5 Days A Stranger

Now I can easily say that I am no expert in the field of Point and Click Adventure Gaming, however I can say that 5 Days A Stranger is a genuinely exciting and equally horrifying romp through the world of underground gaming. I was introduced to the series unintentionally by a friend of mine who at the time was showing me the author of the games other medium. Coincidentally they happened to be video game reviews as well. One thing lead to another, and brought me right to this bubble of gold in the sea of illiterate trash known as the underground gaming movement. Ben “Yahtzee” Croshaw has effectively dragged me into the universe of Horror Adventure Games.

I use the term Adventure Game, however 5 Days is in fact a fusion of two genres. These two are Adventure Gaming and Puzzle Games. A brilliant storyline and puzzles mix together to create a genuinely enjoyable gaming experience.

The game is rendered beautifully considering the limits of the engine. Croshaw managed to instill a pervasive sense of wrongness and claustrophobia throughout the manor. Despite the lacking renderings, fear still manages to grip you as you play through a few portions of the game. At more than one point in the game I was taken aback by the amount of detail that was put into the cut scenes of the game. Whether a flashback to before the fall of the Defoe line, or the final sequence of the game. Riveted just doesn't describe the feeling. Even the animations were masterfully pulled together. The walk cycle looked convincing, quite the feat with the graphics engine.

The sound quite simply does its job. No more or less. It increased dramatic tension at the right points and was eerily left out otherwise. It was truly exciting when the music would turn on and sweat would jump to my brow. Even the sound effects were implemented nicely. The creak of a door, footsteps were there should be none, even ghostly voices enhanced the atmosphere of the game greatly.

It is within the storyline that this treasure shines the brightest. You are Trilby, cat burglar extraordinare. Armed with a set of lock picks, a grappling hook shaped like an umbrella and razor sharp wit you are to break into Defoe Manor and liberate it of all its valuables. The simplest objective of this seemingly standard mission is to leave. Unfortunately for Trilby and the four other accidental occupants of Defoe Manor, an unseen malevolent force has seized control of the house. This unknown contender has been preventing the other four from leaving the premises. It doesn't seem to keen on letting Trilby escape any time soon. To elaborate further would reveal more of the story than I am willing to divulge, however hold no doubts, this game delivers an exceptional take on the slasher style.

The only subject I did not see done to the same standard as the rest of the game is the solving aspect of this adventure game. I attribute this to Croshaw's apparent focus on storyline and graphics. This is up to interpretation as all solving games are. A newcomer to the solving scene will enjoy the mildly difficult challenges presented, however a veteran to the solving scene will find the puzzles to be lacking any form of challenge at all. The simplicity of the puzzles allowed to the game to carry along at a fluid pace.

I heartily recommend Ben Croshaw's creation 5 Days A Stranger along with the other three games in the Chzo Mythos. As you get further into the series the complexity of the plot grows, leaving you at the end with answers and also a few more questions. Even if you don't normally enjoy Puzzle Solving or Adventure games it would be worth your while to stop off at Croshaw's website(www.fullyramblomatic.com) and downloading the 1.22mb's of pure underground goodness.

Ok, that is the review I wrote for Writing 12. I want comments on it. True comments. How does it read? Did it make you feel like this game would be worth trying? That sort of thing.