I only just recently pulled
the blanket from over my head. This was a difficult feat, mind
you, considering I was trying to cover
my eyes and ears at the same time. Never mind the fact I was trying
to reach the lamp switch with my foot
. . . and the “Escape” key was nowhere to be found.

What sort of sick, twisted minds would conceive of such a frighteningly
delightful game in such a deceptively simple interface? Who would
give a face to terrors that only linger in the deepest recesses of
your late night, cold pizza induced nightmares?

Who would have the gall to keep me awake when I should be doing
other things . . . like SLEEPING?!

Thank you Nucleosys . . . and here I thought I had cured my insomnia.

Now kids, it is time to assemble what you will need to play Scratches

Of course, gather together your dark corner, super large headphones,
and your trusty notebook and ballpoint pen. Here are a couple things
I would suggest to ease your journey through Blackwood Manor:

Your
happy little Teddy Bear friend, complete with a warm supportive
smile.
Complete with easy to throw when you’re scared action.
(Redskins shirt is optional)

Not that you will really need it, but may I suggest the Grande,
no whip, soy, Cinnamon Dolche latte.
It’s warm and fuzzy and reminds me of puppies.

Portable Mario crack to make the scary monsters go away before attempting
to sleep.

Now, go don the garb mystery author Michael Arthate and prepare
for one heck of a creep fest.

All kidding aside, I really did wuss out a few times.

So yes, there were many
nights when, after playing Scratches for a scant 45 minutes, I
would have to stop and hide under my covers.
I’m a wuss, and I can admit it.

It takes quite a scare
to get me nowadays. I’m a hardcore
adventure gamer, watcher of all things scary, and walking encyclopedia
of The X-Files. I approached last winter’s preview of Scratches with the same attitude I do with most of these “scary” games.
Sure, it will have creepy atmosphere, with suitably creepy music
and story to accompany the claims in the press release. It might
get a few, cheap jumps out of me, but in the end, I’ll be like,
damn, that place was really depressing and I’m just really
confused as to how that was supposed to be scary.

Still Life, Sanitarium, Phantasmagoria, Ripper . . . these games
had their scary moments but in the end, became cheap gore fests.
(I can hear Phantasmagoria fan boys all over the world cursing me.)
Shivers, Morpheus, Blackstone
Chronicles were all pretty scary, but
ended like most Stephen King novels . . . quick and confusing.

In many ways, I feel that
Scratches has become a spiritual successor to the terrifyingly
brilliant Amber: Journeys Beyond. And here’s
why:

K.I.S.S. (Keep It Simple Stupid)

Nucleosys has hit the
nail on the head with their design of Scratches and gone back to
what made Adventures so brilliant to begin with.
We are placed in moody, pre-rendered environments of the rural English
countryside. Animations are at a minimum, sounds are sparse, and
the whole thing reeks of atmosphere. This game is not bogged down
in gimmicks and new, “earth shattering” technology that
will make everyone look at adventures differently. The interface
is clean, point and click node-based movement with an easy to use
inventory and menu. Plain and simple, just the way I like it. This
helped with my immersion into the world of Scratches.

Scratches pits you against
an ancient curse that has taken hold over the lives of the previous
tenants of Blackwood manor. You, as
Michael Arthate, unknowing of this curse, purchase the home in an
effort to create the right setting to finish your sophomore literary
triumph. However, strange journals call you away from your work,
leading you to bizarre photographs scattered throughout the house,
creating a paper trail that unravels a tale more fascinating than
the one you are trying to weave. The game calls upon you to face
many commonly shared fears, and these were what kept me awake most
nights, flipping the channels and hoping my DS would hold out for
one more round of Mario. I won’t spoil these challenges, but
if you’ve already had a go at Scratches, then you share my
dread.

Perfect setting . . . for murder . . . BWAHAHAHAHAHA

Nucleosys did a beautiful job in creating the visuals for Scratches.
Like I described in the preview I did in December, each node is shaded
like a watercolor painting. I felt as if I were playing inside a
work of art. The addition of many famous art pieces to the walls
of Blackwood Manor were a nice touch, and with the game retailing
at $19.99 in the U.S., makes it much cheaper than going to most art
museums. The rooms are shadowy and reclusive, as if each holds a
secret that is just begging for you to take a closer look at, whether
or not you may be covering your eyes.

Sound designers Cellar of Rats created an excellent soundscape,
from the heart pounding strings when I enter the basement of the
manor, the sparse native drums in the art gallery, to the actual
scratches themselves. You know, the ones you hear in the middle of
the night when all should be quiet? I swear my roommate started scratching
the wall the other night just to wake me.

I found two drawbacks
to Scratches, and they’re picky ones,
so forgive me. The first is in the choice of mouse icons. There isn’t
really a definite “use item here, dummy” icon, and this
became confusing because you can look at and get a comment on almost
everything in the house. There were times when I would walk around
trying to use an item with everything I could click on just to figure
out the purpose of having it in my inventory. The item will light
up when you pass it across the item being looked at, but there is
no separate action icon. The second gripe is the limit of 10 savegame
slots. Why only ten? Why not 40? Because of the scary nature of the
game, I played it in small doses (considering I only had time at
night). This became a problem if I wanted to save after every small
session and I ended up having to save over some of my earlier games.

I challenge you . . .

Okay readers, what is there not to love here? Like I said before,
priced at an extremely reasonable $19.99 USD, Scratches is a bargain
and should be on the shelf of any gamer out there. It can be ordered
online and found in your local PC Gamer-friendly stores like Best
Buy. I challenge all of you to pick up a copy of this game when your
next paycheck comes through and show some love to Nucleosys. They
have really pulled out all the stops with their first effort and
created one classic piece of Adventure gaming.

Just don’t get too
used to that luxury called sleep.

Congratulations, Nucleosys.

Final Grade: A
(find out more about our
grading system)

If you liked Scratches, may I suggest:
Watch: The House on Haunted Hill
Read: Frankenstein by Mary Shelley
Play: Amber: Journeys Beyond

System Requirements:

• 800 MHz CPU
• 128 MB RAM
• 16 MB OpenGL-compatible video card
• 24x CD-ROM drive
• Sound card