The Experiment

aka: Experience 112
Moby ID: 31986
Note: We may earn an affiliate commission on purchases made via eBay or Amazon links (prices updated 3/22 8:22 PM )
See Also

Description official description

The Experiment (eXperience112) is a third-person adventure game played from an unusual angle. The game is set aboard a grounded ship in the Atlantic Ocean. The player is inside an operations room, but unable to move about. Instead, he has to guide an ill woman by the name of Lea Nichols using surveillance monitors and various complex control systems. No direct control can be exercised over Lea, instead the player uses a point-and-click interface to examine the different rooms from various angles and help her overcome obstacles by opening doors, turning valves, distracting enemies, flipping switches or taking direct control over systems governing temperature, water or electricity.

The advanced camera systems allow the player to rotate the 3D environments and zoom in. There is no way to verbally communicate with Lea and players need to use sophisticated tools including heat detection, light intensifiers, audio analysis and thermal vision to preview the environment for her and make sure she gets a safe passage. Lea is not a puppet however, and she will not blindly follow every decision. It takes time to earn her trust, depending on factors of respecting her privacy and not leading her into situations where she becomes wounded or unconscious.

There is a strong emphasis on the narration as the player does not know himself or his relationship to Lea. Fragments are introduced through flashbacks, scenes during actual gameplay and by looking through documents, files, e-mails and video logs on the ship's intranet. Some of the discoveries lead to secondary missions, providing more insight into the history, but entirely optional.

Groups +

Screenshots

Promos

Videos

See any errors or missing info for this game?

You can submit a correction, contribute trivia, add to a game group, add a related site or alternate title.

Credits (Windows version)

54 People (52 developers, 2 thanks) · View all

Reviews

Critics

Average score: 72% (based on 39 ratings)

Players

Average score: 3.2 out of 5 (based on 18 ratings with 1 reviews)

A unique game, a truly experiment

The Good
The concept itself is great : you are behind your computer (yeah, both for real & in the game), and you help the main character by using hacking, deciphering some protection codes, using robots in the ship...

I really like the character of Lea Nichols. I mean, she is not your average-feminine-character, she really has a personality that shines.

Graphics are quite cool too, even if the engine is not that powerful or beautiful... Music & Sounds are truly fantastic. The electronic music emphasizes the special ambiance in the game.

The Bad
First, the scenario. Not the scenario itself, which is quite enjoyable, but how it is handled. At the beginning, you believe you are going to use most of your time into elucidating what had happened. But no : it is done during the first quarter of the game, and after that you try to run out of the ship, etc etc... So, the ambiance changes rapidly, and not for the best. And when you know the rhythm of the game is really slow, it really does not help. The kind of slow which means boring...

On a the technical side, the use of multi-views with the cameras has a flip side : it drains too much resources. And on a gameplay side, the originality of the game sometimes kills it (having to use the lights to guide Lea is truly a pain after 20 minutes...)

The Bottom Line
The Experiment... A well chosen title. So this game is something unique, a gem of originality which dares try something new. And, as every new attempt, there are many many flaws.

So I would advise you to give it a try before buying. This is not a bad game, but this is not for everyone.

Windows · by Alaedrain (3442) · 2009

Discussion

Subject By Date
Calling all brainy Mobygamers... Slug Camargo (583) May 13, 2008

Analytics

MobyPro Early Access

Upgrade to MobyPro to view research rankings!

Related Games

Experiment
Released 2012 on Android, Windows Phone, 2013 on Windows Apps...
Knytt Experiment
Released 2007 on Windows
Experiment 13
Released 2010 on Xbox 360
Experiment 12
Released 2013 on Windows, Macintosh
Experiment 12
Released 2009 on Xbox 360
Encleverment Experiment
Released 2009 on Xbox 360
Feasibility Experiment
Released 1983 on Commodore 64, ZX Spectrum, TRS-80...
The Sibling Experiment
Released 2018 on Windows, Linux, Macintosh
The Brookhaven Experiment
Released 2016 on Windows, PlayStation 4

Related Sites +

Identifiers +

  • MobyGames ID: 31986
  • [ Please login / register to view all identifiers ]

Contribute

Are you familiar with this game? Help document and preserve this entry in video game history! If your contribution is approved, you will earn points and be credited as a contributor.

Contributors to this Entry

Game added by Sciere.

Additional contributors: Jeanne, Spenot.

Game added January 5, 2008. Last modified March 2, 2024.