The House in Fata Morgana
Full review (including score):
Written review below!
The rundown:
Pros:
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Unique art style
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Great use of atmosphere
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Excellent storyline
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God-tier soundtrack
Cons:
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Rough first few chapters
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Lossy soundtrack compression
The House in Fata Morgana proved to be quite the journey for me. It took me nearly three months of on-and-off playing to finally clear, but in the end, it was totally worth it. Not only does the game provide an excellent story with a great sense of atmosphere, but it also does so with a unique art style and a soundtrack that quickly became one of my favorites.
– Real player with 65.6 hrs in game
Read More: Best Gothic Psychological Horror Games.
Introduction
The House in Fata Morgana was an incredible surprise for me, as visuals novel are not something I would actively seek to play. However, this game is the one that might change my mind, and I definitely want to play more similar games like that in the future. The game’s story is amazingly written and has several interesting characters and thrilling plots, accompanied by an astonishing soundtrack and a beautiful art style.
Story
At the start, you wake up at a mysterious mansion with no memory of yourself whatsoever. However, you are not alone here. A woman, who calls herself The Maid, claims you should know each other, as you have been here before. In pursuit of regaining your memory, you follow The Maid through the mansion, where you witness multiple tragedies that happened to its previous residents throughout the years. What secrets do their stories hide? Why are you connected to this place? That is something you need to discover by yourself.
– Real player with 44.4 hrs in game
Gothic 1881
A story with a nice twist in the end, albeit it is short.
– Real player with 1.9 hrs in game
Read More: Best Gothic Narration Games.
Utterly Pointless
Gothic 1881 is a very short (less than 2 hours) RPGMaker game that really fails to deliver anything meaningful. For less than $2, I did not expect much, but I have played games that are less than an hour long that have left more of an impact to me than this game does. The ideas are definitely there to be elaborated on, but the overall execution of the ideas is really lackluster and bland. If I had to be perfectly honest, this feels like someone’s college project.
– Real player with 1.7 hrs in game
NORCO
NORCO is a sci-fi Southern Gothic Adventure that immerses the player in the sinking suburbs and verdant industrial swamps of Louisiana’s petrochemical hinterlands. Your brother Blake has gone missing in the aftermath of your mother’s death. In the hopes of finding him, you must follow a fugitive security cyborg through the refineries, strip malls, and drainage ditches of suburban New Orleans.
Immerse yourself in an uncanny and surreal South Louisiana
NORCO features detail-rich and atmospheric pixel art born from the natural and industrial landscapes of South Louisiana, accompanied by the eclectic soundscapes of composer Gewgawly I.
Meet strange, unforgettable, and dangerous characters
Navigate your way through a world of uncertainty and moral ambiguity as you venture deeper into the swamp to unravel the threads left by your brother. Fight, sneak, or fast-talk your way past any hometown bullies, security contractors, or death cults that stand in your way.
Explore vast scenic landscapes of pulsing nightlife and eerie solitude
Skulk through the crowds of downtown New Orleans, recruit a wild-eyed river dog, break into a refinery, boat through cypress swamps, and explore the desolate batture woods of the Mississippi River.
Discover a world haunted by both past and future
From Southern Gothic literature to adventure game classics to experimental indies, NORCO fuses its wide sources of inspiration into something new and unseen.
NVC: That’s when your dreams began?
Catherine: Yes. Towers falling from the sky. I’d stay awake just to avoid them.
NVC: You say here that they lasted for years.
Catherine: I worry that I somehow passed them onto Kay. She’d have nightmares of cell tower lights. She said they grew closer every night.
NVC: Have you told anyone about these dreams?
Catherine: No.
NVC: And tell me about the robot.
Catherine: Million?
NVC: That’s right.
Catherine: She came to me in the parking lot when Kay was twelve or so. She knew Blue from his days at the refinery. I stared for a long time into her constellation of eyes. They swirled in a kind of desperation. I took her home, knowing it was a mistake.
Read More: Best Gothic Point & Click Games.
Shining Hotel: Lost in Nowhere
Since I’ve opted to thumb this game up, I should start this review with a highly emphatic disclaimer, namely:
DO NOT BUY THIS GAME AT FULL PRICE, UNDER ANY CIRCUMSTANCES. I bought it in a pack with another game for a smidgen under ten dollars, and it was still FAR TOO MUCH. This game is very, VERY short (twenty minutes, tops), and worth maybe two bucks at best. That said: I’ve never thumbed a game down purely on the basis of its price, and I’m not about to start here. You have, however, been warned. On with the review, then…
– Real player with 1.3 hrs in game
nice experience, good story.. but very bad gameplay!
what is horror to these developers? seriously, is this even scary?
it’s more than a walking simulator!
I’m ok with the game length that everybody’s complaining about, but it’s not horror at all
it doesn’t worth this amount of money..
I’m sorry, but this is the truth
– Real player with 0.9 hrs in game
The Land of Crows
One of the best portrayals of Cthulhu Mythos and Poe out there. Definitely a perfect lovecraftian game in my opinion. The game offers an amazing atmosphere of a desperate land full of polish culture. In fact, one can learn so much from playing this game. Inspirations are very promising and the game provides everything it claims. A really well-written and grim interactive book to read, so to speak.
The somber tale of a very romantic and “curious” polish nobleman filled with a lot of suffering and sorrow for melancholy fans. The most underrated game, I would say.
