Review the McCarthy Chronicles

Well, it's really hard to shape an opinion for a game that has caused so much controversy for its 2 cup rating. Now 3 however.

The McCarthy Chronicles game is an episode of a soon-to-be trilogy. Its main hero, is left for dead hanging, and through a very fast play we see what brought him there. The game is rather not-so good for me. And I think it's overrated by users, that actually missed what I didn't.

-Graphics:

What is actually praised, is what I'm wondering about. If there are no puddles, and no rain, the graphics are really simple. But that's where Steve did his job well, knowing he's not much of a pixel artist, he put some hard work on them, and with copy-pasting what he did well on other backgrounds and by the lack of color, and by adding some eye-candy, he has presented something himself would agree that it's not worth mentioning, as top-notch.

-Sound and Music:

Apart from the footstep sounds, there's not much into this area. The sound just come when you expect them. The music mostly works as an ambient sound, but has some good moments. The voice acting on the other hand is excellent, and really precisely done. The voices really fit each character, with McCarthy being a personal favorite.

-Gameplay:

And that's where it all falls apart. It may be a short game, and that's why it gets the redemption it does from the fans. Is there actually one logical puzzle, that's not total randomness? Perhaps it's me, but I felt like I was going back and forth, and get item, and back on mansion, and walk there, talk to that guy about that, ecc. A repetitive progress, that wore out my patience. I felt a really let-down there.

-Dialogs:

Initially I was amazed by the really nicely shaped words at the intro. And then again inside the mansion, it was really nice too. But then it actually endep up too much. I could name a few examples, but it's not about specific parts of the game, that actually gave me that feeling. Every time you enter a new room, pick up an item, do anything, even if it's the simplest action in the whole world, you get a really noble and poetical description to go with. And that really breaks the immersion.

*Possible Spoilers Ahoy*

Sarah, is the only one's dialogs that weren't pushed. They felt really natural. And totally just there. On the other hand Victoria felt WAYYY off the hook. It's one thing offering to sleep a night to a stranger, or someone she's seen on the news, and another thing accepting that she's been on the library just because she was accused, and given away by her perfume. First it's totally unrealistic. For a woman being described as very clever, it's really wrong to actually fall for that trick. Michael is the one that actually breaks it for me totally. First, he's always saying that he won't speak of any matter because he either claims he doesn't know anything about it, or because it makes him feel uncomfortable. Then after a while he squeals, without even being threatened. I like the calm tone in which he reveals something totally uncomfortable.

-Story

I won't really go much for it, because there's not really much to tell, without spoiling it, and I'd rather I didn't actually. I just feel it's very cliched. Reminds me of a whole horror genre of films that seem to base their story in old school movies, like McCarthy does of 5 Days An Assasin. A mansion, a finished hero, a dark secret, a sinful father denying his children, a mother dying giving birth to a child, the main character accidentally arriving to the Mansion in pursuit of something else, the doors on the first floor on the mansion on both games are even the same number.

-Atmosphere

And this is where the game actually blows your mind. I don't know if it's the sound, if it's the graphics, if it's all together, but you really feel like you're into this world. A living part of it. It's really hard to accomplish good atmosphere nowadays and McCarthy does it like it's a piece of cake.