Customer Reviews

Dark Fall: The Journal

5 star:		(28)
4 star:		(17)
3 star:		(6)
2 star:		(8)
1 star:		(7)

 

 

For gamers who love pure first person adventure, _Dark Fall_ dishes up some of the best that the genre has to offer. With a spooky atmosphere, engaging story, absorbing puzzles and great sound and graphics, _Dark Fall_ will probably keep you playing far into the night -- but you might not want to be alone.

Your brother, an architect, is designing a resort and club to take the place of an old hotel and train station. In an opening movie, you receive a phone message asking you to come to the site as strange things are happening. When you arrive, your brother has disappeared and the place is deserted. You soon find out that the old Dowerton Inn has a history of disappearances. As you explore the hotel and station you uncover the frightening story behind these happenings. Soon enough it becomes apparent that it's up to you to put a stop to whatever it is that's going on.

Originally published by an independent designer, _Dark Fall_ is a treat to play. The graphics are wonderful and detailed. The sound is mainly f/x replete with spooky voices just beyond intelligible, giving you the sense that, though you are alone, you may find otherwise at any minute. The interface is very simple and easy to use, allowing you to get caught up in the story. I found the pace of this game ideal. Although there are numerous locations to explore, you never get the sense that you are wandering around looking at things to no apparent purpose; there is always some information to be collected or a puzzle to solve.

There is a nice variety to the puzzles: some inventory, some mechanical, some sound and a lot of putting information from difference locations together to come up with solutions. The inventory is minimal, which I appreciated; I'm a bit tired of games where you collect forty-eleven different pieces of inventory, many of which you use only once. Most of _Dark Fall's_ inventory has multiple uses. Once you have all the pieces you need, the puzzles are relatively simple and straight forward. There is no need for a walkthrough or strategy guide. If you get stuck, the game includes a built-in hint feature that is nicely presented as part of the plot.

There were a few places where you got close-up views of things for no apparent reason and a few things you could interact with that were merely entertaining, rather than adding to the story or helping you solve any puzzle, but these did not detract from the overall experience. There are no timed puzzles, no mazes and you can't die, although you can be quite frightened at times.

_Dark Fall_ reminded me quite a bit of AMBER, but I found it better thought-out and more engaging. It's also somewhat longer; I took about twenty hours to finish it. I'm looking forward to the sequel.

If you are like me, you are more interested in an adventure game that has a good story, well integrated puzzles and decent voice acting than 360 degree panning and "beautifully rendered graphics". Those things are nice, but if you can't enjoy playing the game, who cares about the nice graphics?

Don't get me wrong, this is still a beautiful game with perfect mood enhancing sounds. What makes this game a treasure is the story line along with "puzzles" that fit into the story near seemlessly. I've played almost every adventure game out there and this game is on my top 10 best games along with some of the Zork games, Myst, Monkey Island, & Grim Fandango. The puzzles aren't so hard that you go away annoyed and irritated. There is no pixel hunting.

I think you will enjoy this game if you are the type of person who doesn't need flashy tricks to make up for a boring game with bad puzzles and lack of story line. This game is what all adventure games should strive to be. I enjoyed it and I hope you will too.

I bought Dark Fall from the man who created it, Jonathan Boakes, before Dreamcatcher Games realized it was a treasure and agreed to produce it for adventure game fans in the United States. I not only wasn't disappointed; I found one of my top ten games of all time (and I started playing games in college when Zork was a new text adventure).
The game is set in England. You receive a call from your brother and he needs help. He tends to dabble in the supernatural for a living, but you don't believe in that nonsense...right? When you arrive, the train station and beautiful but somewhat rundown art deco hotel are deserted. Except for the ghosts and the voices that may speak to you from nowhere. You may be exploring a room and find that a shadow has passed in front of you, but turn around to find nothing. There are clues in the old hotel and train station, and you've found your brother's equipment, right where he left it before...well, before something spoke to him and knew his name. Now it knows your name, too, and you have to solve the mystery before it finds you. Good luck, and remember to play with the lights off if you're brave enough. But you might want to be sure you aren't in the house alone!

I loved this game! Unlike some of the others who criticized this game, I don't mind taking notes when I play a game. I didn't find myself writing down a lot of unnecessary information - mainly what stood out in each of the rooms that were explored and the names and symbols that are needed to solve the final puzzle. By taking my time in each location I really didn't have to run around from place to place. I liked the fact that I had to explore all the little details in each locale and take note of important clues.

The navigation is really easy - just point and click. This is the best type of navigation because it allows the player to take their time. One writer criticized the fact that one has to place the cursor in the correct place to open a door - come on! How hard can that be? Another person said that the puzzles had nothing to do with the story - I think we must have played different games since most of the puzzles reveal the names and symbols that are needed to finish the game. To me that means that the puzzles have everything to do with the story. Another reviewer said that the graphics looked like something from the 1900s. Since this was a ghost story taking place in a hotel from the 1940s, I wasn't bothered by the graphics. In fact the "grainy" look made it seem like an old movie or photograph.

