The Corruption Within

overall a short but very good adventure game. I recommend It.

Writing and plot are too weak, it really just comes down to that. Kickstarter and other paintings included are extremely jarring and break the tone and style. Characters are paper thin exposition machines. Music feels completely out of place, unsure if it was all custom made or bought somewhere but it doesn't match the retro PnC at all. Art is nice at times. Gameplay is serviceable, but having to click many times on things, the interactive icon arbitrarily changing for no purpose, progress being gated by events out of your control you have to find ways to "wait" for them to happen, mainly other characters deciding to do something... Just very mediocre.

Short horror point and click adventure, that's enjoyable but not without issues. The story is pretty good, and the lingering uneasy mood where you don't really know who to trust lies thick, The puzzles are a bit random and moon logic and you don't really have several puzzles at the same time, as usual in point and click adventures. Instead it's a very linear path through the game and you often have to backtrack to every area just to see if something new happens, It's not that much of an issue since there are not that many different screens, but it does make it slightly frustrating, when there is one interaction or item you missed before the next step in the story. I assume this is to avoid softlocks, but it's still not ideal from a design perspective. Still the game is cheap and the story kept me going, so it's definitly worth the asking price.

A pixel style point-and-click game with light detective and horror elements, no jump scares or real horror. The soundtrack can occasionally be unsettling, but it fits the atmosphere. The story follows a husband searching for his missing family after they disappear during a picnic by the river. His search leads him to a nearby mansion, where he eventually discovers that [spoiler]his family is being held captive in a private dungeon, accused of being spies attempting to claim the inheritance[/spoiler]. The narrative is easy to follow, as you discover the mansion you get to know the servants and landlords, learn their bitter past and weird behaviors, another story about the rich people who suffer from their own problems. However, some parts of the story are made to be unreasonable, like, instead of seeking help from the nearest village, the protagonist chooses to explore the mysterious mansion, and somehow convinced it’s connected to his family’s disappearance, not to mention the presence of a freshly [spoiler]hanged corpse[/spoiler] near the woods just outside the mansion seemingly ignored by everyone inside. Gameplay centers on exploring the three-floor mansion and its surrounding areas, speaking with servants as new items or clues are found, unlocking new conversations and hidden chambers, and eventually reuniting with your family. There are five decisions you can make throughout, but they have minimal impact on the ending. The item collection system can be a bit tricky, you often need to interact with the environment multiple times for items, some places are not available when certain people are in the room so even it is not overly difficult, it can be easy to miss important items. Besides, some machines could be polished like in a cave, I had the oil lamp and matches in my inventory, but the game wouldn’t let me light it until I triggered the right event. I passed through about a third of the game collecting and use items without much trouble, but the puzzles can be hard to crack. A particular puzzle involving five buttons in a row on a vase was tough for me until I realized the buttons corresponded to [spoiler]finger names (L, R, M, F, T)[/spoiler]. The toughest challenge, however, was deciphering the Rune Book puzzle. I couldn’t make sense of it on my own, but thanks to a walkthrough in the community, I managed to finish the game and get the happy ending. Without the guide I honestly don’t think I would’ve completed the game, at least not under 3 hours. As for the story's explanation, it turns out that the strange events were caused by [spoiler]fish from the contaminated river near the mansion, which intoxicate people’s minds and lead them to commit murder. However, the game fails to explain why the people are killed in cruel ways - like using whips and iron maidens, and why the family members are kept alive in the dungeon[/spoiler]. Overall, while the game’s pixel art is nice and the setting has potential, the plot doesn’t offer many memorable twists or unique elements, and the characters lack traits. It’s an okay pick for pixel art lovers or those who don’t mind a less rigorous narrative. [u] [url=https://store.steampowered.com/curator/43342176-Why-Not-Games/#browse] My curator page[/url][/u]

