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.
Apparently, 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, don't 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, parchments, 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 don't 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 apparent 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
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