I didn’t get the name at first. It is a good game though, which I got off abandonia.com.
Like in my previous blog, I’m quite sure most of you don’t know what I’m talking about, so I’ll give a little background information first.
Abandonia.comWhere did all the old DOS games go? Answer: Here.Well, at least most of them. Abandonware is what this unique site specializes in. For people who loved the old DOS games, it is an oasis in the desert of online flash games.
What is abandonware?
Abandonware is computer software which is no longer being sold or supported by its copyright holder. Alternately, the term is also used for software which is still available, but on which further support and development has been deliberately discontinued." Since the software is no longer sold or supported, the copyright holders are not directly harmed in any way. This is why abandonware sites are, for the most part, ignored by the law. The distribution of copyrighted software however is, and will always be, illegal.
Yes. This is what abandonia specializes in as I said before. I have been playing old games from that site for several months now. I decided it might be interesting to review an old game every few weeks and make a blog dedicated to it. What do you think?
Well, even if you think it’s a crap idea, the game I decided to start off with is “Five Days a Stranger.â€? Weird title huh? I will use this review as a template for my other ones.
Here is a the story as it says in the game’s readme file.
STORY
Get in, get the loot, get out… that's how it usually goes for master cat burglar Trilby. But after he breaks into the supposedly vacated country manor erstwhile of the aristocratic DeFoe family, he quickly finds that things are not that simple. Together with a group of strangers, he finds himself imprisoned by some invisible intelligence. A force prepared to do anything to keep them there. Up to and including murder…
As the killings begin and suspicion threatens to tear the group apart, it's up to Trilby to unite his squabbling companions and destroy the supernatural entity that victimises them. But what exactly is it? What is the dark secret attached to DeFoe Manor? And what is the significance of the masked maniac who haunts their dreams?
Sounds interesting doesn’t it? Almost like it could be a book. Actually, I think there is a mystery novel that has a very similar plot to this. But that’s beside the point. I’ll start reviewing.
GraphicsThe picture at the top is obviously a screenshot, but if you’re too lazy to scroll up, I’ll post another one.
Simple, neat graphics that all fit together. Limited color palette as well. Not a bad thing by any means. It gives the game unity :D
There’s not much to say about the graphics except that each room has it’s own “feelingâ€? because of the color choice differences in the rooms.
Music/Sound
Music nicked without remorse from RPG Maker 2000
Lol. Surprisingly, the music fits the game rather well. I wasn’t expecting this.
The sound is quite basic. I noticed, though, that the footsteps sound changes depending on the surface. Walking on carpets gives a muffled sound for example, and walking outside on gravel gives a crunchy one. I respect this attention to detail.
GameplayIt’s a basic point and click adventure game. I didn’t like how switching between “walkâ€? “useâ€? and “lookâ€? modes was so hard, though. There isn’t as many things to interact with as I like, but did like how everything could be examined.
DifficultyAt first, it seems very easy, but after you look through everywhere in the house about 7-8 times, it gets harder. Much harder. Luckily, a walkthrough for it does exist on the abandonia site.
OverallThe main character has a realistic personality, as well as all the other characters. I enjoyed this because it made the game a little more interesting to play. Now for my ratings.
RatingsGraphics: 7/10 Decent graphics, but lack of proper shading. Too much gradients were used in my opinion.
Music/Sound: 5/10 Good sound effects, but the music was not original. I didn’t like that, so it evened out to a 5.
Gameplay: 6/10 Fun to explore, but switching between functions was hard.
Difficulty: 8/10 Quite a challenging game.
Overall: 7/10 Fun to play, but lacks in originality and some basic features.
If you are interested in playing it, I will give you the link to the download page.
linkI look forward to trying out more games from this site.
Go to scummvm.org. They have Beneath A Steel Sky there, as well as Flight Of The Amazon Queen