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Realms of the Haunting #88481
02/06/03 02:40 PM
02/06/03 02:40 PM
Joined: Sep 2002
Posts: 3,798
Sweden
Drizzt Offline OP
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Realms of the Haunting

Think about horror. What is your definition of horror? To sit in a dark room and all of a sudden jump out of the chair, shout a terrified yelp, and feel your nerves trembling? If you define this as
horror, and also enjoys it, then perhaps it is time for you to enter the Realms of the Haunting.

Has there really been that many horror games released? Those I can name just off my hand would
probably be the old Sierra games Phantasmagoria 1 and 2. But these was principally nothing more than a collection of movies, and how fun can that be? Let´s say instead, that you would like to have a game which successfully mixes horror, adventure, puzzle, a bit of roleplaying and also a big piece of action together, then ROTH will fit you like a glove.

Everything starts when you, Adam Randall, gets a mystical package delivered to you by a man who claims to be your recently deceased father.
Appearantly, you are his only heir, and his whole mansion is yours now, and this lies of course far
out away from everything, surrounded by moors, which fits this kind of game perfectly.
The game starts when you finally, after a nice intro sequence stands in the foyer of the mansion.

A little word of advice I think I should give before the I start reviewing more closely; If you have problems completing even games of average length, dont even try to bother with this. It consists of
enormous 20 chapters filled with mysteries, puzzles and quests, and also one of the best written stories I have ever experienced.

The atmosphere in the game is absolutely incredible, and despite that it is old, it is impossible not to appreciate the effects and shiver from contentment when you see the lightning reflecting and lighting the old dusty hallways up, the trees, swaying in the wind and the rain whipping the windows.


You play the game in the classic first-person perspective, but use the mouse considerably more here than in similar games, for example to pick up and examine things.
You will collect an incredible amount of things during the game, of which a few are necessary to go further, and some simply will add to the story or the atmosphere.
One will also have to use the small gray ones, considering the fact that a great deal of this game requires massive brain activity, and there is no lack of puzzles.

About the story itself there is so very much to praise, but that is nothing I can say here without spoiling it, while it is very thickly put together, and also a very massive one.
You will most probably find tons of documents, pergaments, scrolls, old letters and journals that will each have their own place, and after a while you uncover a very sinister plot, involving Satan himself and his henchmen, and gradually one notices not everything is as it should be with even the people one meet.

Graphically, the game is very old, but when it was released it was a pure masterpiece, and there are still traces of it left. To name one example, the monsters are made with motion capture, which means they move quite "gracefully", and not like in other games that arrived around this time (e.g. Duke Nukem 3d). In other words, it looks very well to for an old game, and in some places, the amount of detail is amazing.
I should also add that this was one of the first games that actually showed the objects in 3d, which means they were no longer sprites and now looked different depending on what point of view you were looking at them by.
The sound is just perfect, with weapons thundering, while the monsters are growling as usual. What adds a lot to the atmosphere, though, is the sounds made by the environment the player currently is in. You can hear water drip in caverns far below the earth, in the few outdoor environments that are there, the wind howls, and the leaves rustle, and deep down in catacombs you can hear the sound of
constant stone grinding somewhere far in the distance.
All the movies are in FMV-format, and before you run away screaming, I shall tell you it is very well made. The actors really dont sounds as bad as one would think they might, but they are actually quite good, and even the effects made for the cutscenes are good, considering this is 1996.

But as all games, even this has its share of flaws. The most appearant is that the game is very linear in the beginning, and even if the gamer is quite big itself, there is often just one direction to go to in the first chapters. But gradually this wears off, and it becomes quite non-linear, but it is still annoying.
Another flaw is the story, while it is extremely well written, with many twists and turns, it gets
very messy at places, and it is not until chapter 12 or 13 you understand what all is really about.
Some of the problems are very logical, while some other are totally illogical and can easy frustrate anyone attempting them.
And also, I have a very hard time seeing someone who has completed ROTH sit down and replay it, while you know the story perfectly well. It is a very joyous experience, and although it is extremely long, it is also just a one-time game.

Despite this, Realms of the Haunting is an incredible game, with one of the best stories to date, and should keep even the most experienced players nerves tense as strings during many dark evenings.


Graphics: 7/10
Sound: 9/10
Gameplay: 10/10
Story: 9/10
Replayability Value: 4/10

My Grade: 9/10


Are they dead? Yes. Unlike you they have but one life...and they wasted it for your sake!
Re: Realms of the Haunting #88482
02/06/03 03:00 PM
02/06/03 03:00 PM
Joined: Nov 1999
Posts: 10,323
gatorlaw Offline
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Well you have been busy today Drizzt. smile

You write well. I enjoyed reading this one as much as your other posted today.

