Phantasmagoria

It is rare to find a video game of this magnificent quality and design now a days, let alone back in '95! The plot is interesting enough to draw you into the game, and captivating enough to keep you there. Of course, the plot may seem simple and overused to some, but that is the beauty of Roberta Williams's work! In all of her video game titles, including this one, she takes well know tales and puts them together in her own lyrical, unique way, successfully turning something old into something new!

So here it is. A recently married couple, one a successful writer, and the other an accredited photographer, move into an abandoned Elizabethan house on the Massachusetts coastline, searching for peace and quiet for each of them to pursue their crafts, and their lives. But the house holds a dark secret. (What self-respecting abandoned Elizabethan house doesn't?) Why are the locals suspicious of the house? What is behind the locked door to the attic? Why did someone wall up the entry to the house's small church? Who are the people lurking about the carriage-house? What really happened to the previous owner? You may have seen or read of this kind of story before. But have you ever lived it?

And that, dear friends, is the entire basis for this remarkable game. Discovering the clues, unlocking the doors, unfolding the demonic secret of a rash of age-old murders, um... disappearances. But don't think that there is only one way to get from moving day to the heart-wrenching climax. Use your mind! There are multiple ways to solve the puzzles! And if you don't search hard, then you miss clues that, while are not required to finish the game, are required to realize just how tricky Mrs. Williams can be. (Hmmm, now where did that cat go off to? My that rose looks lovely in the moonlight... That cellar holds more than just wine...)

The point and click interface is very simple, probably too simple for seasoned gamers. You move the pointer around. The pointer turns red. Ah! You can do something! That however, is the ONLY reason why this game got a 9 instead of a 10. (Well, that and the, ahem, `bad guy' at the end is. well, to put it simply, corny. It still looks neat though!)

Visually, the game is beautiful. You can actually get the feel of roaming around that creepy old house, the stuffiness of the attic, the dampness of the crypt. The movements of the actors are all... well, acted out of course, so there is little that can be done about the stiffness of how Adrienne walks through the game. The video scenes are remarkable well acted out however, and both Victoria Morsell and David Homb shine, especially in the ending scene. I just hope you don't mind blood, because you'll see plenty of it as you get closer to the house's secret.

And the music! Oh! Such macabre melodies only serve to turn the shivers down your spine into virtual waves!

The game is short, yes. That is IF, you don't take the time to fully explore the game. (Search for Roberta herself! She's in there!) My recommendation: call in sick for work tomorrow, grab some of your favorite snacks, dim the lights, start the game, and by the morning, you'll have defeated one of the greatest and intriguing games of all time!

I have to agree with the other comments here on why the game really isn't good. In fact, the first time I played it, I wrote scathing posts on AOL years ago about how bad it was. However, I've since found that I enjoy playing the game just to look at the mansion. That much I enjoy. The entire game was shot on a blue screen and everything you see, all the sets have been computer generated. That is the uniqueness of the game. As far as scary or good horror writing, no. It's okay as an interactive horror movie. If you play it as such, you'll probably enjoy it. But if you have in mind to play an actual game, forget it. This thing should have only been billed as an interactive horror movie. You can't really call the few clicks that you do game play. I suggest you pick it up cheap somewhere and just try it as an interactive horror movie. For real gameplay, you're better of with Realms of the Haunting.

Roberta Williams' Phantasmagoria was widely hyped as "the scariest and most frightening computer game ever devised". Well, I have a thing or two to comment about the media's hype towards this game and Mrs Williams' alleged writing talent.

There is little to be said of the plot. Considering the sheer amount of gaping plot holes and lacking characterisation, it's easily apparent that the story took second place to the opportunity to show off some video effects.

Unfortunately, not even video effects can save this one. Doing an etheral horror movie on a computer game budget can only result in one thing: that the audience either walks off in disgust at the cheapness, or laughs their ass off.

The latter turned out to be my experience with this product, as Mrs Williams' horrible dialogue and no-brainer story unfolded before my eyes. You'll have to look closely to spot any originality -- perhaps Mrs Williams was a little *too* inspired by such classics as The Shining and the CD-ROM classic The 7th Guest. Both the haunted mansion theme and the recurring spook images are nothing new, and are certainly not revitalized in this story.

Another gripe I have with the game is the length of it. While it comes on 7 CD's, there is little to be done in any of the locations of the game, save for clicking on a few hotspots and being "rewarded" with robot sequences of Adrienne opening various things or testing out furniture. It is not until late in the game that the "rewards" actually begin to be able to live up to what the game box states--mainly by providing actual FMV sequences of Carno's wives being murdered. But even here, the design team skimped out by providing the movies in low-key quality, obscuring much of the gory detail--which, be fair, is necessary in a horror product. (The same problem afflicted a similar title, Gabriel Knight 2: The Beast Within, where not only were the FMV sequences in low resolution, but the option to turn off the alternate scan lines was also missing.) Interactivity seemingly wasn't the order of the day, and I would estimate that any experienced adventure game player could play the game from start to finish within a time span of a couple of hours. I realize Mrs Williams intended the game to be accessible to adventure game newbies--but, honestly, if she was targeting newbies (who mainly occupy the adolescent age group), why go for the horror genre?

It is not until you pop in the final CD that the game actually lets up and starts going a little wild. There is one scene in particular, during the chase scene, in which Adrienne's flesh is shown being ripped off her skull. (Incidentally, the manual writers thought it prudent to mention in the readme file that Adrienne was going to be chased by Don in the 7th chapter--giving away a major plot point beforehand. Hello?)

If anything, Phantasmagoria is good for a few laughs. If you're spooked by this game, then may I suggest you stick with Williams' more famous line of games, the King's Quest series? At least in this series, she doesn't need writing talents.

Phantasmagoria is such a wonderful game! Adrienne and Don, a young married couple moved into a mansion once owned by Carno, a famous magician from the past. Spooky things start happening as Adrienne explores the mansion, the grounds, talks to people in the small town of Nipawompsett. This game has a gothic feel to it with the stunning mansion and grounds. I had such a fun time playing this game. I have played it several times and will play it again as I see things that I missed. There's always something new to see. I highly recommend it!

This is an unforgettable game with an edge that you'll love if you're a fan of the crime horror genre. Think Se7en meets your favourite soap opera. It's not the easiest watch. There's some intense, violent scenes for its time and the game is not at all for the faint hearted.

There is an edge to this game that you simply don't see in video games anymore. Frankly, we aren't seeing many adventure games come out, let alone those where the story is driven by live-action cut scenes. The acting, direction and writing are feature-class and truly makes this game more memorable than most horror films that are out there these days.