Gray Matter

About

Gray Matter is a single player action game with horror and mystery themes. It was developed by WizarBox Production and was released on April 1, 2014. It received neutral reviews from critics and positive reviews from players.

In Gray Matter, recently hired assistant Samantha Everett helps reclusive neurobiologist Dr. David Styles conduct experiments on six volunteers at Oxford University. As strange incidents occur, players must decipher the true intentions of Dr. Styles' research and uncover the secrets of Dread Hill House. Legendary game author Jane Jensen presents a captivating mystery adventure that explores the realms of science and the supernatural.

Genres & Tags

Play Modes

Single-Player

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90%

Audience ScoreBased on 461 reviews

story253 positive mentions

optimization6 negative mentions

Engaging and well-written story that keeps players invested throughout the game.
Beautifully designed environments and artwork, creating an immersive atmosphere.
Unique gameplay mechanics involving magic tricks that add a refreshing twist to traditional puzzles.

Clunky character movement and interface can lead to frustrating gameplay experiences.
Some puzzles can feel contrived or unintuitive, requiring players to backtrack unnecessarily.
The ending feels rushed and leaves several plot points unresolved, which may disappoint players.

story
522 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
48%
49%
3%
The story of *Gray Matter* is a richly woven narrative that blends elements of mystery, psychological tension, and the supernatural, showcasing the dual perspectives of its protagonists, Samantha and Dr. Styles. Players are drawn into a haunting exploration of themes such as loss, guilt, and the intersection of science and magic, with a compelling plot that features intricate character development and unexpected twists. While some critiques mention pacing issues and unresolved plot points, the overall storytelling is praised for its depth and emotional resonance, making it a standout experience in the point-and-click adventure genre.
- “The story, steeped in atmospheric tension and emotional sincerity, remains compelling, and its exploration of grief, identity, and the blurred boundaries between illusion and reality elevates it beyond a standard mystery.”
- “For players who value story-driven experiences, nuanced character work, and a moody, gothic setting, Gray Matter offers a thoughtful and haunting journey that lingers long after the final revelation.”
- “The story is captivating and I did care a lot about the characters.”
- “The atmosphere and story have potential, but the overall execution lacks the depth and polish of a classic Sierra title.”
- “The story is multifaceted and all storylines are interesting and engaging.”
- “However, the game fails to wrap up the story in an entirely satisfactory way.”
music
129 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
64%
33%
3%
The music in the game has received widespread acclaim, with many reviewers praising the haunting and atmospheric soundtrack composed by Robert Holmes, which enhances the overall experience and immerses players in the story. While the soundtrack is often described as beautiful and memorable, some players noted that it can become repetitive over time. Overall, the combination of excellent music and voice acting contributes significantly to the game's engaging atmosphere and storytelling.
- “The soundtrack is excellent, and when combined with the pre-rendered backgrounds, it creates an atmosphere that keeps you immersed in the story.”
- “The music is very memorable in places and the voice acting is generally good, at least for the main characters.”
- “The soundtrack by Robert Holmes is gothic and hauntingly beautiful, especially the songs by the Scarlet Furies.”
- “The music gets a bit repetitive after a few hours and the voice acting is pretty stereotypical.”
- “The music might be quite annoying in the end.”
- “Music can be repetitive.”
gameplay
108 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
26%
68%
6%
The gameplay primarily follows a traditional point-and-click adventure style, featuring environmental interactions, dialogue, and inventory-based puzzles, with a unique twist involving magic tricks that add a layer of complexity. While some players appreciate the innovative mechanics and engaging story, others find the gameplay slow, tedious, and occasionally frustrating due to convoluted mechanics and backtracking. Overall, the experience is a mix of standard adventure elements and creative puzzle-solving, appealing to fans of the genre despite its flaws.
- “Gameplay embraces the essence of traditional point-and-click design, relying on environmental interaction, dialogue, deduction, and inventory-based puzzles.”
- “The game’s premise of blending magic tricks with puzzle-solving intrigued me, and I appreciated the unique twist this brought to the gameplay.”
- “While the gameplay can at times be a little trying (multiple clicks) and the puzzles positively mind-bending, the story and characters are superbly atmospheric and immersive, and the visuals are superbly done.”
- “Gameplay-wise, it's often hard to understand what the player is expected to be doing; there is a lot of backtracking involved when suddenly a previously unusable item becomes crucial, making it easy to get stuck while playing.”
- “The mechanics for this are just too convoluted.”
- “It's a shame every single aspect of what makes this a game is so poorly executed; it has an engaging enough story and characters that it could have been a decent book or movie, but the mechanics ruin the pacing and make the whole thing a grueling experience.”
graphics
106 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
57%
37%
6%
The graphics of the game receive mixed reviews, with many praising the beautiful pre-rendered backgrounds and unique art style, while others criticize the clunky 3D animations and some outdated visuals. Overall, the artwork is often described as gorgeous and atmospheric, contributing positively to the game's immersive experience, despite some inconsistencies in quality and execution. While the visuals may not meet modern standards, they are generally appreciated for their charm and detail, especially in the context of the game's narrative and setting.
- “This game's graphics are absolutely gorgeous, and the sound design and voice acting are very good too.”
- “The environments are intricately detailed, with a realistic and immersive aesthetic that perfectly captures the game's gothic atmosphere.”
- “The gorgeous graphics, interesting story, intelligently designed riddles, and a lot of suspense, combined with a masterpiece of a twist at the game's ending, make this game a piece of art.”
