
Still Life
PC | English | Developer: Microids | 1.44 Gb
Genre: Adventure
Still Life is a gory tale of murder that combines straightforward puzzle elements with some mundane fetch quests. While other adventure titles have started to include more action elements to broaden their audience, Still Life is a throwback to the PC classics like King’s Quest. The game was developed by Microids who is also responsible for the Syberia series as well as Post Mortem on the PC. Still Life really takes place in the Post Mortem universe and shares some of the same characters though the tale stands lonely.
The game stars Victoria McPherson, a tough as nails FBI agent who is currently investigation a series of grisly murders that are highlighted in the opening cinema. The pre-rendered movies are exciting and stand in stark draw a distinction to the slow pacing of the gameplay. The editing is quick and steals a few visual tricks from movies like Se7en and The Ring. Like these films, the game doesn’t hold back in its representation of graphic violence. Victoria’s case centers on a string of murdered whores so don’t be surprised when the game presents an extreme close up of a desecrated naked corpse.
The script follows suit with a main character that uses the vernacular of a hardened cop, and never misses an opportunity to throw in a four letter word. If the above comments haven’t done the trick, allow me to reiterate: this is a mature title and should not be played by the kiddies.
The hook to this tale is that the game switches between Victoria and a flashback to her Grandfather’s investigation of a similar case 75 being ago. In a show of excellent design sense, when playing in the flashback scenes the menus remain the same but with an aged, weathered look. For example, Victoria has an electronic city map in her all-terrain vehicle, which is replaced by her Grandfather’s yellowed street map when the perspective changes.
The controls are straightforward with a simple point and click passage setup used in most PC adventure games. Players can also drag the mouse over the cover to try out if objects are interactive. For example, the crime scene is a dilapidated ancient apartment construction and a small magnifying glass will appear when Victoria approaches a dirty wall or a pile of scrap metal. An item menu is used to show an supply where items can be equipped, combined or examined. In the initially scenario, players are instructed to collect evidence from the scene of a crime. Victoria thinks out loud to herself to nudge players along the path to becoming a super sleuth. In this way the tutorial is seamlessly grafted into the tale.
Victoria is able to speak with surrounding NPCs and her responses are divided between personal, and business related topics, depending on which trigger is pressed. In most situations these two conversation options yield slightly different answers, but have no affect on the gameplay. If there were more characters to speak with, this could have made an fascinating mechanic that would force players to measure their stylishness of banter. As is, conversations can just be cycled through.
Like any excellent adventure game there are a number of puzzles spread throughout the world of Still Life. Some of them simply involve finding an item to combine with something in the environment while others have players arranging a series of levers or breaking a code. Clues can always be establish in the surrounding area and with a small perseverance the answers are ultimately revealed.
The camera remains flat in Still Life and usually displays the detailed environments from a cinematic slant that gives players a bird’s eye view of the area. The pre-rendered sets are well composed and contain plenty of detail but there aren’t enough of them to immerse players in an environment. Character design is a bit exaggerated with some cartoon-like elements that do not suit the serious subject matter. Also, the characters go painfully slow, and the run animation is a bit goofy.
The opening cinema is accompanied by a lovely orchestral score but during gameplay there is small else besides small environmental sounds. The quality of the voice acting varies from character to character, but Victoria possesses a delivery that really hurts the game. She is quick to make a joke or flippant remark regarding her surroundings which is fine for interoffice banter at the bureau, but feels extremely out of place at the scene of a grisly crime. This isn’t as much the fault of the actress as it is the result of an awkward script.
Finishing Comments
Still Life is an enjoyable albeit small diversion for fans of classic adventure games. As usual, this type of game controls better on a PC than a console but the character passage still feels slow and clunky. The mature tale will appeal to anyone who enjoys a excellent murder mystery but there are too many small shortcomings for this game to compare with high quality adventure experiences like Myst IV. Gamers with a strong stomach and a small patience should still give Still Life a try.
Screenshots:
System Requirement:
Windows® 98, ME, 2000 or XP
Pentium® III 800 MHz (Pentium® III 1.0 GHz Recommended)
128 MB RAM
8x CD ROM Guide
DirectX8.1
32 MB Graphics Card (64 MB or Equivalent Recommended)
Keyboard/Mouse/Speakers