Previously, I have written that adventure games can hypothetically get one into trouble — predominately by sending people to the Betty Ford Clinic for kleptomania. Well, why bring this up is probably what you are thinking. Because this is another adventure game review, as you’ve probably guessed by now. And surprisingly, it is rather solid despite some flaws. What is the name of this game? Welcome to the world of Outcry, folks.
The story is rather basic. You are a novelist who has just received a letter. This letter is from your brother, and he has invited you to visit. However, when you arrive, you meet the maid who informs you that your brother has died. As soon as you enter his small apartment, you see an old gramophone playing, and you hear your brother’s voice. He commands you to burn all of his notes concerning his last experiment. So, what do you do? Perform his last experiment and learn what happened to him. Perhaps even find him. It is interesting, especially due to its philosophy of the body and the soul and how they are intertwined. Spend too much time away from your body, and you will die, or so the protagonist’s brother writes. However, there are very few cutscenes to keep the average nonadventure gamer interested. Also, there is no real character development or interaction as the protagonist never speaks or even gives you an opportunity to gaze inside his thoughts. Instead, you will advance the plot through a less traditional gaming vehicle: the written word. You will find excerpts from the protagonist’s brother’s journal, recording his thoughts throughout various times in his life. Thus, reading is a bigger requirement than in other adventure games —but there is more on that later.
The graphics in the game are awesome. Outcry starts with an old 1920s movie reel feel as flickers of light flash on the screen. And then once you reach the second world, things change. You then find yourself traversing along a destroyed version of your brother’s apartment that has the feel of an Escher painting. While not disorienting, it is a little disturbing to see something like that in the background, making you wonder are you truly going in a straight line, or are you really moving in a similar fashion as the background? And if you do not move the mouse around the edges of the monitor, the camera will slightly move as if a person was actually tilting his head around. And the game takes a “freeze” shot — as if someone took a picture of what is ahead of the protagonist at each step — each time you move from one part of a room to another. If there is one complaint about the engine it is this: Loading times are painfully long. It is worth it will depend on your artistic perspective.
Gameplay is highly traditional for an adventure genre. You walk around, look for things to grab by the change in interface and solve puzzles. Unlike most other adventure games, you can move the camera around a full 360 degrees AND look up and down. There were times when the traditional first-person shooter controls would have been better. Clicking on the appropriate part of the screen to move forward feels constrictive. Anyway, the inventory is hidden well but is quickly revealed by pressing the right mouse button. Every useful item, every book and journal entry is available at a moment’s notice. No longer do you have to go through menu after menu just to find what you are searching for.
For the most part, the puzzles can be solved using pure logic. But, you have to pay attention to each and every little detail. That means reading every little thing that comes across your kleptomaniac hands. On the one hand, using the written word is rather creative. Very few games use it to its advantage — especially the epistolary mode. On the other hand, it quickly becomes tedious as you scour every paragraph, every sentence, every word for a hint to go forward the very moment it is done. Furthermore, things are not necessarily clear when it comes to solving certain things. This probably stems from my inexperience with adventure games. Is it wrong that I desire just a little hand-holding for the first few puzzles so I get a grip on things? And worse yet, if you miss an item, the game quickly devolves into a pixel hunt.
Sound wise, it is highly ambient. Steps are heard as your character moves across the room. Clicks and metal clanks are heard as machinery is in motion. Doors open and shut. While the music is rather nondescript, it helps set the mood of loneliness. This gives the feeling that you are delving deeper into the mystery of the protagonist’s brother. There is some voice acting, and it is strong. Every little voice helps sell the story and, in some ways, adds to the creepiness of the atmosphere. For example, it is rather odd to be listening to gramophone in the beginning of the game, leave the room, return and hear it continue as if no time had elapsed. If there is little complaint, it is that the dialogue is not perfectly translated into English. As I understand it, the game was originally in Russian. Other than the Russian print in the newspaper at the very beginning of the game, there are other clues to reveal this fact.
If we are to take Outcry as a whole, it is rather average. It has the old-school method of adventuring, the difficult puzzles and well-hidden plot. However, it is a very creative take on the genre due to its philosophical bent and the graphics engine, which can be very intriguing at times. Thus, it is a solid adventure title. Furthermore, a simple statement summarizes it all: This is a thank-you letter to hardcore adventurers, and only they will enjoy it in its entirety. They know exactly what to do and what to look for at times. They are the people who have pure unbridled field day of fun. Everyone else should skip this until they gain more experience. Or at least have someone who is good with the genre nearby for help.
