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Customer Reviews of Phantasmagoria 1

Phantasmagoria: "Pray it's only a nightmare..."
Roberta Williams' "Phantasmagoria" was the first computer game I ever played and since it convinced me that I would rather play adventure games than running around killing things in cyberspace it was an important choice. From here I went out to the "Gabriel Knight" mysteries, the "Syberia" series, and recently finished "The Longest Journey." But of all of those, even with the werewolves and other exotic creatures, "Phantasmagoria" is the only one that can really creep you out. The rape sequence had this game banned in some places, but as depicted it is a crime of violence and not sex (just like in the real world) and a key reason why "Phantsmagoria" works as a horror story. The heroine is really in danger of horrible things happening to her. <
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>The story has the mystery writer Adrienne Delaney and her new husband Don Gordon moving into a large but deserted island mansion originally built by Carno, a famous but enigmatic illusionist. Soon after they arrive, Adrienne starts hearing things and strange apparitions begin to haunt her. Meanwhile, Don starts behaving weird and even violently towards his lovely bride. Exploring her new home provides Adrienne with flashbacks of murders that happened long ago and if she does not solve the mystery and save herself, she is going to end up strapped down to a chair and have a giant razor open up the top of her head. I am not kidding, and that is why you should know this game is not for kiddies. There is an option for switching to the censored version of the came, in which some scenes are edited to screen out adult content, but if you have to do that then what is the point of playing this particular game? <
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>The "Phantasmagoria" interface is based on a single cursor that you use to explore and interact with the game world. The key is to collect inventory objects, examine them, and find the right time and place to use them. The instruction book talks you through Adrienne's first investigations of the kitchen, pantry, the dinning room & reception hall, and the basement and then you can proceed on your own. If you have played any adventure games you know to collect and try everything (it was the Christmas tree ornament in this one that taught me the logic of the puzzles in these games does not have to make anything approaching obvious sense to anyone living in the real world). <
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>The music is quite effective for setting the appropriate mood throughout the game and a nice touch is the Hintkeeper Icon, a red skull that you can click on when you need a tip on how to proceed. One of my main memories of playing this game the first time was when I had finally found the drain cleaner I needed to find and it took me three days to get to the next part of the game. I would click on the Hintkeeper who would intone: "Find Don. Give him what he needs." The problem was I could not remember where to find Don in that big house. So checked all the floors, then started roaming the grounds before going back to town, back to the house, back to the grounds, and through the house again and again until I finally found Brad and (you guessed it) gave him what he needed. Unlike later adventure games there is nothing here too confusing until you get to the end game, where you get a nice little lesson is how the only way to win the game is to lose. <
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>The player can enter the game at the begging of any of the seven chapters and be magically equipped with all of the inventory items needed to continue gameplay. So if you want to replay a favorite scene or you accidentally delete your saved game you are not totally toast. This matters for the final chapter, because you are going to play this a whole bunch of times, not only because you are trying to figure out how to save Adrienne's life (and failing, repeatedly) but because there are a lot of options to explore here (hint: pretty much every inventory item left can only be used in a particular location to try and save her). <
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>When this game came out a decade ago it was to be the first of a horror adventure trilogy from Sierra On-Line (we only got to "Phantsmagoria: A Puzzle of Flesh") and represented the company's attempt to develop a full-blown, live action, multimedia interactive adventure extravaganza. Using professional actors with real sets and Full Motion Video (FMV), it was intended to take the reality of computer adventure gaming to a new level. Obviously, in retrospect that has become essentially a dead end among game developers who have largely abandoned mixing in live action videos in stories and gameplay. So what you see here might strike you as rather quaint by contemporary standards, but overall I think it still holds up enough for new players to enjoy this old game. Just remember it is best to play this one late at night...

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Best horror game made
I used to have this game many years ago when it was new. It was the scariest game I had ever played, and only doom3 even approaches the level of sniveling coward this game can reduce a person to. Yes this game is not for children. I've read reviews giving it terrible recommendations, but the thing is, this game was not meant for children. <
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>Sierra, the masters of the adventure genre, -sadly the genre in it's purest form is all but dead with the passing of Sierra- put all their remarkable talent utilizing their side scrolling engine that made them big in their day into a horror story more creepy than any made to date. When I was in (a boarding) high school this game was a party game for us. We'd spend all night long trying to figure out what to do next and watching the (at the time) great movies of anywhere from creepy depictions of a localized mist cloud floating over a crib that sounded like a baby, to a demonic-possession rape with nearly everything in between. The game is disturbing, frightening, and above all the epitome of everything that makes a horror movie good, combined with the Sierra engine used for their classic adventure games. 7th Guest, 11th Hour, Doom, nor Resident Evil have a thing (ok besides technology) on this classic. <
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>If you can tolerate the now clunky engine, and the now poor movie graphics of this game (which at the time were groundbreaking) and love a good horror story, this game is an absolute must. I myself am about to buy this game a second time; I've missed it. <
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Caution for Youths
Although Phantasmagoria hooks the player in with an interesting mystery, some of the video clips are quite disturbing. The game is definitely not for the weak at heart--nor the weak stomach. Overall, the graphics are demeaning to women in general. The "original" homeowner was a sadist with each of his wives, and the current husband takes on this personality. Parents beware. Young children and teenagers should not be exposed to the content of this game.