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Computer Times
Editors' Choice Game Gray Matter Review by Angie Kibiloski
Gray Matter (Retail $29.99, box or download), from dtp entertainment and Viva Media, is a gothic adventure PC title that combines science and the supernatural, bringing you a thrilling tale of love, loss, and mystery. Alternately play as the 2 main characters, as they try to discover the secrets behind the strange happenings around Oxford University. Is a student playing some elaborate prank, or are Dr. Styles’ psychological experiments having some bizarre affect on the material world? Its up to you, as both Dr. Styles and his assistant, Sam, to investigate his house and the environs of Oxford, and unmask the cause before these occurrences cause anyone harm.
Dr. David Styles, a world famous neurobiologist, has become a recluse in his large house after the tragic death of his wife. He is desperate to keep her memory alive, years later, even to the point of hoping to somehow bring her back to him. His current experiment into the mind and imagination of students seems innocent enough, but does it hide a darker purpose, or could it be a conduit by which some unknown force is making itself known? Samantha Everett is a young street magician, traveling to London to track down a secret club for magicians. She gets misdirected to Oxford, and ends up falling into the position of assistant to the enigmatic scientist. Has she stepped into deeper trouble than she can handle, or will she be the very person needed to get everyone else out of it? With the scientific mind of Dr. Styles, and the eye for illusion of Sam, can you discover what is stirring up fear in the city?
The story is laid out in 8 chapters, each with certain goals you must achieve before moving on to the next chapter. However, within the framework of each chapter, you have free reign of all unlocked locations, and are able to explore at your leisure, finishing the chapter goals in any order you choose. There are 3 very helpful features to assist in each chapter’s completion: color coded map icons, goal completion progress bars, and clue tags. If there are any more clues to find, conversations to be had, etc, at a particular location on the game map, the icon for that location will be highlighted in either gold or silver, denoting which type of goal you can work on at that site. If the icon is grayed out, you have exhausted all help at that site for the time being. This is a very handy feature, and eliminates the frustrating need to search every location in hopes of finding that one thing you have missed to progress the game. Anytime during game play, you can check your progress with the various chapter goals. You can see what percentage of a goal you have reached, and which goals you have successfully completed. This is very helpful, especially if you can’t think of what to do next. Even at the very beginning of a chapter, it could be helpful to peek at the goals and get an idea of where to start. If you hit the Space bar in any scene, tags will be displayed over anything that you can click on, so that you can be sure you’ve found every clue to a location. I’d recommend not using this until you’re stuck though, as it is more fun to find everything without hints. The controls are your standard point and click, and the game is not timed, both of which make for a comfortable game play. One more cool feature, which is different from other games, is Sam’s ability to use illusions to sway other characters into doing what she wants. You will have the chance to perform all manner of magic tricks, using items you pick up along the way, as well as things purchased from the local magic shop. You’ll have quite a lot of fun fooling people, especially those more annoying characters you meet.
Gray Matter is beautifully rendered, with rich scenery and a gothic atmosphere. Each scene is full of detail and packed with interesting things to view. The artists have captured the feeling of Oxford perfectly, with its ancient architecture, and every corner steeped in history. The storyline is in depth and intriguing, making it difficult to stop playing until you reach at least the end of a chapter. The characters you both play as, and interact with, are varied and interesting, and the conversations you have are fast paced and beneficial to the progression of the plot. If this game was just a well put together thriller, with cool puzzles to solve and pretty locations to explore, it would still be awesome, but with the added element of magic, both real and illusionary, Gray Matter raises the stakes and comes out a real winner. You can grab your copy in retail stores or online, in a pretty box or for download.
System Requirements:
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