Reviewed: September 16, 2003
Reviewed by: Tyler Todd

Publisher
The Adventure Company

Developer
XXv Productions

Released: July 23, 2003
Genre: Adventure
Players: 1
ESRB: Teen

7
5
7
5
7.1

System Requirements

  • Windows 95/98/2000/ME/XP
  • Pentium 233
  • 32MB Ram (64MB Recommended)
  • 24x CD ROM Drive (or PC DVD Drive)
  • SVGA Graphics Card with 32 Bit Color
  • 32 Bit Color at 640x480


  • Adventure games have all but gone the way of the dodo, kept afloat only by a small community of dedicated adventure fiends and occasional crossover gems that pierce the mainstream market, such as Syberia and the Myst series.

    The Adventure Company, a division of DreamCatcher Interactive, has made it their business to ensure the genre stays alive. Developer XXv Productions brings us Dark Fall: The Journal, a brooding supernatural mystery so tense it could give the Tin Man a pulse.

    Dark Fall sets the stage with a chilling voice message from your brother, an architect redeveloping an old train station in modern-day Dorset, England. You immediately board a midnight train for Dowerton station to meet him, only to discover upon arrival that the station and adjoining hotel have been deserted, save for the presence of lingering spirits.

    While Dark Fall may lack the astonishing visuals and artistic direction of Syberia, it goes straight for the throat, immersing you in its shady, paranormal world and leaving you transfixed as it weaves its ghostly tale.


    You are greeted at Dowerton station by the Cockney slur of Timothy Pike, a young boy who can be heard, but not seen. He acts as your guide as you take your first tentative steps and will provide assistance every now and then should you lose your way.

    Your brother's message also informs you that two university students, self-proclaimed "ghost hunters" Polly and Nigel, have been investigating the hotel and have apparently gone missing. You will find some of their high-tech equipment scattered throughout the many rooms of the hotel.

    One such piece is an electromagnetic tracker - sort of like one of those electrocardiogram pulse monitors you might see in a hospital. The line will spike and quiver if it detects a paranormal presence. It's a wonderful little piece of gear that will inspire much fear and accentuate the supernatural tone of the game.

    Dark Fall operates with a simple point and click control scheme. You navigate the world from a first-person view, hopping from frame to frame with your mouse and canvassing each for critical information. There is much emphasis on detail and minutia, so you will want to keep your eyes peeled.

    You will have to sift through a mountain of clues, ranging from newspaper clippings and personal notes, to your brother's PDA and e-mail, to an assortment far too extensive to catalogue here. It would be wise to keep a pen and pad handy to jot down the incredible number of clues you'll come across.

    The interface is straightforward and dead simple. There's an action bar at the top of the screen. The right portion of the action bar has three icons allowing to you to save, load and quit the game. And to the left is your inventory, a small collection of essential plot items you've gathered.

    Dark Fall earns high marks for its cinematic "film noir" presentation and intricate puzzles. There's an awful lot here to stimulate your brain. The puzzles are well-balanced and offer a varying degree of challenges. There are a handful that are remarkably complex and will give seasoned puzzle junkies a run for their money.


    Still frames are used to tell the story; meticulously crafted static images, littered with Victorian furniture. It's a shame the resolution is fixed at 640x480, because some of the artwork and architecture is superb. Many of the clues you discover, items such as World War II-era posters and placards, seem authentic and pull you deeper into the mystery.

    Ink-black shadows spill into the deepest corners and recesses of the hotel, and evoke an ominous mood. The persistent darkness and foreboding gloom saturate the adventure with such dread that you will audibly sigh when you come across one of the few illuminated rooms in the game. Never before has a flickering, hissing lamp been such a welcome sight.

    One point of frustration: the game kept lowering my monitor refresh rate to headache-inducing levels at 60 hertz, down from a rock steady 85. Annoying, to say the least. At present, there is no patch for this, so you will want to keep a bottle of your favorite headache cure at hand.


    Dark Fall's audio will account for more than a few spine-tingling moments, and is central to the eerie, supernatural tone that permeates the game. Floorboards creak and moan under your weight. Snippets of ghostly whispers resonate and roll down the many corridors of the hotel. Footsteps are drenched in tides of reverb and echo, heightening the tension.

    Often, the most clever effect employed is absolute silence, which serves to punctuate the tension with remarkable efficiency. You'll be on your own with nothing but the steady thump of your heartbeat to keep you company.

    There are a few select instances when the ambient effects veer perilously close to garage level production and detract from the experience, but there are more than enough pulse-pounding moments guaranteed to chill the blood and make your teeth chatter.


    Dark Fall promises 25+ hours of play, although that figure should be reserved only for the monumentally inept. I would wager the average experience is closer to 15 hours, with long breaks to settle your nerves and drum up the moxie to continue. Handsomely priced at only $19.99, Dark Fall is a steal.


    For those who enjoy an intellectual challenge and a sophisticated story (with a dash of Sherlock Holmes investigative work thrown in for good measure), Dark Fall will be a welcome addition to their library. It won't change the way adventure games are designed, like Myst did, but it is gripping and well-crafted.

    If you're yearning for a night dread and despair, Dark Fall is your ticket.