This Game Has Stepped Out Of The Shadows!
I would classify this game as a mash-up of science-fiction and lite horror. The story involves your attempts to deal with the impact and consequences of a man-made calamitous event, stemming from an experiment that went terribly wrong and turned people into ghostly, zombie-like monsters. The time frame takes place after the catastrophe, within a remotely located island where only the abandoned remnants of society and technology remain. I always admire this developer's knack for injecting raw emotion into their characters, allowing players like myself to become fully immersed within their mind sets.
The artwork appropriately illustrates the post-cataclysmic theme: vine-covered, dilapidated buildings; rusted, beat-up cars; and secretive lab rooms, with broken technological equipment. The quality of the graphics is unimpressive; the fuzzy visuals lack clarity and need to be sharpened up.
The adventure portion of gameplay implements standard HOA fare and lacks the layers of complexity and innovative qualities that made some of their older games standout. However, even though the HOSs are unoriginal, they are thoroughly entertaining and creatively rendered. The excellent background storytelling is integrated within some of the HOSs. One standout HOS, in my opinion, is the one in which you move sliding bars on the top and side of the screen so that the silhouette shapes fit into the weather-themed patterns. The puzzles are varied and plentiful, with some being scientifically oriented. Some puzzles, especially those in the bonus chapter, require some thought and time to work out, although others fail to offer any stimulating challenges. I do like the one in which you interact with a mechanical switchboard to obtain the clamps. You should have no problems spotting the trademarked symbol that is prevalent throughout this developer's games.
As far as the mechanics go, it appears that the developers tweaked their programming so that complete sets of the same inventory items can be simultaneously placed in the scene instead of individually dragging them over, one at a time. I did notice one trivial programming flaw with the audio in reference to the dialogue: at the end of the audio of each current dialogue sequence, I heard the first syllable of the first word of the next dialogue sequence before clicking "continue." It's no big deal but still noticeable.
This is not, in my opinion, Madhead's best workmanship, but they somehow continue to devise interesting story lines and compelling characters. Considering the brevity of the free trial, I went ahead and bought this game, especially in light of the forthcoming Labor Day sale. I still feel that this game is missing the pioneering, interactive techniques that usually set them apart from their peers. Nonetheless, this is still a more-than-satisfying production compared to most of the last several games. Therefore, my true rating of 4.5 stars is bumped up to a final five (5) stars.KimTwilight69
Horror fans, unite!
Mad Head married its Beyond and Maze series, and Shadowplay is the baby. This eerie techno thriller is based on a deserted island housing a large corporation where all the employees disappeared three years ago. It wouldn't be a Big Fish game unless you are desperately searching for a loved one, so naturally you are looking for your brother, one of the doomed corporate hacks.
The trial is short, and I decided to buy primarily because of my experience with this developer. It was a good choice. The modern, clean lines of the graphics are a refreshing change from the dark, blurry settings of many other HOAGs. Difficulty is customizable. It's a small thing, but I love that Mad Head always allows us to use our inventory items even when we haven't collected a full set (e.g., you can place 2 pieces in a mural while waiting to find the third).
There are a variety of HOPs, including silhouettes and storybook. The minigames and overall gameplay are moderately challenging: not a lot of handholding, but generally a smooth ride. There are 30+ puzzles, which made me very happy. The collectibles are, as always, the Mad Head logo in each scene and the morphing objects in the HOPs. These are fairly easy to spot.
There are some downsides. The teleporting map doesn't tell you when collectibles are available. The text and silhouettes in the HOPs are small, so be prepared to bring your reading glasses and use the zoom feature. There is no journal, although your "locator" will sometimes provide useful information.
I am rounding up my score of 4.5 due to the lengthy gameplay (40+ scenes) and overall enjoyment. I strongly recommend this game, especially for those who like the darker side of Mad Head.jennifer626
