I understand this game will be
available as digital download for PC or Mac on the publisher’s website
sometime in January 2017. Other distributors have not been announced at
this time. My version is a download file. Two game files are planned to
be made available. One is called High definition for screen resolutions
at 1920x1080 or above. The second that I used for this review is for
monitors at least 1280x720 and above. My monitor setting was 1600x900
and the graphics were very good. More game information can be found at
http://www.mdna-games.com/Profound/about.htm
Mechanics
Upon opening, Profound Red
offers you the option to play in a window by clicking a box. You are
also offered a choice between 16 bit or 32 bit color. A third box offers
an option to use your desktop screen resolution. The game begins with an
interactive tutorial explaining how to play the game. Controls are
fairly standard for an Adventure game but it is advisable to view the
tutorial to familiarize yourself with them. Like previous Carol Reed
games, this is a first person point and click adventure. You can save or
load a prior game point at any time and there are a hundred save slots.
Speaking of saves, they are located (at least in Windows 7) at
Users/User Name/Saved Games/Profound Red. Sweeping your mouse to the top
of the screen, you will find your inventory. Right clicking on objects
in inventory will bring them up in close-up view for reading notes and
the like. You will at times need to combine objects by dragging one onto
another in inventory.
Right clicking on the
game screen will pull up the Menu screen, as will using the ESC key. The
Choices offered are Resume, New Game, Load, Save, Options, Quit.
The Options selection allows you to tweak volume controls via a
slider to adjust Speech, Music, and Effects. There is a
box to check to turn subtitles off or on. The default is set to on.
Carol’s notebook is placed in the inventory to provide hints in case you
are stuck. This note book reveals only the next step; however it serves
as a walkthrough for the game. Another aid is the spacebar that when
pressed reveals a scene’s hot spots. You will need it. Regarding the
mechanics of the game, my version ran smoothly without a single glitch
and it does not hog a lot hard drive space.
Graphics & Sound
As with previous editions of
this series, the background scenes are still photographs. They were
taken by the game’s creator. He deserves credit for his excellent
photographic eye. The stills are very pleasing to view. I spent a lot of
time doing nothing other than viewing the photos. There are subtle
backgrounds in some of the scenes. The characters encountered by Carol
are also photos of people and at times I detected subtle changes of
expression. Ok perhaps I imagined that. Voice acting could have been
improved, as my only gripe or complaint is they appeared to lack
emotion, if not emotion perhaps concern for a missing or deceased friend
was lacking. It does not detract from the game because the voice acting
is fairly good. It is just that I noticed during a few conversations
something was lacking. Visually this is a very appealing game.
Conversations are minimal and during game play Carol will make
infrequent observations. The music track in the background is not
distracting and is quite pleasant. I found it somewhat relaxing.
Story & Game Play
This is the twelfth stand
alone game in the popular Carol Reed mystery series. In this adventure
Carol investigates the supposed suicide of a woman who jumped off a
cliff. As one who has looked down from many cliffs while climbing over
fifteen hundred mountains, this reviewer doubts jumping off a cliff is a
choice way to end things. There is no graphic violence or vulgar
language. There are some nude stills you will view while playing the
game, though I accepted them as a natural inclusion due to the setting
of the story. The woman being investigated belonged to an “adult club”
where certain activities took place between members. The visuals of this
type are few and no worse than what you can find in art museums. I
mention this because some people are easily offended. Don’t worry no
such activities occur during game play.
Puzzles primarily draw upon logic and
reasoning, such as how do I open this box? Oh I need a number code, now
where do I find that? What do I do with this key? There are no quick
action dexterity moves you must make and none of your searching requires
rushing. You won’t be interrupted except once toward the end, and even
then the game allows plenty of time to think. If you are stuck, the hint
notes will tell you exactly what to do and your opponent will wait while
you figure it out. There are multiple locations offering many venues to
explore. I did not count them all, but they offer a reasonable length of
game play. I spent two to three hours in each sitting over four days to
complete the game. I admit to liberal use of the offered hints. The only
issue I had stems from the first rule of Adventuring. We all know what
it is. Pick up everything you see, then figure out why you are carrying
a ladder around in your pocket later. Unfortunately Carol did not adhere
to that rule. If you did not know you needed it then you couldn’t pick
it up. This required you to go back to where you first noticed the
object you need.
Does the Adventurer’s
bane, the dreaded maze, lurk somewhere ready to pounce? There are none
so to speak, but the Adam and Eva Club has enough rooms that may lead
you to distraction when trying to find your way. The club could qualify
as a maze and it requires multiple visits. Remember when I mentioned you
cannot pick up items until you know you need them?
Summary
Profound Red stayed true to
overall quality you’d expect from a Carol Reed game. I do not recall
specifics of the previous games as it has been considerable time since I
played one. This game does not telegraph its ending. Typically when
solving a mystery you can guess the identity of the villain. For me the
wrap up came as a surprise. You won’t find any spoilers here. So sit
back take your time enjoying excellent scenery and marvel at the detail
illustrated in the deteriorating houses and falling down factories.
There is also a small mountain or hill to climb. I really liked that
part. The combination of relaxed searching, soothing background music,
and fine graphics, created an enjoyable adventure. It won’t tax your
system. I played with a GT240 2 gig video card and could have gotten by
with much less. From my experience Profound Red is well worth playing.
GameBoomers Review Guidelines
January 2017
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