From Beyond Prologue
- December 7, 2018
- SuckerFree Games
- 2h median play time
Get on Steam"From Beyond Prologue" is a point-and-click adventure horror game set in 1910, featuring 8-bit NES era graphics and sound. Players join Professor Crawford Tillinghast on an expedition to a cursed European village, exploring a larger gameworld than "Shadowgate" with classic Macventure style gameplay. The writing is engaging and draws players into the story.
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Reviews
- The game successfully captures the nostalgic feel of classic point-and-click adventures like Shadowgate and Deja Vu, providing an engaging Lovecraftian atmosphere.
- Puzzles are mostly logical and intuitive, allowing players to progress without resorting to trial-and-error, which enhances the overall experience.
- The pixel art and sound design contribute to a strong, immersive atmosphere, making the game enjoyable despite its short length.
- The navigation system can be confusing, leading to aimless wandering and difficulty in locating key items, which detracts from the gameplay experience.
- The game is quite short, with many players completing it in under two hours, leaving some feeling unsatisfied and wanting more content.
- Some sound effects, particularly a jarring jump scare, can be overly loud and disruptive, negatively impacting the overall immersion.
- graphics38 mentions
- 24 % positive mentions
- 68 % neutral mentions
- 8 % negative mentions
The graphics of the game evoke a nostalgic 8-bit aesthetic reminiscent of classic point-and-click adventures, successfully capturing the eerie atmosphere intended by the developers. However, many players noted that the visuals can feel cluttered and sometimes obscure important objects, making gameplay frustrating at times. While the pixelated art style is generally well-received for its charm and detail, some users expressed a desire for clearer visuals to enhance the overall experience.
“The graphics have a very eerie way of presenting elements like blood and indescribable ooze, creating a foreboding atmosphere that pays homage to the macventure series.”
“The visuals are spot-on in emulating the look and feel of older point-and-click games, providing a nostalgic experience.”
“It's a really good point-and-click adventure game with a strong atmosphere, beautiful pixel graphics, and challenging puzzles.”
“Ugly graphics in static screens where you can barely see a thing, scrolling text descriptions in a font that is difficult to read, chaotic inventory that will quickly get overcluttered with useless items, streams of screeches that were probably meant to pass for music, all this made playing this game not exactly a pleasant experience.”
“The graphics feel too cluttered at times; I think more of the border could be sacrificed to make the game window bigger, offering more detail on each screen. Everything that is clear and visible looks the part, especially the more eldritch-looking things, but I just wish everything intended to be clear is fully clear beyond any doubt.”
“The only complaints I have are that the music gets a little repetitive and also sometimes it's hard to make out what some objects are because of the pixelated art style.”
- story36 mentions
- 33 % positive mentions
- 58 % neutral mentions
- 8 % negative mentions
The story of "From Beyond" is a well-crafted homage to classic Lovecraftian themes, immersing players in a mysterious world filled with secrets and dangers. While some found the plot initially confusing, it ultimately offers a rich narrative experience that balances horror and humor, enhanced by engaging puzzles and a nostalgic retro aesthetic. Despite its short length, the game provides a complete and intriguing storyline that leaves players eager for future installments.
“The story is thick with mystery and mythos, and quite a few references are fun to spot for those in the know.”
“With a Lovecraftian story and the presence of an eerie unknown, the game really pulls the player into the world and what it has to offer.”
“The story and setting are what kept me hooked until the end.”
“I did not feel like loading the last save to try walking in a different direction, explore, or continue with the story.”
“Main story tasks aside, it’s fairly easy to finish a game just to find out that you skipped a location entirely.”
“I found the plot a bit confusing on my first playthrough, but subsequent sessions made the lore sink into my brain.”
- music31 mentions
- 32 % positive mentions
- 58 % neutral mentions
- 10 % negative mentions
The music in the game has received mixed reviews, with some players appreciating its retro vibe and atmospheric qualities, while others criticize its repetitiveness and choppy loops. Many noted that the music effectively enhances the game's tension, particularly during dangerous moments, but some found it irritating and overwhelming, leading them to mute it. Overall, while the music contributes to the game's ambiance, it requires improvements to avoid becoming a distraction.
“The music and the art is great, really gives you the feel of it being a game made by a company back in the early days of video games.”
“I'm a huge fan of pixel art and chiptune style music, so it was right up my alley.”
“The music and environments create a tense and terrifying atmosphere.”
“The music can get repetitive, but since there are very few sounds, you could possibly get away with muting it if it bothered you.”
“Legit, it hurt my ears and made me physically jolt to yank my earphones out. I was less than impressed with it, and it comes up pretty frequently throughout the game. In the end, I had to simply turn down all the game volume, and I think this sound effect is near 10 decibels louder than the rest of the game. Genuinely, this needs to be removed entirely; do not do this in video games, it's not funny nor is it safe on people's ears.”
“The music is sparse and on a short loop, so it's guaranteed to drive you to madness before the eldritch cosmic horrors do.”
