DReview by: John Yeman Revolutionary in concept and design, D is fun while it lasts... Introduction: Warp and its founder Kenji Eno, have established a cult-like following in Japan. The outspoken founder has refused to allow his games to be distributed on Playstation in Japan due to a disagreement over Sony's distribution policies. EO is about to be released for Saturn in Japan, and will be a guaranteed success. But after playing D, once can't help but wonder, "Great game, but why so short?" D puts the player in the role of a young woman hoping to discover why her father has gone bezerk and killed everyone at the hospital where he works as a physician. From here, the game is a tense rollercoaster ride whose great moments are ruined by the lack of depth in the game. Graphics: 9/10 The graphics are moody, brooding, and appropriately dark considering the subject matter. Although the graphics are spooled FMV segments, this is one FMV game that really seems to click. The portrayal of the protagonist s especially detailed, as Warp has been able to show emotion extremely well when the camera zooms in on Laura. Fear, surprise, bewilderment and other emotions are convincing and even seem to show up the abilities of REAL actors from the horrible FMV games of the Sega CD days. Sound: 9/10 Sounds are appropriately eerie and crystal clear, enhancing the mood set by the graphics and subject matter. Presented in Dolby Surround, hooking this up to a stereo system with the lights off will make everyone in the room have their hair stand on end. What little music there is was well done, though more might have been desired. Gameplay: 4/10 Here is where the game is sorely lacking. Great graphics and sounds do not make a great game (where have we heard this before?!). The play of the game has essentially been reduced to pressing the appropriate button and watching a movie, not exactly the pinnacle of interactivity! This is in part due to the inability to produce the quality of graphics that Eno and Warp felt were necessary, but perhaps D2 will solve this problem when it appears on M2 (rumors are that the 3D environment will be generated on the fly so as to improve playability). The other aggravating problem is that the game is timed. You are allowed only 2 hours to solve the mystery of D and since the game is so short to begin with, this almost guarantees that it will be in the bargain bin soon or have a high rental rate at the video store. Add this to the fact that Laura moves around the complex extremely slow and the fact that she can't die and you have some serious problems. On a positive note, most of the puzzles are well thought out and enjoyable. Longevity: 0/10 Once you've played it once, you are free to use it as a coaster. There is no reason to play this game again since there is only one ending and only one path to follow! Overall: ** out of ***** I want to rate this game higher, but the lack of replayability makes this game not worth the $60 investment. Now if were $10, we'd have a different story... Summary: Graphics:
+ Moody, brooding and dark. Just what people want! Sound:
+ Eerie sound effects set the mood Gameplay:
+ Easy for MYST or Dragon's Lair fans... Storyline:
+ Well told and a surprising ending Longevity:
- Like a B horror movie, you'll only want to sit through this one once. Prognosis: Rent it, don't buy it! |