Brink of Consciousness: Dorian Gray Syndrome
- July 18, 2014
- MagicIndie
- 8h median play time
Get on SteamIn "Brink of Consciousness: Dorian Gray Syndrome," players assume the role of reporter Sam Wilde, investigating a series of mysterious disappearances with a personal twist when his love, Anna, is kidnapped. Players must explore Goldvale Manor, solve puzzles, and outsmart traps to rescue Anna and uncover the identity of the sinister kidnapper. The Collector's Edition offers additional locations and hidden object scenes to further enhance the gameplay experience.
PC
Windows
Reviews
- Engaging story with a captivating atmosphere and well-developed villain.
- High-quality voice acting and unique puzzles that stand out in the genre.
- Beautiful graphics and detailed environments that enhance the gameplay experience.
- Excessive backtracking and lack of fast travel make navigation tedious.
- Hints are not very helpful, often only indicating if there is something to do in the current location.
- Many puzzles are repetitive and can feel tedious, detracting from the overall enjoyment.
- story182 mentions
- 52 % positive mentions
- 43 % neutral mentions
- 4 % negative mentions
The game's story is generally praised for its engaging and creepy atmosphere, with many players appreciating the strong villain and Hitchcock-worthy suspense. While some found the narrative to be somewhat standard for a horror-themed hidden object game, others highlighted its captivating elements and the effective integration of puzzles. The bonus chapter is also noted for adding depth to the storyline, although a few players felt the plot could become thin or cliché as the game progressed.
“The story is very engaging for a hidden object game.”
“The story of this game pulls you in and makes you want to continue doing the puzzles and find the objects to see the story to the end.”
“Very strong story with Hitchcock-worthy suspense.”
“The story was disturbing and the evil guy was so irritating that I started muting the game whenever he went into one of his monologues.”
“The story, though, passed 'so over the top cliche it's funny' and became gross and boring instead.”
“The plot is extremely stupid.”
- graphics61 mentions
- 66 % positive mentions
- 30 % neutral mentions
- 5 % negative mentions
The graphics in the game are generally praised for their clarity and artistic detail, with many reviewers highlighting the beautiful artwork and creative design of the environments. While some noted a slightly dated aesthetic, the overall visuals are considered impressive and well-suited to the game's dark themes. The animations and character designs also received positive remarks, contributing to an engaging visual experience.
“The artwork of the game is beautifully detailed, a creepy Victorian-style manor with lots of dead people.”
“The art style and overall scenery were breathtaking, and I was just blown away by the thought and creativity needed to construct this 'world' within a world.”
“This one is definitely worth the money - great visuals, great voice acting, and good puzzles!”
“The graphics are decent, the animation is serviceable, and the graphics are nice and interesting.”
“The hog scenes here are fine and I didn't have any problems, there is a reasonable challenge here, and the graphics are fine and don't get in the way.”
“Graphically, scenes weren't grainy and it wasn't hard to distinguish objects from one another.”
- gameplay28 mentions
- 50 % positive mentions
- 21 % neutral mentions
- 29 % negative mentions
Gameplay reviews highlight a mix of enjoyment and frustration; while some players appreciate the beautiful scenery and engaging narrative, many criticize the tedious and mechanical nature of the puzzles, clunky mechanics, and excessive backtracking. The journal feature is praised for enhancing the story, but overall, the gameplay is seen as outdated and often lacking the adventure element expected in hidden object games. Despite these issues, some players find value in the experience, especially when purchased at a discount.
“The journal is amazing; it keeps track of the story, giving you extra information and even saves all the voice messages you heard from the kidnapper in a recorder which you can access any time you want during the gameplay.”
“If you like puzzles and beautiful scenery along with casual gameplay, you will most certainly enjoy this little gem.”
“Team an unusual plot with smooth gameplay, and you have a great entry in the hidden object genre!”
“A great game in many ways, but it's showing its age and the gameplay can be quite tedious.”
“Mechanics-wise it's a little clunky and needs teleporting like woah, so much backtracking.”
“The story itself wouldn't be so bad, but the gameplay is just fubar.”
- music26 mentions
- 54 % positive mentions
- 46 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
The music in the game is widely praised for its quality, fitting well with the storyline and enhancing the overall experience. Players appreciate the well-executed voice acting and the inclusion of a complete soundtrack, although some note that the music and sound effects can become repetitive over time. Overall, the musical score is considered a strong aspect of the game, contributing positively to its atmosphere.
“The voice overs were well done and the music was perfect.”
“The story line is well done with equally well done music and voice acting.”
“You also get the whole soundtrack (which is nice) and some other nice extras.”
- grinding21 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 100 % negative mentions
The reviews highlight that while the game has its strengths, the grinding aspect, particularly in puzzle design, is often tedious and mechanical, leading to frustration. Many puzzles are described as either overly simplistic or excessively challenging, contributing to a sense of monotony that detracts from the overall enjoyment. Players express a desire for more engaging content, as the repetitive nature of certain tasks can make the experience feel drawn out and less fun.
“There's a few really good ones, and a lot of really tedious ones that require a lot of precise inputs that just bogs the game down in frustrating puzzle design.”
“It's not a bad game, but it really does drag on and after a while, it no longer feels fun, but rather tedious to play.”
“Not having the ability to click on an area of the map and immediately go there makes a game like this tedious to play.”
- atmosphere16 mentions
- 75 % positive mentions
- 19 % neutral mentions
- 6 % negative mentions
The atmosphere of the game is widely praised for its effectiveness in creating a creepy and immersive experience, enhanced by top-notch voice acting and a well-crafted storyline. Players appreciate the beautiful yet tense surroundings that contribute to the overall mood, although some feel that certain elements, like the bonus chapter, detract from the experience. Overall, the game's atmosphere successfully evokes strong emotions and enhances the narrative.
“The voice acting was top-notch and the atmosphere/story well done.”
“In-depth psychosis depicted with great atmosphere and a neatly arranged storyline.”
“Pretty surroundings, tense atmosphere, well done to give the player the right (wrong?) feeling (a good thing).”
- humor8 mentions
- 100 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
The humor in the game is highlighted through cute and funny extras, including amusing drawings that enhance the overall experience. However, some players feel that the story's over-the-top clichés detract from the humor, leading to a gross and boring narrative. Overall, while the developers demonstrate a strong sense of humor, the execution in the story may not resonate with all players.
“I also liked that there was a bonus chapter and extras; some of the extras were cute and funny.”
“The developers show a great sense of humor, and Big Fish Games members will easily identify with the picture of Oscar and Felix the fish.”
“The extras contain, among other things, some really funny drawings to lighten the mood.”
- replayability4 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 50 % neutral mentions
- 50 % negative mentions
The game has been criticized for lacking significant replay value, with multiple users noting that there are no compelling reasons to revisit it after completing the initial playthrough.
“Not really any real replay value, either.”
“Not really any real replay value, either.”
- emotional2 mentions
- 100 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
The emotional aspect of the game is highlighted through immersive moments, such as the tension created by jump scares when interacting with the environment, which enhances the player's connection to the protagonist's experiences. This design choice effectively evokes feelings of surprise and fear, contributing to the overall emotional engagement.
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