"The Corruption Within" es una aventura indie Point & Click de terror gótico con presupuesto anecdótico (vía Kickstarter) con una particular atmósfera que deviene en uno de sus puntos más fuertes, logrando una notable inmersión gracias a su lograda ambientación y su interesante premisa. Nuestra familia ha desaparecido en los inabarcables páramos rurales de una Inglaterra Victoriana decadente e imprevisible. La premisa de "The Corruption Within" resulta pues muy atractiva, proponiendo una trama que, si bien no está exenta de clichés, nos sumerge desde los primeros compases en un entorno inquietante y misterioso que siempre resulta interesante. Gran parte del desarrollo del juego es eficaz desde la construcción de esta atmósfera opresiva (la mansión es el centro neurálgico narrativo, que conecta todo), presentando al tiempo un elenco de personajes entre interesantes, reservados (sus historias particulares se irán desgranando paulatinamente) y en ocasiones pintorescos de más. Los puzles, sin ser excesivamente complejos (mención especial al de los dedos y el de las runas), aportan un desafío satisfactorio, pudiendo requerir en ocasiones el uso de lápiz y papel para facilitar su resolución, lo que añade un toque nostálgico y de reflexión adicional al proceso que siempre es bienvenido por los jugadores más curtidos en el género. Destacan también la banda sonora y el diseño de sonido, elementos que complementan a la perfección la atmósfera del juego. La música, cuidadosamente seleccionada, y los efectos sonoros logran intensificar la experiencia inmersiva, contribuyendo a la tensión y el misterio inherentes a la narrativa. No obstante, "The Corruption Within" no está exento de problemas. Existe una notable y evidente disonancia artística entre los cuadros que adornan las diferentes estancias y el diseño general de las mismas, creando en ocasiones una sensación de desconexión que resta coherencia visual al conjunto y afecta un tanto a la inmersión. Me atrevo a afirmar que es un guiño consciente y premeditado a aquellos que contribuyeron y apoyaron financieramente el proyecto en Kickstarter, más que una decisión artística volitiva y, por qué no decirlo, sensata. Además, mecánicamente, opta por la necesidad de incidir repetidamente sobre ciertos objetos específicos para obtener información crucial, al punto de que puede obstaculizar el progreso en el juego, lo que suma una capa de dificultad adicional que si bien los veteranos en el género casi agradecemos (no es un título que se me antoje exigente, precisamente) puede resultar un tanto frustrante para algunos jugadores (no es mi caso), por cansino, dado que estos objetos no se destacan sobre los otros cientos presentados, lo que fuerza al jugador a reincidir varias veces sobre todos y cada uno de ellos (casi siempre, innecesariamente), y puede acabar resultando un tanto farragoso. Un diseño de interacción más intuitivo habría sido bienvenido. Por otra parte, la gestión del inventario se presenta quizás excesivamente básica, sin permitir la interacción entre objetos, lo que limita las posibilidades de experimentación y resolución de puzles al mínimo denominador. Finalmente, la resolución de la trama se percibe un tanto precipitada y en cierta forma carente del impacto que la premisa inicial y parte del desarrollo parecía prometer, dejando al jugador con una sensación de desenlace funcional, correcto, pero un tanto desaprovechado. También es cierto que yo siempre agradezco un par de vueltas de tuerca en esta suerte de relatos. De ahí mi rendición confesa al maravilloso (y atmosféricamente emparentado) Hob´s Barrow.

This game was a blast. The plot did seem to wander as it did feel like I kept getting distracted from my goal of finding my wife and kids. "Oh you need me to find a bible, guess my missing family can wait!" I would have liked to see more puzzles around finding and helping the wife and kids as it felt sort of like I was going through two stories rather then one complete one. Still, the game is gorgeous, and characters are fascinating, it just feels like the central narrative got muddled. This game is a solid B as far as I am concerned.

A nice story-driven point-and-click mystery game with light puzzling. A tentative recommendation from me because of the cons that follow: [h3]PROS[/h3] + Passable story with historical elements + Gloomy/spooky atmosphere that fits the overall mystery vibe + A total of 10 achievements that are story related and basically unmissable, so you can get them on a single playthrough + Nice background music and overall audio, possibly the strongest point of the game + Easy controls, and the game runs smoothly + You can save at any time using 3 available slots + Quick and easy to read text presentation [h3]CONS[/h3] - In order to progress the story you have to do some light puzzling, and the whole procedure felt more like a chore, since this isn't a real puzzler but more of an adventure - Specific graphics style that may or may not be your cup of tea. I fall on the latter category - The decision making is a nice touch, but your decisions don't really affect the story apart from some end of game text - The game is pretty short - Zero replayability - The asking price is way too high for the game content [h3]VERDICT[/h3] Definitely worth a try if you're into story driven point-and-click games with old school graphics, but get it only on sale.

Fun, short adventure game. The story is great and the puzzles are just difficult enough to be challenging, without being ridiculously obtuse like in some games. The art is a little inconsistent, waffling between good to serviceable, but definitely not too bad. Worth it if you’re looking for a good mystery you can get through in one sitting.

Fun retro point and click. Nice atmosphere. Only suggestion is that the game inform you that clicking more than once on an object is sometimes necessary to progress. I've bought a couple other games from this developer and am looking forward to trying them out.

The ending of this game was really satisfying to me. There were some twists and turns, natural for this kind of ‘whodunit’, but I liked the fact that some of the characters actually turned out to be trustworthy and ‘good’. My worst fear was that the entire house and everyone in it would just turn out rotten. I really enjoyed this game and I was pleasantly surprised by the old school murder mystery style. There was some lovely narration at the start and end of the game and I think it could have been even more amazing with voice acting, as all the characters were so colourful and peculiar. Full recommend if you like Agatha Christie or newer films like Knives Out.