Ed. note – The following
review is of the European version of Post-Mortem. There may be minor
changes in gameplay for the North American version to be released
in North America by The Adventure Company in February of 2003. We
will indicate any such changes during that time.

Microids Syberia,
released earlier this year, was the best traditional adventure game
since Myst
3: Exile and The
Longest Journey. It was such an accomplished game that it has
forced the adventure gaming community to recognize the Canadian publisher
as a key force to be reckoned with when it comes the ever-beleaguered
genre of adventure.

Microids
newest adventure, Post Mortem, is a dark, moody tale of conspiracy
and ritualistic murder set in the exotic art world of Paris in the
1920s. The bad news is not surprising: It’s no Syberia.
The good news is: It’s still pretty darned good.

After the eerie opening
credits suggest the game’s unsettling mood, the game begins
with an absolutely beautiful long reverse tracking shot of Paris.
You then meet the game’s protagonist, an American ex-private
detective-turned artist named McPherson. In classic film noir style,
a beautiful woman unexpectedly enters his life and demands that he
return to detective work.

She describes a grisly
murder scene in a Paris hotel in which her sister and brother-in-law
were literally cut to pieces by an unknown assailant. Though at first
he’s reluctant, McPherson ultimately agrees to pursue the case.

The game is in classic
first person point-and click format, with 360 degree panning in all
scenes except for close-ups.

There
are many things in this game to like. Graphically, the game is pleasing,
especially the cut scenes. The character models look pretty good,
though their movements during conversation are often arbitrary and
silly. The graphics are certainly not in the league with Syberia,
but they’re much better than the muddy, low-resolution images
seen in recent adventure games such as The
Mystery of the Nautilus. I would compare them favorably with
another excellent Microids title, Road
to India.

The story is excellent
as well. True, it deals with oft-visited adventure game subject of
the Knights Templar, but more interestingly, it delves into the bohemian
artsy-druggy underworld of Paris. McPherson comes across (and hears
about) some pretty dicey and colorful characters during his Post
Mortem journey.

Traveling to the various
locations in the story is accomplished with a map of Paris, and the
deeper you get into the game, the more locations become available.
This is a tried-and-true adventure game technique I’m still
quite fond of, and it’s used well here.

To
solve the mystery of Post-Mortem, McPherson has to use both his detective
and artistic talents. The latter are engaged in a couple of very interesting
puzzles. He also has a third ability, a sort of psychic memory, which
could have been used very interestingly in the game but unfortunately
isn’t. It’s simply used to provide the excuse for a couple
of gruesome flashback cut scenes and nothing more. This is a shame,
because the idea of a psychic private eye is a very good one.

It is, however, a terrific
idea to have McPherson have to combine his detective’s ear for
witness descriptions with his artistic skill in drawing in a puzzle
that creates a sketch of a murder suspect. Like several of the game’s
puzzles, it isn’t easy, but it’s fair and satisfying.
There’s also an alchemy puzzle, a lock pick puzzle, and other
entertaining challenges. The observant player will generally find
all the clues necessary to get the riddles solved.

There’s also a very
entertaining interlude in which the player actually switches characters
during a long flashback. This was a clever device that I’d like
to see in more adventures. During this sequence not only the inventory,
but the map itself changes for the new character – it’s
nicely done.

The programming in the
conversation trees can be a bit shaky at times, as characters will
mention subjects that really haven’t yet been covered. Also,
while the story is solid, the English dialog translation is wooden
and flat. Considering the heady and exotic setting of the story, the
dialog could have used more zip.

The
worst problem with the dialog, however, is that the voiceover performance
by the actor playing the game’s lead character is absolutely
dreadful. Most of the characters around him are perfectly fine, but
McPherson is the most deadly-sounding character since Faust in Jazz
and Faust. Okay, he’s not quite that bad –
it’s almost impossible to be that bad – but it seriously
hurts the game. I’m baffled that Microids would have signed
off on such a lame, game-damaging flaw. It would be a relatively easy
element to correct, and I heartily recommend they do so before the
game’s North American release.

Fortunately for the player,
however, this flaw, significant as it is, does not ruin the experience.
Post Mortem is a creepy, challenging, intelligent and atmospheric
thriller that will be a welcome end-of-the-year treat for adventure
game lovers everywhere. Let’s keep our eyes on Microids, kids
– they’re really watching our back.

Final Grade: B

System Requirements:

• Windows 95/98/ME/2000/XP
• Pentium II 550 MHz
• 64 Mb RAM
• 3D graphic Card – 16Mb

This
review is copyright Ray Ivey and Just Adventure and
may not be republished elsewhere without the express written consent
of the author. Republication of said review must also contain a link
back to Just Adventure.