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Review
Adapted from an IFCOMP24 Review
Clive Barker was a formative author in my horror-entertainment journey. I encountered his books first, where somehow his reputation developed schoolyard buzz back when the internet wasn’t the primary medium for such things. I consumed a lot of his fiction and his talent was compelling as hell for young me. His wildly offputting imagination, narratives that piled human venality on strangeness in compellingly intricate ways, it was a heady mix executed with dark confidence. I’m not sure where I am on the zeitgeist here, but I personally find the movies based on his works imminently rewatchable and always at least partially successful. Stephen King wishes he had that filmography!
One of my favorites, though probably the most in need of forgiveness, was Nightbreed. It has a long history of studio meddling, mercurial story telling, and has had multiple, multiple re-edit versions over the years. Its constant revisions tell a fascinating meta-tale of creative preoccupation. As befuddling or confounding as its multiple versions are, there is a magnetic core concept that demands revisiting, augmented by Barker’s singular creature creations.
It’s about an underground city of monsters, beset by a persecuting world of humans and internal politics.
I’m not sure when my neurons decided the Saltcast were Midians, but once they did, the work had my unqualified fealty. Here, you are a desperate peasant woman, taking on an impossible task for the King to either secure a life-changing monetary reward or die trying. For your family. By going to Midian.
Like Barker’s work, it is as much metaphor as physical adventure… actually it may be MORE metaphor here. As deep and interesting as the lore and mechanics of the monsters were, I felt like the physical adventure was shortchanged by two choices. 1) it is never clear what the protagonist brings to the proceedings besides desperation and opportunities for empathy; and 2) the narrative attaches her (you) to a team that brings a LOT to the table. So much, it is unclear why they need the protagonist at all. Granted I’m only two hours in, that revelation could still be ahead of me. The first is given an interesting spin, in that (Spoiler - click to show)empathy is not always rewarded, sometimes it is punished! That is a Barker-worthy twist that on the one hand was VERY welcome over its somewhat trite alternative, but that also had the effect of undermining the protagonist’s only real contribution! Too, the blocking of the adventures didn’t really gel, cinematically. The protagonist’s companions are a mix of super-distinctive and… hind-leg animals. More of the former please! In particular, the (Spoiler - click to show)ghost with the giant metal anchor-hand was a high point. But, when the narrative needs them to hide or skulk about, the overriding impression is “wait, how would that work, exactly?” Couple that with your companions’ capable adventuring skills and suddently their occasional deference to your IF decision making feels… unconvincing.
The adventure part didn’t quite land for me, but the setting sure did. Yes, some of the creatures felt like they were phoned in, but so many more did NOT. For every ‘this one is a raccoon’ you get ‘this one was a riot of interconnected limbs that roiled and surged across the floor, accomplishing a jerky motion that more resembled tides than strides.’ (Not from game, just a flavor) Room designs were fun and idiosyncratic. The writing was occasionally inspired, bringing in fanciful images that surprised with the protagonist’s unique viewpoint. A favorite ACTUAL quote:
“Your gaze is met with an iridescent constellation shining in the light of your lantern, coruscating like the hands and throat of a well-decorated noblewoman.”
There is real meat in the concept here, as the never ending Nightbreed versions can attest. There is real flair employed in this telling. Creature conceptions are as often inspired as shortchanged. These are all Sparks in the work. The mechanics of its plot did not reach the same level for me, so that when the timer ran out, I never got BEYOND sparks.
Played: 9/24/24
Playtime: 2hr, nearly exiting mirror maze
Artistic/Technical ratings: Sparks of Joy/Seamless
Would Play After Comp?: No, experience seems complete
Artistic scale: Bouncy, Mechanical, Sparks of Joy, Engaging, Transcendent
Technical scale: Unplayable, Intrusive, Notable (Bugginess), Mostly Seamless, Seamless</
