GamersInfo Review – Outcry

GI.net: "Previously, I have written that adventure games can hypothetically get one into trouble – predominately by sending people to the Betty Ford Clinic for kleptomania. Well, why bring this up is probably what you are thinking. Because this is another adventure game review, as you’ve probably guessed by now. And surprisingly, it is rather solid despite some flaws. What is the name of this game? Welcome to the world of Outcry, folks.

The story is rather basic. You are a novelist who has just received a letter. This letter is from your brother, and he has invited you to visit. However, when you arrive, you meet the maid who informs you that your brother has died. As soon as you enter his small apartment, you see an old gramophone playing, and you hear your brother’s voice. He commands you to burn all of his notes concerning his last experiment. So, what do you do? Perform his last experiment and learn what happened to him. Perhaps even find him. It is interesting, especially due to its philosophy of the body and the soul and how they are intertwined. Spend too much time away from your body, and you will die, or so the protagonist’s brother writes. However, there are very few cutscenes to keep the average nonadventure gamer interested. Also, there is no real character development or interaction as the protagonist never speaks or even gives you an opportunity to gaze inside his thoughts. Instead, you will advance the plot through a less traditional gaming vehicle: the written word. You will find excerpts from the protagonist’s brother’s journal, recording his thoughts throughout various times in his life. Thus, reading is a bigger requirement than in other adventure games -but there is more on that later."