The genre of the point-and-click adventure is one that appeals to a small gaming crowd. Games in the genre often do not contain much action, but mostly focus on puzzle solving and good storytelling. It’s almost weird to think that these types of games once ruled the PC gaming world in the early 90s, before the first-person shooter and real-time strategy took over. Although, lately it seems as if the point-and-click adventure genre is seeing a revival of sorts. Last year, I had the pleasure of reviewing House of Tales’ The Moment of Silence, a game that kept me on the edge of my seat, waiting to see how the story would evolve the further I got into the game. Well, thankfully The Moment of Silence isn’t the last adventure game to give me that type of feeling because Microid’s Still Life has accomplished the same impressive feat with a tale of mystery and bloody murder.
Anyone who decides to pick up Still Life should take note that the game is not for the weak at heart. While a game like Resident Evil 4 depicts incredible
"powerful, brutal and horrific"
|
amounts of blood and gore, the player is almost numbed to the gore displayed in these images, however, Still Life has a realistic tone, and the images of blood and gore are powerful, brutal and horrific. They truly disgusted me, but in that way in which it adds to the game’s atmosphere.
The blood and gore isn’t the only thing in the game that makes it clear that it should only be played by mature audiences. While there is also some minor nudity, the game’s dialogue contains strong and explicit language, but thankfully all of the game’s questionable dialogue is used in believable context and isn’t just spit out in order to make itself seem cool, as Midway’s The Suffering did so carelessly. Although, I have to admit that I do find some of the things said to be pretty funny, expecially when one of the game’s main characters, Victoria McPherson, tells her FBI boss that she "likes to get kissed before she gets f***ed," in retaliation to her being suspended.
Still Life is home to an amazing plot full of mystery and it’s one that will keep players guessing to the very end. Actually, it will keep players guessing about many things even after the game’s completion, but I’ll get to that later. When we first start the game we are introduced to an FBI agent named Victoria McPherson as she arrives at crime scene in Chicago were a young woman is left dead in a tub of full of ice water. This young woman had been the fourth victim in a series of crimes all committed in the style and supposedly by the same twisted individual. As Victoria, players are to get to the bottom of this plot and attempt to find out the killer’s identity. In an interesting twist, upon reading her grandfather’s case memoirs, Victoria soon learns that these recent string of murders are eerily reminiscent to another string of murders that Victoria’s grandfather, Gustav (Gus) McPherson, investigated while in Prague during the 1920s.
With the discovery of these similarities between Victoria’s current investigation and her grandfather’s seventy-five year old case, the game splits in two, as players also step into the shoes of Gustav McPherson during the 1920s. As players progress through each of the game’s chapters, they learn more and more about the mystery behind this plot through retrospect in 1920s Prague as Gustav, and in the present day as Victoria.
"an amazing plot full of mystery that’ll keep you guessing to the very end and beyond"
|
It’s all ingeniously tied to together to make the game’s story become as thrilling as it can possibly be.
What’s unfortunate is the fact that we are initially led to believe that Victoria is the main character of the game, since we are first introduced to her. However, from my point of view it seems as if most of the more entertaining parts of the game’s storytelling is experienced while playing as Gustav in 1920s Prague. Not only will you encounter more interesting characters, but most of the game’s puzzles and investigation is done while playing as Gustav. It’s simply the more rewarding portion of the game.
Unfortunately for those who get into the plot of the game, the adventure itself isn’t very lengthy. It has been said that on average most will be able to get through Still Life’s plot in 10 - 15 hours. However, I personally got through the game in about 8 hours. For an adventure game that is sold at a budget price, its length is somewhat acceptable, but when you take into consideration that the game leaves many important questions unanswered you can’t help but ask for much more. Still Life is a mystery, and the mystery is not solved by the end of the game. Microids does such a great job of keeping players entertained by Still Life’s story throughout most of the game, that when the game reaches its climax, you cannot helped but feel robbed by the events that occur. Fortunately, the door is left wide open for sequel; although, it seems as if a sequel or two had been part of the plan the entire time.
There’s no doubt that Still Life is a story-driven game. Like any good point-and-click adventure, there are a fair amount of puzzles to solve, but it does feel as if most of the game is simply spent talking to NPCs. To my dismay, the conversations in the game do not branch at all. This means, that players have very little to do with what Victoria or Gustav have to say in conversations. Players can either choose to talk about the current situation and get some useful information out of NPCs, or they can talk casual (when given the option to) and get some completely useless information. I’m a little disappointed by this lack of choice and freedom since I rather enjoy branching in-game conversations in games of this type. In this sense, Still Life has been simplified compared to most other adventure games.
For veterans of the genre, Still Life’s difficulty isn’t as frustratingly difficult as The Moment of Silence or a Myst-like game. The game’s puzzles are fairly straightforward, and if there are any items that need to be acquired, you often don’t even need to leave the area that you are in, but if you do, it’s not a
"the door is left wide open for sequel"
|
painstaking task to think of where you have to go to get the item.
As a long time adventure gamer myself, I did not find Still Life overly difficult. Most likely due to my experience with the genre, I’m familiar with how to approach many of the game’s puzzles; thus, the reason why I did not find the game too difficult. However, I’m sure that newcomers to the genre will have a field day, aching to check out an online walk-through of the game with each "dead-end" that they encounter. Of course, this is not to say that Still Life will not challenge veterans. There are two instances in particular which both had me stuck for at least an hour on each one. The first is a lock-picking puzzle that made me wonder how Sam Fisher picks locks so damn easily in the Splinter Cell series. And the other... isn’t really a puzzle, but an instance where you have to walk a spider-like mechanized robot through a filed of lasers. The lock puzzle is easily the hardest in the game, but the robot scenario is easily the most frustrating event in the game. Not because the approach needed to take isn’t obvious, but because controlling this mechanized spider is pain in the ass.
I must say that Still Life is a pleasant surprise. I adored the game’s plot. It’s got blood, gore, whores, and dialogue filled with plenty of swear words. There’s something about all those elements put together that just work beautifully for the game. Like most adventure games, its story is its most appealing trait, with gameplay playing second fiddle. Although, I can’t express the amount of resentment I have towards Microids for leaving so many of the questions I formed about the game’s plot and its characters completely unanswered. With that said, I pray that sales of this game are good enough for The Adventure Company and Microids to invest in a sequel to this game, because not only do I want a sequel, but I want it badly.
