5 Days a Stranger

Moby ID: 11795
Special Edition

Description

The freeware horror-themed point-and-click adventure 5 Days a Stranger is the first part of the The Chzo mythos. It tells the story of a cat burglar named Trilby who sets out to steal the family valuables from the manor of the recently deceased Sir Roderick DeFoe. But once Trilby gets inside, all the doors and windows are locked, and he cannot get out.

Soon he realizes that four other people are trapped in the house as well and the house has a reason for keeping them there - a truly sinister one. Together with scavenger Philip Harty, TV reporter Simone Taylor, the youngster Jim, and the secretive AJ, Trilby has to delve into the family history to solve the secret the manor is hiding.

The game is controlled through five mouse-controlled actions: walk, look, use, and talk. These can be selected from the bottom of the interface, from the inventory screen, or by cycling through them with the space bar. The entire game takes place over the course of five days, introducing a whodunnit theme when some characters go missing. Most puzzles are inventory-based, but some also rely on conversations. It is also possible to die during certain sequences if the player does not react quickly.

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Screenshots

Promos

Credits (Windows version)

Programmer
Designer
AGS Engine

Reviews

Critics

Average score: 81% (based on 9 ratings)

Players

Average score: 3.9 out of 5 (based on 51 ratings with 7 reviews)

An AGS freeware adventure game BETTER than "todays" commercial adventure games!

The Good
I still don't know what this AGS system is, but what ever it is, it gives a great new breath of life to adventure games...even though it's only a "freeware game".

Only a freeware game? Egad, this game would totally put some commercial game developers in their place and in shame. Honestly, the last freeware game that was worth noting was Beneath a Steel Sky, but this game isn't close in comparison to that game, it sure hell is better than a lot of crappy adventure games out there...

So what's so great about the game? Hmm...I dunno, there's a lot of little things I've noticed about the game that really reminded me of the good ol'days of classic adventure game. What's that you ask? I answer= Soul.

And soul it is. I've noticed that in the start of the game...the intro. A beautiful song, and smooth animation with all the right moves, and a deep beautiful poet-like opening story. Ahhh....whoever wrote this has the gift, I thought to myself.

The gameplay is standard, more of a Lucasfilm approach than a Sierra one. Nothing really out of the ordinary about the gameplay.

The story however, although nothing "genius-like" was enough to get you curious enough to continue playing. There is an eerie like atmosphere in the game, and more than once there have been some heart-popping scenes that frightened the beejesus out of me. Since I'm a chicken when it comes to horror and honestly would stay away from it like the plague...the game wasn't horror enough to shut your eyes closed, but enough to keep the eerie mood going. Eventually the when the mystery get's resolved, it was a really great revelation...although the ending needed some work....big time.

One last note. THE MUSIC! Is one of the most beautiful compositions out-there. Since it's a freeware game I don't know if it's actually a "real composition" or just a rip-off from some other composition and turned into midi. But, IF and only IF it's a real composition made by an actual composer....Note to developers=GET THIS GUY A JOB IF YOUR LIFE DEPENDED ON IT! Boy, it was really beautiful music. Can't say it any better. Even if it were a "fake", they really chose a great background music for it.

The Bad
The gameplay itself is pretty mediocre, fortunately there are only a few puzzles to solve "per day", of which will bring the story further with a cutscene...without the cutscenes, it would really get boring.

Last note, the ending was kinda cheezy. With a great intro this game gave, I expected the ending would be a little better. Although the epilogue (plus great music) helped big time to balance the bad stuff...

The Bottom Line
It's free, it's a great game and it'll give you a smile on your face when you finish the game and a warm feeling when you listen to the music. The only thing stopping you from getting this game is your internet connection...:p

I hope there will be more adventure games like this...

Windows · by Indra was here (20756) · 2004

In the spirit of classic adventure games and survival horror games

The Good
The story (and how it ties in with the other games in the series), the horrifying atmosphere, the puzzles are hard but not nonsensical, the main character is quite a chap

The Bad
The graphics are below par of course (this being an indie title) and the game length is a tad short (short and sweet though)

The Bottom Line
The Trilby Trilogy is a freeware adventure game designed by Ben Crosshaw. The first chapter pits you in a mansion, where you are faced with the mansion's dark and gruesome past which unfolds and replays in front of you, taking one victim after another, always being hot on your own heels.

