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It wasn't that long ago that I felt somewhat negatively about the future of the adventure game. The last few games I've played, all sent from publisher Lighthouse Interactive, have really changed my opinion on the matter. No longer am I seeing point and click titles, bland exploration stories, or shallow game play. Instead I find far more immersive and unique experiences. Overclocked: A History of Violence is attempting to continue this trend by creating an atmosphere to help set your frame of mind when solving the puzzles.

Overclocked: A History of Violence is a psychological thriller adventure game. Doctor David McNamara, a retired US army psychologist, has been called upon to investigate a strange set of occurrences in New York City. Five teenagers, all seemingly out of their mind, have been found brandishing guns, and roaming the streets of the stormy city. You need to guide David McNamara through the minds of the five teenagers by using triggers to recall their memories; slowly working your way deeper through their subconscious minds while uncovering the disturbing history they share.

As David works on the case of the five teenagers, his personal life comes into question a number of times; the more he avoids it, the more problems he seems to accumulate. Problems with violence, finances, his marriage, drinking and his old army history start to cloud your mind as you play. Is what you are seeing real? Is David's denial clouding your judgment? There were certainly times I couldn't figure out what was real, and what David was imagining or ignoring. Elements like this, planned out to perfection in Overclocked, is what makes the story shine.

The game play of is far more simple than most typical adventure games. David can interact and pick-up a minimal amount of objects and areas around the world; and for the most part the inventory puzzles (requiring you to combine or separate items) are pretty easy and intuitive. In order to advance the story David often has to trigger the memories of the patients. Again, this is pretty simple and often a repetitive task that rarely varies in method.

The patient flashbacks are the most involved part of the game, dealing with finding, examining items, and solving a handful of moderately difficulty puzzles along the way. Thankfully, the frequent flashbacks to the real world (from the hypnotic state of the patient) occur just enough to keep you right in the story and the mindset of complete and utter confusion that the patient experiences.

The detail in character models, especially their facial expressions steps up Overclocked beyond most adventure games. The developer is obviously trying to make you feel the horror haunting the patients, the confusion of David over events taking place, and the opinions of everyone else at the events which occur. Creepy shadows, coloring and lighting, combined with a delicate piano soundtrack really fill out the thriller element of the title.

I highly recommend watching for this one. It looks to develop a strong story and immersion factor instead of creating complex puzzles, or crazy contraptions. Unfortunately, I was not able to find a way to nail any of the crazy chicks, which really should be the point to any game, right? That whole doctor/patient thing needs to be thrown out the window.