– Real player with 10.1 hrs in game
An interesting adventure game that’s filled with Polish history, strange entities and ghosts, but there are a few areas that could be improved upon.
Intro
The Land of Crows is an indie side-scrolling horror adventure game that’s heavily inspired by gothic writer’s of old, such as Edgar Allen Poe and Goete. It was also inspired by classic thriller adventure games of the 90’s, which is why it utilizes an old school art style. When I first discovered the game it immediately reminded me think of games like Downfall or The Cat Lady due to its art style but this is a very different entity in its own right. Do read on to see what I thought of the game.
– Real player with 8.8 hrs in game
Black Mirror I
After being away 12 years from the Black Mirror manor, Samuel Gordon returns to the castle to mourn the sudden and mysterious death of his grandfather, William Gordon. Samuel is not very much convinced that William’s death was an accident and stubbornly takes the matter on his hands to unveil the truth.
Soon enough he is behind a trail of clues that lead him to something sinister and menacing, a curse that may have affected his far ancestors and that is still threatening the Gordon lineage.
The Black Mirror I is a solid and intriguing point and click adventure. I have to admit that the first time I tried it I was not very convinced, mostly because of the outdated visuals, but after giving it a second shot, and after it started to build up, I was hooked for good. The game comes with its flaws, though…
– Real player with 25.1 hrs in game
The greatest adventure game I have played, in my opinion. Absolutely recommended.
I played the first 2 chapters some years ago, but couldn’t finish it and refused to use a spoiler. Recently I came back to it and tried again.
First, this is a very very long game. It is one of the longest adventure games produced.
The game exudes massive amounts of Gothic atmosphere. It is like a Poe work in style and substance (the House of Usher comes to mind). The graphics are excellent, even though they are from a long time ago. They really work well. The music is a huge contributor and some of it will be spinning around in your head for days.
– Real player with 22.7 hrs in game
Cassius
Cassius is a first-person story-driven puzzle game exploring the mysteries of Blackhaven Hall, a sprawling historically accurate colonial estate evacuated at the height of the American Revolution. Journey back to the 1781 and decode the dark secrets lurking behind America’s founding.
A Secret Mission and A Hidden Mystery
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Explore a massive historically accurate 18th century estate including an opulent mansion, manicured garden, and the sprawling surrounding farms.
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Solve puzzles involving period correct scientific instruments, furnishing, art, sculpture, tools, toys, and rare books.
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Uncover the most closely held secrets of Blackhaven Hall, and confront the lives touched by a tragic history.
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Take part in a forbidden conspiracy that will decide your fate.
About Cassius
Cassius is a continuation of the story from Historiated’s first title, Blackhaven It was developed in cooperation with a diverse set of scholars and experts.
Misericorde: Volume One
The year is 1482.
The age of exploration and enlightenment is on the distant horizon and the Renaissance is in full swing across Europe; but in England, the War of the Roses is in its final throes. Change is coming, but in one little convent in the north of the kingdom, everyone has seemed blissfully unaware.
Everyone except Sister Catherine, a beloved nun and firebrand thinker who has just been murdered. In an isolated monastery with an already mysterious reputation, any one of the Sisters could be the killer—and Mother Superior is as stumped as anyone else. That’s where you come in.
As an Anchoress, you took an oath to never leave your cell; to devote yourself entirely to God and provide spiritual support to all who came to your door. But as the only Sister who couldn’t possibly have committed the crime, you have a new mission: solve the case, before the bishop shutters the convent and the killer goes unpunished.
The Superior hasn’t told everyone why you’ve suddenly joined the regular congregation, but something tells you most of these women know exactly what’s going on. Who can you trust? Who is being honest, and who has their guard up—and why? Is the convent really haunted? Who killed Sister Catherine? And worst of all… are you next?
Possession 1881
A fairly good game.
Puzzles were generally easy, although a walk-through was required in one instance.
Game-play was unnecessarily let down by having to repeatedly adjust the screen contrast/brightness levels.
Game ending was poor - Too sudden.
– Real player with 17.5 hrs in game
Worthy addition to the ‘Escape the House’ genre. Game is lovingly crafted by a small development team with pleasing art and sound effects. Environments focus on a Victorian style house, with a past. The game is divided into separate rooms, each with stand alone puzzles to solve in order to exit to the next. There is no backtracking.
There is a high level back-story that is told through notes found throughout the house. You stumble upon several corpses but, for the most part, there are few horror elements.
– Real player with 7.5 hrs in game
DESOLUS
DESOLUS
Desolus is an atmospheric puzzle game where you explore a city of Gothic architecture torn between multiple universes. Solve surreal puzzles by twisting architecture with black holes, and travel between dimensions to navigate impossible space. Witness a cataclysm which threatens to merge past with future, and experience the final moments of a lost city.
Desolus has been awarded at numerous game festivals, including an exhibit at the Smithsonian American Art Museum, a nomination for ‘Innovation in Art and Narrative’ at the Boston Festival of Indie Games, and nominations for ‘Excellence in Art’ and ‘Excellence in Music’ at MAGFest.
FEATURES
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Explore a hauntingly beautiful fractal-like city of immense interconnected Gothic architecture.
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Solve surreal puzzles by manipulating black holes to send architecture between universes.
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Seamlessly travel through portals which connect multiple universes and impossible spaces.
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Listen to an atmospheric original piano soundtrack created by Kyle Landry.
