For gamers who love pure first person adventure, _Dark Fall_ dishes up some of the best that the genre has to offer.  With a spooky atmosphere, engaging story, absorbing puzzles and great sound and graphics, _Dark Fall_ will probably keep you playing far into the night -- but you might not want to be alone.
Your brother, an architect, is designing a resort and club to take the place of an old hotel and train station.  In an opening movie, you receive a phone message asking you to come to the site as strange things are happening.  When you arrive, your brother has disappeared and the place is deserted.  You soon find out that the old Dowerton Inn has a history of disappearances.  As you explore the hotel and station you uncover the frightening story behind these happenings.  Soon enough it becomes apparent that it's up to you to put a stop to whatever it is that's going on.
Originally published by an independent designer, _Dark Fall_ is a treat to play.  The graphics are wonderful and detailed.  The sound is mainly f/x replete with spooky voices just beyond intelligible, giving you the sense that, though you are alone, you may find otherwise at any minute.  The interface is very simple and easy to use, allowing you to get caught up in the story.  I found the pace of this game ideal.  Although there are numerous locations to explore, you never get the sense that you are wandering around looking at things to no apparent purpose;  there is always some information to be collected or a puzzle to solve.
There is a nice variety to the puzzles:  some inventory, some mechanical, some sound and a lot of putting information from difference locations together to come up with solutions. The inventory is minimal, which I appreciated;  I'm a bit tired of games where you collect forty-eleven different pieces of inventory, many of which you use only once.  Most of _Dark Fall's_ inventory has multiple uses.  Once you have all the pieces you need, the puzzles are relatively simple and straight forward.  There is no need for a walkthrough or strategy guide.  If you get stuck, the game includes a built-in hint feature that is nicely presented as part of the plot.
There were a few places where you got close-up views of things for no apparent reason and a few things you could interact with that were merely entertaining, rather than adding to the story or helping you solve any puzzle, but these did not detract from the overall experience.  There are no timed puzzles, no mazes and you can't die, although you can be quite frightened at times.
_Dark Fall_ reminded me quite a bit of AMBER, but I found it better thought-out and more engaging.  It's also somewhat longer;  I took about twenty hours to finish it.  I'm looking forward to the sequel.
For gamers who love pure first person adventure, _Dark Fall_ dishes up some of the best that the genre has to offer. With a spooky atmosphere, engaging story, absorbing puzzles and great sound and graphics, _Dark Fall_ will probably keep you playing far into the night -- but you might not want to be alone. Your brother, an architect, is designing a resort and club to take the place of an old hotel and train station. In an opening movie, you receive a phone message asking you to come to the site as strange things are happening. When you arrive, your brother has disappeared and the place is deserted. You soon find out that the old Dowerton Inn has a history of disappearances. As you explore the hotel and station you uncover the frightening story behind these happenings. Soon enough it becomes apparent that it's up to you to put a stop to whatever it is that's going on. Originally published by an independent designer, _Dark Fall_ is a treat to play. The graphics are wonderful and detailed. The sound is mainly f/x replete with spooky voices just beyond intelligible, giving you the sense that, though you are alone, you may find otherwise at any minute. The interface is very simple and easy to use, allowing you to get caught up in the story. I found the pace of this game ideal. Although there are numerous locations to explore, you never get the sense that you are wandering around looking at things to no apparent purpose;  there is always some information to be collected or a puzzle to solve. There is a nice variety to the puzzles:  some inventory, some mechanical, some sound and a lot of putting information from difference locations together to come up with solutions. The inventory is minimal, which I appreciated;  I'm a bit tired of games where you collect forty-eleven different pieces of inventory, many of which you use only once. Most of _Dark Fall's_ inventory has multiple uses. Once you have all the pieces you need, the puzzles are relatively simple and straight forward. There is no need for a walkthrough or strategy guide. If you get stuck, the game includes a built-in hint feature that is nicely presented as part of the plot. There were a few places where you got close-up views of things for no apparent reason and a few things you could interact with that were merely entertaining, rather than adding to the story or helping you solve any puzzle, but these did not detract from the overall experience. There are no timed puzzles, no mazes and you can't die, although you can be quite frightened at times. _Dark Fall_ reminded me quite a bit of AMBER, but I found it better thought-out and more engaging. It's also somewhat longer;  I took about twenty hours to finish it. I'm looking forward to the sequel.