Outcry is definitely different. The designers created a unique atmosphere to the game by depicting it visually as an old, grainy film throughout the entire game. While the different chapters are depicted in different color themes, they are all washed with the same overall graininess, light fluctuations and wavering lines that run across intermittently. This visual affect makes the whole game seem almost like a memory of times past. The actual time frame of the story is unstated, and could be anytime between the late 19th century and early 20th century. This is a strange-looking game, and the story is just as strange to match.
The protagonist’s brother is missing, and is searching his apartment for any clues to his brother’s disappearance. Once he enters the apartment, he listens to a recorded audio message from his brother stating that if he is listening to this message, then the worst must have happened. He then begins to investigate the apartment, and discovers many strange writings and machines. It soon becomes apparent that his brother believed that a form of time travel could be achieved by separating the mind from the body. The rest of the game is spent trying to follow the path taken by his brother.
The story is bizarre, and the setting equally so. Everything is muted and gloomy, and the music is soft and sad, as well. This is a lonely game, on the lines of Myst and The Lighthouse, but even more so. At least in those games there was sunlight.
Like the classic Myst, this is a first-person adventure. The look and type of mechanical puzzles is a little similar to the ones in Syberia, with a sort of H.G.Wells or Jules Verne feel and appearance to them. The isolation is furthered by the soft music and minimal sound effects, plus the lack of any real human interaction with other characters. This is a puzzle-driven game, with a mix of inventory-based and mechanical puzzles. These puzzles range from slightly difficult to very difficult. The main challenge with the manipulative mechanical puzzles is that there is an almost total absence of any type of direction while working the puzzle. There is no visual feedback, and only a few times where sounds give a few hints. And, to find out if the combination is successful, oftentimes the player will have to leave the location and see if anything is happening elsewhere. I admit, I used a walkthrough to get past a few of the lever and handle ones.
The story centers on a mystical separation of mind and body, which supposedly can enable a type of time travel. This story is interesting, but is cluttered with too many different ideas on this subject. Dolmens (ancient stone buildings), Freud and Jung, and even botany are among the many subjects that are presented to further the story. By introducing so many different reasons for the possibility of time travel, the story becomes a confusing mixture of separate parts, rather than a cohesive whole.
This is a Russian designed game and has been translated into English for the North American market. The translation is bad, but is not as jarring as in Sinking Island, as most of the language is written rather than spoken. I did have to laugh at the “antic potsherds,” though. Makes you wonder what they were getting up to, huh? What was really funny about that phrase was the fact it was spoken in a straight manner by the person reading it in English. Most of the papers can be read silently, but sometimes there is a mandatory reading of the material. This narrator didn’t seem to have accented English, but he couldn’t have been a native English speaker, unless he was a robot. There were many other strange wordings. What does it mean to “couch” a plant in a greenhouse? Is this a real botanical term?
Finding the different clues and items can be a little challenging. Hunting for things is quite difficult, as everything is the same color and dark, and sometimes things are found at odd viewpoints, in corners of the screen or way down on the floor. The camera viewpoints are narrow and players can only see one aspect of an area at a time in most locations. Also, sometimes things have interactive icons, but can’t be used yet until something else is done. Many clues to solve different puzzles are tucked away in dry readings about psychology and plants, so it is important to not skip reading everything that is found.
The puzzles are the best feature of the game in terms of enjoyment, and are well-integrated with the story and are mostly logical. There is never a feeling that they are inserted solely to exist; they all have a purpose. While there should have been more direction and feedback for these puzzles, most people who really like fiddling with levers and the like will not have too much of a problem.
Outcry is indeed a unique and stylish game, and as such, is worth a try for players who enjoy these types of first-person adventures that are heavy on the mechanical puzzles and light on the dialogue. I found the story confusing and a little dull with all the required reading, but others may really enjoy it. This is much more my husband’s type of game rather than mine; he’s a Myst guy and I’m a Monkey Island girl. For the right person, this is the right game. The price is right, too, at $20.
| Review Scoring Details for Outcry |
Gameplay: 6.0
The gameplay is a mixed bag. The puzzles are quite good and challenging, but the story is all over the place. Also, the reading of dull material which is written in very bad English is not much fun, but required. Even if the translation was better, the material would still be uber boring. The atmosphere is handled very well, with the use of graphics and music to produce a creepy, silent world of days gone by. But the story takes away somewhat from this effect.
Graphics: 8.0
The graphics are excellent.
Sound: 8.0
The music and sound effects are exactly right.
Difficulty: Hard
The puzzles range in difficulty from medium to very hard. Some may have gamers scrambling for a walkthrough.
Concept: 6.0
Outcry has a great concept, but the execution isn’t as expected. Again, the bad writing really takes away from the game as a whole.
Overall: 6.5
Even though Outcry looks and sounds pretty good, looks don’t make a game. It has to be fun and interesting, too. While there are many aspects of this game that are interesting, there are also many times when the gameplay is boring and lackluster. The story as a whole just doesn’t appeal or resonate, and the writing is bad. Making people listen to the same spoken passages every time they look at some of the entries is not ideal, either. The diary is a large pain to try to read while the narrator is droning on and on. The only solution is to turn off the sound. The puzzles are very good for the most part, but getting the required pieces and clues isn’t always all that fun. On the other hand, gamers that enjoy solving mechanical puzzles in a solitary game setting will enjoy this game, despite the problems.
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