Come check out and hopefully participate in the new photo gallery Here.

Hope to "see" you there!

Come check out and hopefully participate in the new photo gallery Here.

Hope to "see" you there!

It seems Darkside Games have done very well in 2024

This is pixelly point-and-click, and I have just completed Chapter 1. Allowing for a peek or two at a walkthrough, it took me about 45 rather enjoyable minutes.

You play Sam and Archer, brother and sister twins spending summer on Oak Island with their Uncle. We pick them up just as they arrive and, not surprisingly, the most mundane of tasks becomes a whole lot more elaborate.

Each screen is discrete, in the sense that it doesn't scroll or slide. It's a 2D largely static world, explored with the mouse. Right click cycles through the cursor options (look, talk, interact) and left click utilises the choice. The edges of the screen might say something like "go to motel" and clicking will change the scene in front of you.

To date, the twins are present in each screen and you don't choose between them or activate them separately in any way. Just go about your business and they will interact as they think fit. Whether that might change I will have to find out.

There have been a number of NPCs to chat with, many essential to the various conundrums. All of those have been inventory based thus far, and talking to people certainly helped identify possible ways forward. Some things I didn't fathom, hence the walkthrough peeks, but in hindsight I could see how you might have put (almost all) the pieces together.

There is no spoken word and a simple soundtrack and some puzzle trills here and there accompany things. I confess I played most of the 45 minutes without my headphones.

There is no highlighting hotspots, but these have been generous to date and I can't imagine you having trouble finding them.

It's lo-fi as far as the pixel art goes but I haven't found it discouraging.

The inventory appears when you move the mouse top of screen, and click to use an item in the game world. You can save at will. Choose topics to converse about from a menu that pops up when chatting, and don't be surprised if this grows as you chat. There has been a wry humour to much of the conversation thus far.

The game promises some weirdness that I won't spoil, as well as more than 100 locations and two main endings and a secret one.

It's been an encouraging start.