I cannot think of a single bad thing to say about this game. It was a great way to spend a Sunday while the rest of the people around here (Door County, Wisconsin) were watching the Packers play football.

Dark Fall is the best adventure game I've played in years. The story is outstanding and the puzzles are wonderfully challenging. You really get a sense of accomplishment when you finish this game.

The graphics are not stunning, and the navigation is good old point-n-click. But neither of these detracts from the enjoyment of the game. In fact, the designers have created one of the creepiest game environments that I've ever played. The sound effects and animations should definitely run some chills up your spine, as they did for me.

The best part of the game is the detailed, coherent story that unfolds as you play. The designers really did their homework to make each clue, document, and puzzle come together to tell the story.

Other reviewers have compared this game to "Amber: Journeys Beyond". Dark Fall is similar to "Amber", but much better. The puzzles remind me a lot of "Black Dahlia" and the story is similar to "Blackstone Chronicles" and "Morpheus". If you like adventure games with challenging puzzles and a great story to pull the puzzles together, you will really enjoy "Dark Fall"!

If you're looking for a game to really make you think, Dark Fall is for you. It is delightfully creepy (the designer, if I remember correctly, is a former ghost-hunter, and the knowledge gained there is evident here) and has above-average graphics.

The game can occasionally be frustrating when you realize that the clue you need is going to make you backtrack, but for the most part, the puzzles are tough but solvable--a few require an extra leap of logic, which only makes it all the more satisfying when you figure it out.

And, finally, I highly recommend playing this game with another person. Not only does that make it more fun--you *will* get swept up into the plot, and it's great to have someone to talk about it with--but having two perspectives on a lot of the puzzles makes it a bit easier. I played through it with my boyfriend, and we're still wondering what happened with a few of the characters...

The Fantasy:
An unnerving phone message left by your brother sends you off to an abandoned train station and hotel to find him. You are greeted by a mysterious little boy who leads you in the direction to get started, then vanishes. You are on your own now, totally alone....except for a few shadows darting about here and there, some ghostly beings who range from the cranky to the kind, disembodied voices, doors shutting on their own, the echo of footsteps, and a train that rattles your bones every time it passes through even though the track has been closed for ages.

Oh, did I mention that besides your brother, the hotel staff, several guests, and a couple of paranormal researchers all disappeared without a trace, leaving all their belongings behind?

Well, now it is up to you to figure out just what happened. You get to explore plenty of rooms in the dilapidated train station and spooky old hotel, dig through closets and drawers, fiddle with gadgets, and discover oodles of clues to piece together in order to reveal the dreadful details of exactly what became of the missing and what could happen to you.

The Reality:
*Dark Fall* is a fun, easy to play game with gorgeous graphics, lots of menacing details, an eerie soundtrack, and a dark ominous atmosphere. I could almost feel the damp mist clinging to my skin. Also, you get numerous rooms to snoop through and a nice little bounty of objects to pick-up and examine. If you are like me and enjoy leisurely searching every nook and cranny, then you'll like this.

Some of the hotspots can be tricky so keep that pointer moving and a sharp eye out. The navigation is smooth and, although it's been a few months since I played, I don't recall any problem areas.

Have fun and watch your back!

I enjoyed this game on so many levels: graphics, originality, plot, ease of interface, puzzle challenges.

The scary atmosphere set by the creator is top-notch. Playing the game at home alone in the dark increased the thrill factor. The various time shifts and layers of puzzles kept my attention throughout. The level of detail & backstory is astounding & really contributed to the gaming experience. I wanted to solve the game, not just for myself, but for all the characters who had become almost real by the end.

There were a few huh? spots where I had to check hints & walk-throughs, but not too many. One or two spots that required frantic pixel hunting, but not too bad.

I got so involved in the game and taking notes & making diagrams, that I stayed up till all hours on more than one occasion. Also, my main worry became "what if I get hit by a bus & someone has to get into my apt and finds my Dark Fall notes about ghosts and demons & strange runes and thinks I'm completely cracked?" :-)

I 'm a big fan of the series. Dark Fall: Lights Out is wonderful as well!

Not difficult but very entertaining. Turn off your lights to play this one, sound effects will give you butterflies! Too short, wish it had gone longer.

Good things about game:
1. the apparitions teamed up with the sound effects were creepy.
2. a lot of rooms to investigate
3. some puzzles were a bit tricky
4. lots of time spent by the makers writing letters giving lots of background to the story.

Not so good things about game:
1. A LOT of rooms to investigate - a bit redundant
2. A LOT to read!!! (but you don't have to read most of it to get through all the puzzles, I skimmed most of it)
3. short short short
4. what was that thing on the train platform for???

I bought this game just to try something different. It installed easily and has (knock wood) never locked up or crashed. There are lots of locations to explore and the haunted atmosphere is great fun. This is a great one to try with a candle burning and all the lights off. It's easy to get started, but the puzzles are still challenging. A great buy for anyone who enjoys a mystery. It's like stepping into an old fashioned thriller. No blood & gore just lots of thrills & chills.