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Computer Times
Editors' Choice Game Dark Fall: Lost Souls Reviewed by Angie Kibiloski
Dark Fall: Lost Souls (Retail $34.95), from Iceberg Interactive, is the third installment in the Dark Fall series of adventure/thriller games. In this chapter, we go back to the set of the first game, the Dowerton hotel and train station, and this encounter is even scarier than the first. The first chapter of the series, Dark Fall: The Journal, was creepy and startling, but this adventure is terrifying. Several times, in just the first half hour of play, I jumped in my chair and gasped in fright as I was scared by the ghosts and ghouls that now inhabit the area. Heart pounding and adrenalin pumping, I learned to be constantly on guard for the next chilling encounter, so that even when nothing popped out to scare me, I remained wary and on edge. I defy even the toughest of you to not have the same reaction, as you roam around familiar rooms and grounds, made even eerier than before, with the changes that have manifested since your last visit. As the Inspector, you must investigate the disappearance of a little girl, an unsolved case that has cost you your reputation. Could this haunted hotel hold the final clues needed to finally put this case, and poor Amy’s soul, to rest? Can you survive the evil spirits who lurk in the darkness, or will they claim you as they have claimed others before you?
One of the most fun aspects of Lost Souls, is that it’s set in a location that you’ve already explored. No major changes have been made to the structure of the hotel and grounds, other than years of deterioration, and it feels very much like coming home. But, its like coming home to a house you no longer live in, and the differences will keep you off balance and on your toes, darting your eyes to every dark corner, tilting your ears at unfamiliar noises, and quickly understanding that the new residents are not going to welcome you back. I was a fan of the first 2 chapters in this series, The Journal, and Lights Out, both of which are reviewed on this site, and was ready for an experience much like those. My expectations were not disappointed, in fact, they were surpassed. Those titles made my skin crawl, but Lost Souls makes it want to crawl away and hide. The sound effects in The Journal were frightening, with unexpected whispers when you entered a room, or phantom phones ringing, but they were nothing like in Lost Souls. In one room, and I won’t tell you which one, the sounds where so frightening and seemingly close to my ear, that I didn’t want to turn around and change screens, in fear of what I would see standing there behind me. Of course, ultimately the curiosity and the need to turn around just to escape the room got to me, and I turned to face my fear. To me, this is one of the marks of a great thriller/adventure game, the ability to actually scare the player. Your heart WILL beat faster, your breathe WILL become shorter, you WILL be frightened, and you WILL absolutely love it all.
I keep making references to the first 2 games in this series, and especially the first, since it is set in the same locale, but you needn’t have played the others to enjoy Lost Souls. It is definitely a story onto itself, and can be fully enjoyed as such. I just love the series, and can’t help making comparisons between all three chapters. The mechanics of the game are typical to point-and-click adventure games, with no complicated controls to remember and distract you from the story, just simple mouse clicks and a changing pointer icon. The plot is intriguing, as you go deeper into the mystery of the missing little girl, and the puzzles that you must solve along the way are necessary to the progression of the story, like finding the code to a locked door or discovering how to work a mechanical lift. Each puzzle or challenge requires you to do some investigating of the surrounding environs, collecting several pieces of data or equipment before you can complete it. Dark Fall: Lost Souls is a full body experience. You will be plunged wholly into this visceral world, where your pulse races in your ears as your heart takes refuge in your throat, fighting the urge to run and hide, while you try to think your way through the terror and try to come out of the darkness unscathed. If you like a great thrilling adventure that will capture your imagination, you’ll love every chilling second of this game. Who do you turn to for help when all the souls around you have passed on? Where do you hide when the darkness itself could eat you whole? Is escape from this nightmare even possible? I dare you to find out. You can order online from http://www.amazon.com or http://darkfallgames.com. System Requirements: OS: Windows 7 - Vista - XP(SP2/SP3) Processor: Pentium® IV or higher RAM: 512 MB RAM Video Card: 128 MB DirectX® 9.0C Compatible 3D accelerated video card Sound Card: 16-bit DirectX® 9.0C
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