Windows 3.x

Dark Seed II

O necrotério local possui uma ante-sala e, na tela da TV ligada, aparece um rosto estranho. Um comerciante molha o gramado sem parar fazendo referências indiretas ao fim do mundo. Houve um assassinato sangrento; não, na verdade, foram vários assassinatos. E Mike Dawson tem tido dores de cabeça novamente.

Spijtig, misschien ben ik iets te gevoelig voor de slechte kantjes van Darkseed 2, maar met een betere afwerking had dit spel een absolute topper kunnen worden. Gemiste kans, volgende keer beter.

The real fun of this game isn't in the find-and-use adventure mechanics, which are still pretty standard, but in the sheer nasty-mindedness of it: some of the psychological sequences are certain to give the sensitive gamer nightmares; the music is high-quality and spooky; creepy innuendoes abound (such as the jerk-hole medical examiner who can be seen furiously making out with an assistant behind the pebbled glass in the morgue is a good example); anybody who fancied Blue Velvet a good first-date movie should have a real ball with DSII.

The success of Dark Seed has inspired Cyberdreams to pursuit a sequel based on the Ancients of the Dark World that appears in the first game of the series. Based on the surrealistic and macabre art of H R Giger, the Dark World is filled with a biomechanical overtone that combines the look of flesh and that of machine. Unfortunately, Dark Seed II fails to rise above the original and bring the horror of Giger’s fantasy world successfully onto the computer screen.

Dark Seed II is an improvement on its predecessor, but, sadly, this is largely due to the overall technological improvement in the development and look of the game rather than to an intrinsic qualitative leap in the area of gameplay. For some reason, and I haven't been able to put my finger on just what it is, the game lacks something. Some 'spark', for want of a better word. Like the original, the characters are wooden and the plot is fairly dull -- only at the beginning when investigating the murder did I really feel involved and even entertained. Perhaps it's simply that the Dark World never seemed 'real' to me; it never came to life, but remained an alien backdrop to a story that failed to hold my interest. I suspect that many adventurers may feel the same and this should be a worry for Cyberdreams who are marketing this game heavily on Giger's graphics.

Dark Seed 2 ist besser als der Vorgänger, doch bei weitem nicht gut genug. Das Adventure-Genre bietet momentan zahlreiche erfreulichere Alternativen.