situation was real, and Henry was just sitting there, moping, while I, a total stranger, was vigorously walking back and forth again and again behind his back, like a complete and total maniac. And he didn’t even ask me a single question!
Speaking of Henry! What a guy! 10/10 ND boy.
I actually loved all the characters, and the fact that there were so few. I really felt like I got familiar with them, especially since they were evenly divided between Bess and Nancy. Made the game feel really intimate. The dialogue was a big factor in that too, I really liked how it felt grounded, despite the situation at hand.
And how I adore Bess’s side of the story. I absolutely love how it juxtaposes with Nancy’s, feels very sitcom-like. I loved the complete mayhem that Bess was creating in Zeke’s shop (shop itself was also excellent). While solving the Rube Goldberg machine I had a similar experience to the prior one in the mansion. I must’ve fired the sequence around 50 times, and the whole time Zeke’s just… there… minding his business. What a king.
At some point the continuation puzzle became so ridiculous that I recorded it and sent to my friend out of context. It looked absolutely diabolical. But I still loved it! That’s how strong the immersion was for me. It didn’t feel like I was clicking on objects in computer game, it felt like I was Bess, creating a distraction for Zeke, so that I can help my ridiculous friend Nancy with her ridiculous job.
And here was another place where the dialogue stood out to me. While on the phone with each other, Bess and Nancy really felt like close friends solving a case together. Jokes landed too. There was one that caught me off guard, when Bess (but really me) opens the door that says “DO NOT OPEN” and an alarm goes off, and I fail the game. But, before the game reloads, we get a cut scene with the girls talking on the phone and Bess makes a comment about how “at least she’s going to ask one of the firefighters out”. Like, GIRL, there’s an inheritance fraud possibly going on!! But it genuinely made me laugh, and I loved that moment.
I also loved the over-the-top ridiculousness of Bruno’s puzzles, primarily, because they didn’t break the immersion. They managed to be over the top in a very believable way. Like yeah, of course a filthy rich eccentric would spend his money buying exotic animals, custom-ordering prosthetic eyes and filling up his house with novelty game-machines. I totally believe it. But the game doesn’t stop there. Exotic animal must be an octave-sensitive spider, prosthetic eyes must all be crazy-colored, and games have to be some of the most unappealing, by regular arcade goers’ standards! For eccentric points I suppose.
(For comparison, I’ve recently played Curse of the Blackmoor Manor, and while I loved the puzzles, they didn’t quite manage to not break the boundaries of reality, iykyk)
What I’m trying to say, is that I want to live in this game. I want to either live in it or be able to experience it anew all over again.
All the elements formed a singular, coherent story. It really felt like an episodic adventure. A feeling that was greatly helped by the fact, that, in-game, this only lasts a single night. All the bits and pieces of information felt like they could’ve been gathered in the course of one night. The plot didn’t get derailed and pulled in various directions. Game felt really focused and, in turn, made me focus on it. I didn’t feel like I was wasting my time been invested in this story, because even if the story didn’t pay off in the end, it still gripped me, and made this experience worthwhile.
I could honestly spend an entire day singing its praises, and talking about every little detail, but you HAVE to try it on your own (maybe even on Halloween, but I played it in July so no pressure). Just writing this made me want to play it again, a feeling I don’t get with most ND games, since I already know the ending. But that’s just a testament to how good CRY is!!! I want to experience it just for the atmosphere of being in it. What a great memory it is!
10/10 and I didn’t even need to factor in the mystery.
