The adventure genre has
not been represented by a good, old-fashioned horror game in a
long time, but if potential speaks volumes then
The
Black Mirror is about to shatter that long dry-spell.

The Black Mirror is
a throwback to the halcyon days of adventuring when it was common
to expect games like Sanitarium or Darkseed every few months. A third-person, point-and-click developed
in that new hotbed of adventure development – the Czech Republic – The
Black Mirror follows the exploits of Samuel Gordon as he returns
after a twelve-year absence to his old manor in England to investigate
the mysterious death of his relative William Gordon.

If the playable demo is
any indication then prepare to be spooked-out as the developers – Unknown
Identity – seem to have captured just the right touch of skin-crawling
creepiness. The final game
promises cemeteries, a mental hospital, a medieval underground temple
and dozens of other scenarios over the course of six chapters. The
demo concentrates on but a small part of the manor, but it is enough
to whet the appetite. The occasional odd bird flutters against a
static discolored sky (in fact, when I spoke with Gaston Krasnik,
a member of the development team, he seemed to think this a negative,
I think it adds to the eeriness) and the unkempt manor and surrounding
grounds suggest great mysteries to yet be uncovered.

The demo also offers some
innovation that we hope remains in the final version: once Samuel
has examined an item that is no longer
of use, the cursor then no longer changes when passing over that
item. This not only makes the game easier by reducing the number
of ‘hot ‘spots’ but it also helps the forward progression
of the game as the player is not then constantly backtracking over
now useless objects.

The only suggestion I
have to offer the developers is that some of the English translations
are a bit stilted and need to be reworked,
other than that, give the demo a try and see if you don’t agree
with me that The Black Mirror is soon to be one of the most anticipated
adventures of 2003.

Please download The
Black Mirror playable demo here (scroll to the bottom of the page
to find the demo link).