Review Delaware St. John Vol.1: The Curse of Midnight Manor Developer: Big Time Games Publisher: Big Time Games Genre: Adventure Release Date: June 28, 2005 Platform: Review by Shannon Hall July 1, 2005		Buy this game at Trade for this game at:

When I first heard of Delaware St. John: Midnight Manor, my thoughts immediately turned to Amber: Journeys Beyond and Darkfall: Lights Out. Like the game in review, both utilized ghost hunting technology, with the latter incorporating the remote assistance of a young woman. So I alternated between expecting the best because I loved Amber, and fearing the worst, because DFLO left me wanting to shove bamboo shoots under my fingernails.

As it turns out, I didn’t need to have any expectations because Delaware St. John stands completely on its own. Sure, the aforementioned similarities are there as well as elements I’ve seen in other games, but this game is refreshingly unique. “What is this game of which you speak?” I can hear you saying. I’m glad you asked!

Delaware St. John: Midnight Manor is volume one in a planned series of 10 by Big Time Games, with each volume featuring two stories. Borrowing once again from shades of the past, I sincerely hope this series doesn’t go the way of The Forgotten… It Begins. Some of you may remember this 1999 game that was intended to be part of a series but was subsequently … forgotten. It was a lack of completion that left me rending my clothing in angst—not something I want to go through again anytime soon.

As in The Forgotten, Midnight Manor takes place in an abandoned hotel, to which our protagonist is led by a series of dreams. You see, Delaware is a young man with connections of the otherworldly kind, haunted by restless spirits who want him to investigate their demise. You’ll see these communications first in the opening scene, and throughout the game as the ghosts recreate events form the past. The ghosts in Part 1 belong to hapless teenagers who came to an unsavory end at an old hotel known as Midnight Manor. Your mission will be to uncover the mysteries surrounding these disturbing events, only to find that the fate of the teens is just the beginning.

Part 2 picks up right where Part 1 leaves off, and leads to a much richer story line involving the manor’s dark past. This is where you discover that the missing kids are the tip of the iceberg, and that by releasing the many souls lost over the years our young hero is unraveling an insidious web of evil. Throughout the game, Del is being chased by a menacing force that derives its power from suffering, and the second story introduces lore about the Hunter and the Protector.

But Delaware isn’t in the ghost detective biz alone. He has a partner, a young woman named Kelly who keeps him company through VIC, a device that allows him to send pictures and sound samples for Kelly to analyze on her computer. At first I was afraid that Kelly would be too chatty and distracting, but after the opening dialogue she only chimed in a few times without prompting. There is some good-natured banter between the two characters but it’s mostly short and sweet, the kind you get around a casino table for instance, and certainly not the kind between lovers or close friends.

Now, I need to mention something about the beginning of the game. I was a bit dismayed to find that watching the opening credits was a requirement, not an option. With most games you can use the handy escape key or space bar to get to the good stuff. Not so with Midnight Manor. This was especially distressing at the time, because I was unable to change the volume for several minutes.

How this factoid may impact you: IF you happen to begin the game at night, and IF you have other household members sleeping in the bedroom next to your office, and IF said office has surround sound speakers mounted in a little circle on the walls around you, you MAY want to consider changing the volume before you begin playing the game. I’m just saying.

The background music for Midnight Manor is appropriately creepy, especially the poignant opening theme. But dusting off my memories once again, I found the in-game music reminiscent of the Fat Man’s work. You may remember his ubiquitous midi from such games as 7th Guest, 11th Hour, and the Tex Murphy series. Now, I find this music to be a bit dated, but some may consider it nostalgic.

With all the comparisons I’m making, it’s time to mention what I found most unique, which was the artwork. The developer made good use of 2D backgrounds and slide-show animation, creating imagery that was comic-book-esque, sans the frame edges and “Pow! Bam!”. So when you see a flashback, you may see the characters moving, but from point to point in freeze frame fashion. I found this interesting. However, the slide-show movement occasionally made navigation difficult, and I sometimes lost my bearings. This was particularly critical during the game’s most difficult puzzle in which you had to follow a series of directions written on the wall.

Navigation is pretty standard, with arrows showing whether you can move forward, backward, or side-to-side. I found one of them confusing, however. In addition to the “exit” arrow that allows you to back out of a close-up, there is a downward arrow that apparently causes you to do an about face. I avoided using this one because it was just too disorienting, but your mileage may vary.

Other familiar icons include the hand for picking things up, the gears for performing an action or using an inventory item, and the magnifying glass for closer examination. Many of the things you examine seem to yield no useful results, although I suspect they may be worked into future installations.

One thing I’ve gotta give this game-- it scared the heck out of me a few times. To give you an idea of what this means, realize that I sit through the scariest of movies undisturbed, while my pierced, tattooed, head-shorn boyfriend cowers at my arm. Yeah, so that’s making a statement, right? There have been plenty of games in which I’ve mentally acknowledged, “that’s really creepy,” but I was surprised by the visceral reaction to being chased by a monster. This could be in part because the action is delivered from the monster’s point of view. Sometimes it’s what you don’t see that terrifies you. This was one of those times.

Of course puzzles are the heart and soul of any adventure game, and I found these to be well- integrated, and not terribly difficult. Only one gave me fits, but then again I’ve never been known for my superior navigational skills. In the end, this game is more about solving a mystery than straining those brain cells. Oh yeah, and being scared.

In conclusion, I believe this game will appeal to many fans who love a good scare and an intriguing mystery. According to the Just Adventure guide to grades, earning an A means that this game should be on the shelf of every adventure gamer. While I can’t say that with complete certainty, I do believe that this game is solid enough to hold its own within the horror/adventure genre, and I’m certainly looking forward to seeing the next installments. That’s providing, of course, that Big Time Games lives up to its promise. If they don’t, my tortured spirit may just have to haunt them.

Final Grade: A
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System Requirements:

• Win XP/ME/2000