I'm haunted by Return to Ravenhearst. Is it my peculiar game mentality or have other players noticed this game is just too real? I feel like I've really been there. (My nose is running and my eyes are itchy from all the dust and cobwebs.) I can swear I felt the salt spray and heard the crashing waves from the cemetery overlooking the beach.

So what makes this game too real? Obviously the awesome music really sets the stage for the "creepy" factor. I noticed that it was often very dark, but somehow I never had any problems finding what I needed. How did they make it dark without obscuring visibility? Or was it just my imagination?

I get frustrated when hidden objects are too tiny or so hidden only a tiny part is showing. In MCF5, everything was drawn to scale which also made the game seem real, but the needed objects were never too tiny to find. There were thousands of items piled everywhere, but somehow everything seemed appropriate. What a relief not to hunt for a space shuttle or computer or exotic fruit I never heard of.

Was it just me or did anybody else have a major adrenaline rush when somebody on the porch walked by the kitchen window? My hands were shaking and my brain was screaming "HURRY HURRY HURRY" when Victor was helping Charles into the guest house.

Do you think the pre-release hype set the stage for realism by having Rose leave messages at Facebook or enroll at Gameboomers? What made this game 'real' for you? Or was it just another game?

I think you confused the above part with Nancy Drew Lights, Camera, Curses?

As far as MCF 5, I chalk up the realism to an excellent creative team.

OMG, you're right. They both had ravens in them. Now I know I've been playing too many computer games. Maybe Nancy should have visited Ravenhearst...now that would have been some game!

I had a hard time with those scenes in Nancy Drew as well!

All in all I think everything added to the realism -- artwork, story, audio. I kind of felt like how I did when I played The Lost Crown. Both environments were so rich in detail (art and story) and left me wanting more.

I must admit, I was mighty nervous when I heard footsteps and saw the shadow in the kitchen window. Several times I had the urge to "sneek" over to next sceen cause I felt like someone was going to pop out from behind something.

The graphics and the music really added that "creepy" feeling!

Koalanut

Did any one notice the thing in the water in the cavern????

Yes... it was a huge snake-like creature. Gave me the heebee Jeebees.

What creeped me out the most was inside the gingerbread house, he doll with the spider in her mouth. GROSS and very creepty.

Oh yeah, I forgot all about that huge snake in the cavern. I think I actually moved my chair back from the screen when I noticed it (as if that would save me from a hungry giant anaconda.)

Yes, Koalanut! That's exactly what I was talking about. Hurrying to finish a scene because it felt so real I was scared to stay in that room any longer than necessary. I almost skipped Charles' bedroom because I was afraid they would catch me in the house, but I knew there were things I needed to do in there. Which was worse - staying and getting caught or having to come back and not know where they were lurking?

For me the realism was in all of the back tracking. If I were really exploring a house and came on a locked cabinet, then found a key later on, I might go back to see if it would unlock the cabinet.

Well, actually, I'd probably try to break the cabinet, but I couldn't do that in the game! And more than once, while looking for hidden objects, I'd think "well that hammer would be handy", but it didn't fly into my inventory, so that's that.

I was a little startled when Victor came at me, and I didn't like the roaches, and I did wonder if I'd be caught again by Victor if I took too long. Some of the graphics - the blinking dolls, the bugs - were kind of expected based on other MCF games. But that whole underground area, with the restraints in the beauty parlor and the gingerbread house and the Victorian trolley, was pretty twisted! Thinking about 2 little girls wandering around there, lonely and sad, making friends with a kitty in the wall... creepy.

My son likes the game, and he helped me with a lot of the puzzles, but he won't play it by himself.

Scarlet, I added Spoilers to the title if you don't mind. It's nicer to be able to speak freely without putting every other sentence in a spoiler tag.

This game was the best creepy and bugs everywhere thank God we don't smell a vision with all the food eveywhere too. I know everytime I went to check different place I expected Charles to jump out at you too. I saw the huge snake too I felt I had to run up to the telescope to be sure not to get crushed by it. This was so real and the dummy in the tub about made me jump out of my chair. Playing in the doll scene many dolls eyes roll I could not wait until I was out of there too. The music made you feel the different places uneasy and the darkness even more creepy as you went along the game. There where so many bugs I was ready to get my fly swatter out start smacking them. This was the best game of the series.

Thanks Ana. I posed my question on a new thread to avoid corrupting the game thread with spoilers, but never thought to add "spoiler alert" to the title. Doh!

Stellaluna: Didn't you want to rescue those poor kitties? I was upset at the thought of them living in the walls and when the mansion burnt down, I was afraid they didn't make it out. Kept telling myself "it's just a game", but our local pet shop burned down two weeks ago so I guess I transferred those feelings to the game. Once again, that's what I mean by the game being 'too real'. It evokes so many different emotions. Does your son not want to play the game alone because it's too creepy?

I don't think I'll be dropping in on Trippy any time in the near future because she has an old doll collection. After seeing Ravenhearst's dolls, I don't think my nerves could stand it.

The instant I found the bug spray, I sprinted back to the phone box to kill the cockroaches. They were too realistic too and made my skin crawl.

