I have been waiting a while for this one. Earlier this year Dragonis Games dropped a demo to show off what they were working on, and I was instantly hooked. So I put the game on my wishlist, eager to get to the main game. Now as the game has been out for a little while, my schedual around game series has opened up to let me pop this into my PC. And while it was shorter and perhaps easier then I would have liked, overall it did not disappoint. Where it mattered, this game delivered.
Story: It's over.... I really don't care what it is, it's over. The universe itself is long dead, so whatever you have in your mind, it really is long over. And yet you are still here... why? What kind of journey lies ahead of you and what is the purpose of your journey? This is the story you will discover as you play, as well as what truly a dead universe entails. These details will start as a slow trickle spoken in riddles or found in the environment itself, but if you don't get it, the biggest details will be explained to you towards the end... specially your roll in all that has happened and what is to come. To explain much more is to ruin what the game offers so I will stop here, but suffice it to say, the weight of your journey is truly something to behold. And while I wish the game was better at drawing out that information over time, it is still quite satisfying.
8/10
Graphics: In a word, this game is absolutely gorgeous. Right off the bat, you will see your character "awakened" by a glass/gel orb being placed in his rather skeletal head before looking around a room that clearly inspired by the works of H. R. Giger, the man behind the Xenomorph of the Alien movies. I am not even sure you can call it an alien tech so much as organic bone surfaces and an alien symmetry that is somehow both gorgeous and repulsive at the same time, but it sets a tone the rest of the game will follow of horrific other-worldly themes... and that's before you get out of this little crypt (I think? You do start falling out of what looks like an alien coffin) and see the world itself.
And that world is sprawling, organic, alien, and yet dead. The desert spreads before you, populated by the giant skeletons (both once living and of stone) and corpses speak of a civilization that might have once been here long before you, leaving only these relics behind. And yet, you are not completely alone. This is a land where even death is not always a release, as things writhe in the agony of rot and corruption that just will not let them go, forcing them to slowly decay into nothing experiencing the agony of it and perhaps even beyond. It is beautiful in it's horror and an absolutely amazing world to walk through.
Although this desert is merely the beginning, as you will find yourself traveling through several realms, each with it's own tragic plight caused by the death of the universe they belong to so long ago. It all looks spectacular with the kind of creepy vibe I haven't seen since I played Scorn. It never reaches the threatening levels that game did, but it scratches that same horror itch all the same.
9/10
Sound: Nor is this a world where the sound is going to disappoint you, either. The crunch of sand under your feet, the sickening snap of organic tissue as you move things around and pull things apart for puzzles (or place them as the case may be) the crumbling of stone round you, this world just sounds absolutely perfect.
And the music backing it is no slouch either. Generally used to inspire awe of the world around you, it plays out tones that suggest just how epic the lands you are in or about to see are, fitting the alien feel of every place you will be.
No if there is any one place the sound disappoints in this game, it's the voice work. Do not get me wrong, the earlier game does perfectly fine with this, giving the entities who talk to you some real weight. It's later in the game when the developers decided to try to make things even more alien that this starts to fall apart. You will face entities that are supposed to be so inhuman their voice doesn't really make sense, so you hear the message in your head instead, but the way they chose to represent that is by different tones of gibberish with the text on the bottom of the screen being the only way you really get what is being said. It just feels a bit lazy, especially with how good everything else presents itself.
8/10
Gameplay: While the world is indeed a bleak dead place, the gameplay will not match what it asks of you quite so well. At it's core, Necrophosis is a horror themed point and click title played from a first person point of view. Each of the chapters in the game will offer you a main objective with puzzles to find on the way which will grant you items that may offer you objects you need to either complete other such puzzles or to complete your main obstacle preventing you from continuing your destined journey.
If this sounds convoluted (and if you remember Sierra games, it might) do not worry. The puzzles offered here are usually very straight forward, requiring you at most to stumble on something that looks off and investigate it before you get the answer you need. No that does not mean pixel hunting. Again most of the time these things will stand out from the world as something interesting when you see it. Just let curiosity guide you and you should do fine.
Those that do not stand out like this tend instead to be entities who will pull you in to chat. It is always worth listening to these creatures as they will either offer you some information, a request of their own, and often a reward for either, sometimes required to proceed.
Overall the flow of each world works well and pulls you through each chapter as you know you are going to see more horrific and wonderous sights before you finish your quest. The only real complaints I can give are that I kinda wish some of the puzzles were more challenging to figure out and the game being very short. The pure gravitas of what your quest means by the end could have done with a bit more challenge, and frankly I finished the game in about 4 hours and wishing there as just a bit more when I finished up.
7/10
Bugs: While this game ran almost perfectly I do have to make note of a flaw which can soft-lock you if you are not careful. There are puzzles in this game that will rely on using up resources in the map itself, but the item required can disappear if you save and quit before you finished. I found this out when a I was trying to find where to go with a spider-monster I was piloting. Without realizing where I was supposed to go and I decided to cut out and try again so I could get a good look before piloting it. Unfortunately the spider I was using disappeared with the game save this caused, leaving the chapter unwinnable. Thankfully you can restart any chapter you have reached so this was not a huge deal but it can happen so I felt I should warn you: if you are in the middle of a puzzle, finish it before you quit.
Digital Rights Management: While I was unable to find a source on DRM, the game is exclusive to Steam and as such I would expect it uses the store as DRM. I can not be sure, however.
Score: While brief, this game was a very atmospheric horror the likes of which we rarely get, both in scope and style. The closest game I can compare it to is Scorn, but that is only due to them both taking inspiration from the same source for their art. The game is nothing like it once you get into playing. Rather I imagine if Sierra existed today and wanted to make another horror game, they might come up with something like this if not a lot more convoluted.
It is a great if short adventure and, if you like your cosmic horror, and it will keep you hooked to the end. But it is also a rather easy game so if you are looking for a challenge, this may not scratch that itch quite so well. And if the idea of a dead cosmos (forget world) and the horrors left behind do not intrigue you, I would probably skip this one since that is the main attraction here.
8/10
System Requirements:
- AMD Ryzen 3 3300X or Intel Core i5-8400
- 8 GB RAM
- Nvidia Geforce GTX 1060 (4 GB model)
- 64 bit Windows 10
- 15 GB Hard Drive space (SSD required)
System Specs:
- Ryzen 7 (5700X) 3.4 Ghz
- 32 GB RAM
- AMD Radeon RX 6650 XT (8 GB VRAM)
- Windows 11 (64 Bit)
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