|
Return to the game's main page Reviews and Ratings
Previous | << 1 2 3 4 >> | Next | Show All
9 of
10 people found the following review helpful:
 Great Lovecraft-style Adventure, November 29, 2007by Matt Kimmel (Cambridge, MA) This was one of the first of the "new" IF games I played during the Inform-fueled IF resurgence in the mid-90s. It was one of the games that made me realize that the IF being produced by the community was rivaling and even exceeding the quality of the Infocom and Legend classics that I loved. Although Theatre is a bit on the short side, it evokes a Lovecraftian creepiness quite well. While it's completely its own game, I couldn't help comparing it--favorably--in my mind to Infocom's The Lurking Horror. I highly recommend it to anyone who enjoys that sort of on-your-own-in-the-middle-of-the-night-with-indescribable-monsters type of horror game. My only complaint is that I wish there were a bit more of it. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No Remove vote | Add a comment
6 of
8 people found the following review helpful:
A very atmospheric game, October 19, 2007First, I have to acknowledge that I have not finished the game completely, because of personal reasons. But as far as I can tell, I got really towards the start of the home stretch. In my eyes, this game shows what good horror IF should be like: The atmosphere is very intense and the writing does a very good job to convey it to the player. The player character is not really my preferred type, but rather falls into the common person category. His presentation is believable, making it easy to get into the game itself. The riddles are very fair, with just enough hints, but not too many, so the player still has some challenges to overcome. Due to the basic plot, interaction with NPCs is relatively rare, with the game more about uncovering mysteries of the past and understanding what is going on. While some people may find this somewhat disappointing, I believe that it suits the genre quite well. If you are a hard-core horror fan, you might find the game too tame in its content. While it does involve some aspects of violence, it is much closer to an eerie story than to a splatter movie. It can be said to be in a Lovecraftian tradition. In other words, if you like it more subtle, you can enjoy it quite well, while fans of hands-on action may find the experience less enjoyable, though not really bad. I am not that experienced with IF, but I would say that it is of medium length, tending slightly to long. So, if you just want to have a quick play, this is probably a bit too much. Otherwise, I can only recommend playing this game as it is really a very fine creation I consider to be one of the flagships of IF. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No Remove vote | Add a comment
Baf's GuideA genuinely creepy game. Spend the night trapped in an abandoned theatre, accompanied by a variety of spooks and nameless horrors. Has an interesting two-layered plot: as the game progresses, the building's history is revealed by the pages of an old journal you find scattered about. Lots of hidden passages, solid (but not unduly hard) puzzles, and an adaptive hint system. Inspired by the short story The Ghosts of the Lyric, the entire text of which is available in the game via the help menu. -- Carl Muckenhoupt
You wrote this review -
Revise it
| Direct link | Add a comment Previous | << 1 2 3 4 >> | Next | Show All | Return to game's main page |