- gameplay14 mentions
- 21 % positive mentions
- 57 % neutral mentions
- 21 % negative mentions
The gameplay is a nostalgic blend of simple point-and-click mechanics reminiscent of early 90s text adventures, featuring puzzles and exploration in a richly detailed world. While the game offers multiple ways to progress and an engaging narrative, players have noted issues with cluttered graphics that can obscure key items, leading to frustrating moments of being stuck. Overall, it successfully evokes a sense of intensity and immersion, making it a worthwhile experience despite its basic gameplay structure and short duration.
“From Beyond is a product that seeks to replicate the good old days with a new mystery to boot, with how the story is at the forefront of gameplay here as you immerse yourself into a new world of many secrets waiting to be found alongside even more dangerous threats, be they natural or otherwise, and is very much reminiscent of ICOM Simulations' oldest titles from over 35 years ago!”
“The gameplay honestly lives up decently well; it's a simple point-and-click with puzzles to solve and lots of areas to explore. Every room feels like there's something to do, and there's enough clues and hints to find your way around. During the story and actual threats in the game, it felt insanely intense, probably giving me the biggest chills out of any point-and-click I've tried, so I give it huge props for that.”
“Puzzles designed with the logic of weird fiction stories were a great way to draw me into the gameplay, and there were other game elements straight from those venerable paperbacks.”
“Gameplay mechanics reminded me of early 90s text adventures from Legend Entertainment like Frederik Pohl’s Gateway series or Eric the Unready (available on Steam), but even these oldies looked better on the technical side.”
“The gameplay honestly lives up decently well; it's a simple point-and-click with puzzles to solve and lots of areas to explore. However, this game has a particular issue in that elements sometimes aren't made apparent to the player. The graphics feel too cluttered, and more emphasis should be made on objects that can be picked up. I missed several key items and got stuck for periods at a time.”
“In terms of gameplay, it's very much just a simple graphic adventure game.”
- atmosphere11 mentions
- 73 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 27 % negative mentions
The game is praised for its immersive and atmospheric qualities, featuring beautiful pixel art, effective sound design, and a haunting musical score that enhances the overall experience. Reviewers highlight a tense and creepy ambiance, often likening it to Lovecraftian themes, with elements like blood and decay contributing to the unsettling environment. While the atmosphere is generally well-received, some note that the writing could benefit from editing to match the game's strong visual and auditory elements.
“The immersively creepy atmosphere with a persistent gnawing feeling due to the unknown.”
“The music and environments create a tense and terrifying atmosphere.”
“Strong atmosphere with a Lovecraftian vibe, where you slowly get deeper into the unknown.”
“There are blood and dead bodies around the village, which further add to the atmosphere.”
- replayability2 mentions
- 50 % positive mentions
- -50 % neutral mentions
- 100 % negative mentions
The demo of "From Beyond" offers limited replayability, as it can be completed in under two hours and features an abrupt ending that serves more as a prologue than a standalone experience. While there are three different approaches to the ending, they ultimately lead to the same outcome, diminishing the incentive to replay the demo.
“The ending is a bit abrupt (they don’t call it 'prologue' for nothing), and there are three different ways to go about it, but for the professor, they all end up with the same result and are supposed to be a build-up to the next game.”
“From Beyond's demo is quite short and can easily be completed in less than two hours for anyone who is remotely experienced with such games, with replayability being limited due to the small scale of the demo.”
“The ending is a bit abrupt (they don’t call it 'prologue' for nothing), and there are three different ways to go about it, but for the professor, they all end up with the same result and are supposed to be a build-up to the next game, as opposed to boosting replay value.”
- grinding1 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- -200 % neutral mentions
- 300 % negative mentions
Players find the grinding aspect of the game to be tedious and frustrating, often characterized by a trial-and-error approach and a poorly designed navigation system that exacerbates the experience.
“While it looks great, the game itself is a tedious trial-and-error experience, and the navigation system is one of the most broken I've ever seen.”
“The grinding in this game feels endless and repetitive, making it hard to stay engaged.”
“I found myself doing the same tasks over and over again, which quickly became boring and frustrating.”
- humor1 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- -200 % neutral mentions
- 300 % negative mentions
The humor in the game has been criticized for relying on a jarring sound effect that many players found painful and disruptive, detracting from the overall experience. Instead of eliciting laughter, it caused discomfort and frustration, leading some to suggest its complete removal for the sake of player safety and enjoyment.
“The humor in this game falls flat and often feels forced, making it more cringeworthy than funny.”
“I expected some clever jokes, but instead, I was met with tired clichés and unoriginal gags that just didn't land.”
“The attempts at humor are so over-the-top that they become annoying rather than entertaining.”
- emotional1 mentions
- 100 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
Users express frustration with the emotional impact of the game, feeling that their efforts and attachments were ultimately rendered meaningless, leading to a sense of disappointment and disillusionment.
