One cause for concern is the game's scenario: a famous archaeologist has gone missing; a detective goes to his hosue to look for clues, but soon finds that someone has set all manner of fatal traps for him to prevent him from getting too nosey. The fact that all this takes place in a spooky house perched on the edge of a cliff overlooking the sea should stir a few memories for players of the second Alone In The Dark game.
Still, what's here does look promising. For once, we're treated to more than just a slideshow of 3DO's (less than remarkable) CinePak video capabilities. Riverhill Soft have gone one step further than Infogrames, and as well as using polygons to animate the central character, have constructed all of the rooms out of polygons too, which makes for a true immersive experience. The 3D scrolling and animation isn't the smoothest you'll ever see, but the detailed texture-mapped scenary more than makes up for it. You can choose a firstperson or thirdperson view, or select the overhead map option if you so wish. And unlike 3D maze games like Doom and AVP, Doctor Hauzer lets you survey the walls and ceilings, with the perspective changing to aid realism.
In keeping with the Alone In The Dark tradition, the object of Riverhill's game is to go from room to room, solving puzzles, avoiding traps, and collecting useful objects and hints. For example, you start in the living. Then you find a key in a grandfather clock, which unlocks a door. This lets you proceed to a hallway, beyond which lies an ominous hole in the floor. And so on. Unfortunatly, in this native version of the game, the Japanese text presents just as much of a problem as many of the puzzles. Hopefully, an English translation will make an appearance soon.
If ever a 3DO deserved to have a sticker on it saying, `Has potential', it's this one. An initial viewing indicates that Riverhill have managed to replicate the drama and, to an extent the look and feel of Alone In The Dark, but whether they'll manage the same ingenious blend of combat and collect 'em gameplay is another matter. The music is worth a mention, though, even if it does tread on the toes of another familiar score...
3DO owners could do alot worst than check out this polished Japanese title - if only to take a break from the less vibrant American 3DO release schedule. However, puritans might be more interested in the news that the real Alone In The Dark (and, hopefully, its vastly superior sequel) is already on the way.
TYPED BY: 2TUFF
michel.buffa@cmu.edu