The game can be quiet creepy, considering the relatively "low" (by no means bad) graphic standards (think classic Lucasarts). The game is not very long and not ultimately hard, simply because the scope is not too big and you will never have too many options in terms of where to go or what items to use anyway. The story is a big payoff however and (in case you are interested) ties in very nicely with the other titles in the series.

Windows · by Ravenhoe (13) · 2013

Trilby. Rocks.

The Good
I could ramble on about it for quite some time. The graphics are not groundbreaking, but quite nice. The setting reminded me more than a bit of "Maniac Mansion", to which it can be compared with some justice: "5 Days a Stranger" may not be as rich or imaginative, but it wins by miles in the atmosphere department.

The characters. Trilby is the kind of character I would have wanted to marry when I was younger. His witty remarks and unshakeable style are high points of the game. The other characters are more or less well-developed, certainly no one-adjective stereotypes, but even so they pale slightly next to Trilby. The dialogue is generally good to very good.

The greatest kudos, however, goes to the atmosphere. To bring up "Maniac Mansion" again, there is a similar finely-balanced mixture of humour and horror in both games. However, "Maniac Mansion" (in my opinion) is a comedy game with horror/science fiction elements; "5 Days a Stranger" is a horror game with some humour. I am not going to call it comic relief, because most of the time, the acerbic wit actually serves to sharpen the sense of fear. There are some scenes (notably when Trilby is locked in the shed) where comedy and horror seem to weld together into a fragile, but very sharp, edge. I really didn't know whether to laugh or feel sick. I intend this as high praise. The whodunit plot kept me at the edge of my seat, whatever my problems with the backstory (see below). I swear I was hardly up to going upstairs in the dark afterwards.

The music is not an original work, but it is well used, and the sound effects are quite good.

I must also mention the excellent ending sequence.

The Bad
Some niggles: it's very short, puzzles are nothing special, it can be hard to figure out what to do next, objects turn up in rooms when the plot demands them. That's out of the way. My main problem is with the plot, meaning some spoilers.

I enjoyed the "possessed killer" part of the plot, and liked the idea of the house that lets no-one out. However, the backstory of the DeFoe family felt strangely hackneyed for an otherwise inventive game. I guess no-one but me is to blame for the fact that "Anchorhead", my favourite text adventure (1997, if I remember correctly) also features a mansion vacated by a madman who shot himself and his family, as well as a hideous backstory involving a freak twin brother. It's not as if the plot was original back then.

Unoriginality aside, some parts of the plot didn't seem to connect. I'm not quite sure what the idol had to do with the ghost - OK, that might have been me missing some text. But what the heck was with Trilby's car?

The Bottom Line
While "5 Days a Stranger" is not perfect, its strengths well outweigh its flaws. With a charmingly sarcastic (anti-)hero, a throat-clenching plot, and atmosphere like few other games, it should be solidly recommended. The golden age of adventure games never ended.

Windows · by Christina Nordlander (24) · 2005

[ View all 7 player reviews ]

Trivia

July 28th

The later games of the DeFoe series occur on (at least in part) the date of July 28th frequently, as that is the date when the links between the real work and the world of magic are weakest (for a variety of reasons).

However, in 5 Days a Stranger the date for when this occurrence takes place is not July 28th but is instead June 28th!

This inconsistency is retconned in Trilby's Notes and 6 Days a Sacrifice, where John DeFoe's fate and the events of the first game are both respectively moved forward one month later to the proper date.

Lockpicks

The lockpicks Trilby uses have the identical appearance as those used by Garrett in Thief: The Dark Project and Thief II: The Metal Age. These two games are among Croshaw's favourites.

Music

The game's music is taken from RPG Maker 2000.

Awards

  • AGS Awards
  • 2003 - Best Game Created with AGS
  • 2003 - Best Gameplay in an AGS Game
  • 2003 - Best Dialogue Scripting in an AGS Game
  • 2003 - Best Puzzles in an AGS Game
  • 2003 - Best Scripting in an AGS Game

Additional information contributed by Jeremy Johnson and Sciere

Analytics

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Contributors to this Entry

Game added by Zack Green.

Additional contributors: Indra was here, Jeanne, Patrick Bregger, Plok.

Game added January 25, 2004. Last modified December 5, 2023.