Dark Fall: Lost Souls

Without giving away any spoilers I have to say this game is darker, more disturbing and more macabre than any game I've played. It is well written and immersive. I think the author did a brilliant job writing a story that will leave people thinking about it long after they've played it through.

There' s a nice mix of puzzles, from easy to more challenging, that fit the flow of the narrative.

The graphics are great. Exploring the various locations is a visual treat. Even when nothing specific is happening, the evidence of entropy and decay is terrifying. The soundtrack works brilliantly alongside the graphics to convey a feeling of uneasiness and apprehension at all times.

I loved it. I wish all games, and all films, were this good.

This game is set and created in the UK, and features a disturbing story, that should delight ghost story fans, as well as more horror orientated gamers.

There is some blood and gore, but all is used to drive the story. The puzzles are logical, integrated into the game world, with plenty of clues to uncover. The setting for this game is an abandoned train station and hotel, which may feel familar to some gamers, and fans of Sapphire & Steel, with lots of rooms, creepy spaces, and secrets.

Buy this game, then get it up and running, with the lights off, and the sound loud. You won't regret it!

I too played this latest game, from Jonathan Boakes, and found it a darker, more sombre affair. There are drug and alcohol references, which explain the more mature rating given to the game, but I also found the story was nicely balanced between WWII nostalgia and modern urban horror. There are scenes set back in 1947 that simply ooze nostalgia, in honey coloured hues, enlivened by a period musical score that will delight anyone interested in Britain during World War 2.

As someone who lives in a `modern, rural town', I found the references to teenage drug and alcohol abuse horribly familiar, and feel the game provided enough of a negative stance to suggest the writer is very much against what is happening to the smaller, neglected rural communities, where anti-social behaviour and crime is constantly on the up. But, like I've said, these elements are balanced very well with the `trips' to the past.

The story is dark, but does offer salvation. The puzzles are clever, with little or no need for a walkthrough, (a couple of forgivable `pixel hunts' aside). The musical score is both appropriate to the settings (anything from 1940's Theatre Land to the urban metallic creaks of abandoned buildings), and the sound effects are very effective! Lots of the chills are sound based, so make sure your speakers are nice and loud! (Note to developers, a Soundtrack CD would have been a nice extra!)

All in all, not a game for everyone, given the age rating, and true-to-life setting and story, but it comes highly recommended to those who enjoy something a little more immersive and narrative driven that the current flood of Hidden Object Games.