Thanks Boomers for your comments. I'm relieved to see I wasn't the only one who found the game so realistic.

The underground "town" was waaay realistic. Very creepy.

For me it is just a game, and a hard one at that. Yes, I saw the snake (thought it was a wheel at first and tried to pick it up) and it didn't scare me since it wasn't doing anything and it wasn't the least bit useful. However, I played this game without any sound or music because I dislike background noise when I'm trying to find things. I'm tone deaf anyway so music doesn't do that much for me unless it happens to be something I really like and then I listen to it, not use it for atmosphere or whatever. I'm also not into being grossed out by horror, ghosts, and creepiness, so I ignored this part of the game. I thought the dolls were just dolls, although I didn't care for the one that had the spider come out of her mouth, yuck.
I'm only posting this to give another side to playing this game and to answer the question about whether it is too real, which is that it can be if you work at it, or not if you hold back (like I obviously did) and simply played for the fun of it and to satisfy my curiousity, which has no limits.

I was reading this thread because I was trying to find out what to do next at the scene with the Victorian coach. There was this panel to open to add fuel but I couldn't open it with the putty knife which was the only thing I had besides the funnel, fuel, and damp cloth. So I came here to see if I could find a hint in the spoilers. Then went to Margie at Gamezebo and there I found I needed a screwdriver! Scrolled up to find the hint about where to look for a screwdriver and saw the screenshot. I had been there before so knew I could find it again and I did, fairly quickly for me. Got the screwdriver, went back, put in the fuel, and big surprise, started moving! I didn't expect that and thought it was great fun, maybe the best part yet. I stopped there to enjoy this moment. Also to upgrade my opinion of this whole game, very close to an A now. To think there were a few times when I was close to quitting, sure glad I didn't now, of course.

Thanks for your input sierramindy. It's always good to look at both sides of any topic. I'm sure there are many players who found Return to Ravenhearst just another game, albeit a very good game.

I believe each player's game mentality and expectations produces different results and that's the theory I'm exploring with this thread. You go to a tear jerking movie with a handful of tissues or to a horror movie with friends who are prepared to scream and grab each other. It's the anticipation and expectation that contributes to the overall experience and produces the desired results. I embraced Return to Ravenhearst with the expectation that it would be scary and realistic, so I turned off the TV and the lights. I usually play without sound as well, but for this one, I cranked up the volume. The game was so well made that everything just 'clicked'. There were constant surprises and unexpected turns of events e.g. the appearance of Victor. The subtle nuances in the game created an atmosphere that seems almost impossible to explain - the dust floating in the kitchen for example or the raindrops in the garden. Everything just felt so real that I found the experience vaguely disturbing.

I just noticed your edit sierramindy. Now that's what I was talking about! When the trolley car takes off, the shaking furniture and the scrolling scene outside the windows made me feel as if I were really going downhill on an old trolley car. It was like the rides at Disney World where mist sprays or your seat tilts and shakes to make the experience feel real. The only difference is that this time I was sitting in my living room watching a computer screen, yet I still had the sensation of movement. What a masterpiece of game design!

I definitely felt it was the most realistic game I've played and second to that, to the best of my knowledge, would be Siberia. I haven't played near the number of games that many here have, but do like to feel as much sensory input as possible and do like to savor a game.
I did, however, find myself wanting to get through this game but as I said before it was becoming to SciFi for me and leaned to much toward the Darkside. (Now I need to find something much more lighthearted.)
I wish there was more realism in the sense of actual tools that are used by ghost hunters.

Scarlet, be not afraid of my dolls; if you visit, I'll lock them in their room....heeheeheehee.

Why am I hearing Madame Fate's voice when I read that invitation?

Scarlet, not to fear, I'd be here.
Were there dolls in Madame Fate?
By comparison though I liked the idea of the use of real people in RtR.
However didn't care to much for the little video at the end.

This game is wonderfully creepy! I love it! Those ghostly voices ...............................

Hi ScarletDragon,
Oh yes, I felt something when the trolley car took off, liked it enough to ride it back and forth a few times before getting on with the game. Another part I enjoyed was the humor (What? Yes!) in the library book puzzle. Notice the titles: Moby Fred and The Reddish Letter? Those two were the funniest for me, but there was Romiet and Juleo, Kevin Pan, Crime and Punish Me which also made me laugh. Being a book person from the time I learned to read, I automatically check book titles ... even in a scary game!

Hi 3dobermans,
I agree with you as I didn't care too much for that video ending either. However, when reading the credits as they scrolled by I did like the part where the 4 actors were dancing together, that was lighthearted and delightful ... makes for a sweet ending memory, methinks.

I've done that in I think all of the Myst games quiet a few times.

This was my first time playing a MCF game, I didn't play the first Ravenhearst but this game was awesome! I don't usually go for the "spooky" genre but was so impressed! It was spooky at times and very realistic. I agree, I felt immersed in the world of Ravenhearst and I can't wait for the next one. This was better than some adventure games I've played!

I felt like the videos clips in the credits were a 'debriefing', cute antics that helped make the transition from the dark and gloomy atmosphere of Ravenhearst back to the real world. Charles and the baby doll cracked me up.