I have Realms, but I ran into some problems with the interface and the running of the game. Have to give it another go. I did really like the atmosphere of the game. Very creepy. eek

Laura





Re: Realms of the Haunting #88483
02/07/03 01:07 AM
02/07/03 01:07 AM
Joined: Nov 2000
Posts: 34,287
United Kingdom
Mad Offline
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Hi Drizzt.

Another splendid review !!

I played ROTH a long time ago and it scared me to death eek eek eek

Cheers.

Mad wave


Time : The Most Precious Commodity
Re: Realms of the Haunting #88484
02/10/03 12:33 PM
02/10/03 12:33 PM
Joined: Jan 2002
Posts: 13,453
Texas
nickie Offline
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nickie  Offline
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You are so right - what an ageless wonderful game this is! I played it when it first came out, and I still shudder when I think about the creepy men in their long back coats waiting to take a shot at me! Well done, Drizzt!


"How could drops of water know themselves to be a river? Yet the river flows on."
- Antoine de Saint-Exupéry
Re: Realms of the Haunting #88485
02/22/03 09:33 AM
02/22/03 09:33 AM
Joined: Mar 2001
Posts: 2,339
Ohio,USA
Gamer Offline
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I played this game when it was first released and it is one of my absolute favorites, reading your great review makes me want to play again, and I just might. wave


Helen
Re: Realms of the Haunting #88486
02/22/03 11:19 AM
02/22/03 11:19 AM
Joined: Sep 2002
Posts: 3,798
Sweden
Drizzt Offline OP
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Drizzt  Offline OP
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Thanks...I myself doubt I´ll ever play it again, mainly due to all other games I have to finish first, and also because it was too linear, unfortunately. Still, one of my fav games of all time smile


Are they dead? Yes. Unlike you they have but one life...and they wasted it for your sake!
Re: Realms of the Haunting #88487
02/22/03 07:28 PM
02/22/03 07:28 PM
Joined: Feb 2000
Posts: 10,450
Southern California
Darlene Offline
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bravo bravo


Woohoo and booyah! smile Have an easy peasy day!
Re: Realms of the Haunting #88488
03/05/03 10:29 PM
03/05/03 10:29 PM
Joined: May 1999
Posts: 2,395
Central Texas
Debra Offline
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It took me 6 weeks to play the game the first time I played it. I just loved it! Scared the dickens out of me. Although I didn't turn around and replay it immediately I have replayed it twice since. There is really something sinister
about the atmosphere in ROTH that makes me take it
out again usually around Halloween.

Re: Realms of the Haunting #88489
03/29/03 07:19 PM
03/29/03 07:19 PM
Joined: Aug 2002
Posts: 11,557
Virginia
popcorneater Offline
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Drizzt,
I am assuming that this can be played on XP?
But, I don't know who the publisher is?
I love spooky games and this sounds great, never heard of it, but then I am fairly new to gaming. One those that said "never ever would I have a computer that was used for games" HA!

Thanks,
Ingie


playing DS2, Oblivion and WoW
Re: Realms of the Haunting #88490
03/29/03 09:49 PM
03/29/03 09:49 PM
Joined: Jan 2002
Posts: 13,453
Texas
nickie Offline
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Ingie, this is an old dos Interplay game. I think you can get it for about $3 at go.gamer.com, and if you think you might like a scary one, it is!


"How could drops of water know themselves to be a river? Yet the river flows on."
- Antoine de Saint-Exupéry
Re: Realms of the Haunting #88491
05/06/03 04:59 PM
05/06/03 04:59 PM
Joined: Apr 2002
Posts: 235
Collegeville, PA
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Drizzt, I see you played it on XP. How on earth did you get it to run?! I can't even get a DOS prompt! It's been sitting here collecting dust because I just don't have the technical know-how to get it moving.
Goopie


Life Lesson #212: Some people have a way with words, while others...umm...thingy.
Re: Realms of the Haunting #88492
05/07/03 01:58 AM
05/07/03 01:58 AM
Joined: Sep 2002
Posts: 3,798
Sweden
Drizzt Offline OP
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Drizzt  Offline OP
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No, I have not played it on XP yet, though I got everything but the controls to work correctly. I just clicked "install" from the cd, installed it as usual, and then I downloaded VDMS and ran it with that.

Still must fix the controls though. The keys get stuck and just keep going and so on.


Are they dead? Yes. Unlike you they have but one life...and they wasted it for your sake!
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