DOS

Phantasmagoria: A Puzzle of Flesh

Très bonne ambiance, mais les parties ludiques sont répétitives.

I had heard that Puzzle of Flesh was much weaker than the original Phantasmagoria, and am surprised to find that’s not the case. It’s a hell of a production, beset by limited gameplay, a particularly obnoxious puzzle, and a real stinker of an ending chapter. It’s not quite the Jacob’s Ladder of horror games, but it does psychological horror reasonably well, and does a bang-up job of exploring a realistic character’s multi-layered personal demons. Not much of an adventure game, but at least 3 out of 5 discs of solid interactive movie.

Pro: Adventure- und Video-Szenen sind gut ineinandergefügt, so daß die Schocker gut und wirkungsvoll rüberkommen. Dadurch baut sich eine gehörige Spannung auf. Angenehm die guten schauspielerischen Leistungen und der ab und an eingestreute Schuß Humor. Die Möglichkeit, Videos nochmals anzuschauen, ist gar nicht übel. Schließlich kann man noch eine etwas harmlosere Version wählen, die auch durchaus spannend sein kann - andererseits: ist es dann noch Phantasmagoria?
Contra: Leider stürzt das Game ab und an ab, außerdem wird es manchmal aus unerklärlichen Gründen über Gebühr langsam. Die Benutzerführung leidet daran, daß es nur unter größerem Aufwand möglich ist, einen ausgewählten Gegenstand wieder ins Inventar zu befördern.

Defenestrada en su día por muy diversas razones y prejuicios, Puzzle of Flesh resulta ser un experimento aventurero bastante interesante, sobre todo cuando la mayor parte de juegos que se suponen "adultos" se apoyan unicamente en violencia infantil, escatología y sexo chusco (y siempre heterosexual). Ver cómo una aventura gráfica estira todos esos límites hasta el máximo, y que utiliza todos los medios audiovisuales competentes (en vez de la chapucería inherente al género gore) para rodearlo, te lleva a admirar un esfuerzo que, como gran parte de los esfuerzos innovadores de Sierra, fue incomprendido.

If you can overcome the substantial lack of actual gameplay and you’re a fan of raunchy horror movies, this game will be a lot a fun. If not, this isn’t the game for you.

Phantasmagoria 2 on suorastaan suututtavan huono seikkailun nimellä myytävä videoshow. Peliä mukana ei ole oikeastaan laisinkaan, eikä tuotos toimi elokuvanakaan. Jännityselementti on olematon ja peli on uskomattoman lineaarinen pakottaen pelaajan tekemään asiat juuri vaaditussa järjestyksessä. Eihän tästä tule kuin vihaiseksi.

In the end, the controversial subject matters in Phantasmagoria: A Puzzle of Flesh alienate, both willingly and unwillingly, many younger players. Scenes with frontal nudity are unnecessary to convey a story in a computer game that is meant for home entertainment. It is rumored that the departure of Lorelei Shannon from the company in 1997 is related to the marketing failure of this title. Phantasmagoria: A Puzzle of Flesh is a psychological thriller that tries to portray the dark sides of the human psyche but does so at the large expense of gameplay. I fear that this failed effort in making this game may have forever doomed the Phantasmagoria trilogy.

Perhaps A Puzzle of Flesh is best summed up by my gut reaction during the conclusion. As the credits rolled, all I felt was regret - regret that I had spent a good chunk of my life in this ugly world, with annoying, unappealing characters and their silly problems.

My overall feeling toward this embarrassing release from Sierra is one of profound disappointment, because the company has produced so many quality adventure games over the years (including the GABRIEL KNIGHT and KING'S QUEST series, all of which are highly commendable products). A PUZZLE OF FLESH will undoubtedly find its proponents among those who read Fangoria or The Star. Playing this game, if one can grace this morally reprehensible product with such happy terms as “play” and “game,” is extremely unpleasant; to do so “for fun” requires either a fascination with hard-core schlock or a hardened attitude toward horror and exploitative erotica. You have been duly warned.