- “The visuals are a mixed bag, with some anatomically incorrect 2D art and really wooden and clunky 3D animation, but the game has a unique atmosphere.”
- “The visuals, especially character models and animations, are subpar for 2014.”
- “The game's visuals will likely disappoint some, given that it originally released in English around 2011 and looks more like a product from the early 2000s.”
atmosphere
54 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
59%
35%
6%
The atmosphere of "Gray Matter" is consistently praised for its immersive and mysterious qualities, blending gothic and paranormal elements that enhance the storytelling. The detailed environments, evocative soundtracks, and strong character portrayals contribute to a compelling ambiance that captivates players, despite some criticisms regarding character animations and budget limitations. Overall, the game's atmosphere is described as haunting, intelligent, and engaging, making it a standout feature that elevates the experience beyond typical adventure games.
- “The narrative steadily builds an atmosphere of ambiguity, never fully committing to the supernatural nor completely dismissing it.”
- “The environments are intricately detailed, with a realistic and immersive aesthetic that perfectly captures the game's gothic atmosphere.”
- “The game's sound effects and musical score further enhance the overall atmosphere, creating a sense of tension and drama that keeps you engaged from start to finish.”
- “The atmosphere and story have potential, but the overall execution lacks the depth and polish of a classic Sierra title.”
- “The atmosphere created was very mysterious, with heavy dashes of both gothic and paranormal sensibilities, so fans of those conventions should be quite pleased with the presentation.”
- “However, the noir atmosphere and just the way the art direction infused almost every scene and environment with dread was excellent.”
character development
15 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
47%
33%
20%
Character development in the game is generally praised for its ambition and depth, with some characters receiving rich backstories that enhance the narrative. However, several reviewers noted that certain characters lacked sufficient development, leaving potential untapped and resulting in a somewhat uneven experience. Overall, while the character designs and unique traits are well-received, there are calls for more consistent and thorough development across the cast.
- “On one hand, it's obvious there was a creative ambition to create a layered story with character development.”
- “The story is long and rich, carrying several intrigues along with character development.”
- “The voice acting is really well done, the character development is good and every character is unique in their own way; the puzzles can be challenging but in a fun way; they keep you engaged.”
- “I wish we got a little more character development. Dr. Styles was a complex character, but some of the others could have used more background that would have enhanced the overall story.”
- “Subjectively, there was some potential wasted with regards to character development, and the 'building up' did not always feel like it flowed smoothly.”
- “However, I was disappointed by some of the character development; it was minimal, and the ending felt very rushed.”
optimization
14 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
14%
43%
43%
The game's optimization has been widely criticized, with many players experiencing severe performance issues such as lag and stuttering, particularly on modern PCs. While some users found temporary fixes, like restarting their machines or adjusting compatibility settings, the overall consensus is that the game suffers from significant optimization flaws that hinder the experience. Despite its thematic promise, these technical problems have led to recommendations against playing it in its current state.
- “I had massive performance problems with the game, as have a bunch of other people on the forums, but setting the game to Windows XP SP2 compatibility mode fixed it for me.”
- “I also had the slow performance issue (character moved super slowly, choppy first cutscene) when I first played the game, but that problem went away and never came back after I restarted my machine once.”
- “Pretty bad performance and optimization.”
- “While the game is extremely promising thematically, it is extremely badly optimized; it's a laggy, stuttering mess on modern PCs.”
- “This game has serious performance issues on lots of machines, which renders it unplayable unless you restart your machine before you play.”
emotional
12 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The game effectively weaves an emotional narrative through the perspectives of its protagonists, Samantha Everett and Dr. David Styles, exploring themes of grief, identity, and the interplay between reality and illusion. While the slow-burn storytelling may require patience, it ultimately delivers a deeply immersive experience marked by poignant character development and a compelling, if sometimes tragic, conclusion. Despite some gameplay flaws, the emotional depth and sincerity of the story resonate strongly with players, making it a memorable journey.
- “At the heart of the game are its two protagonists, Samantha Everett and Dr. David Styles, whose alternating perspectives form the emotional backbone of the narrative.”
- “The game’s slow-burn approach allows emotional threads to develop naturally, and while it requires patience, it rewards players with a sense of immersion rooted more in mood and character than in spectacle.”
- “Its story, steeped in atmospheric tension and emotional sincerity, remains compelling, and its exploration of grief, identity, and the blurred boundaries between illusion and reality elevates it beyond a standard mystery.”
grinding
11 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
Reviews highlight that the grinding aspect of the game is characterized by tedious gameplay, particularly in the building of magic tricks and navigating through slow animations and poor pathing. Players find the repetitive nature of tasks and puzzles detracts from the overall experience, making progression feel laborious and less enjoyable. While the story has intriguing elements, the grinding elements can diminish the overall engagement with the game.
- “Really tried to like this one, but the tedious building of magic tricks stifles gameplay.”
- “Instead, you have to suffer through bad pathing, wonky and tedious 'turn around' animations, and slow walking/running speed whenever you want to interact with something.”
- “Also, once the novelty wears off, it becomes tedious - you first need to find the correct trick to pull off from inside the magic book, then you simply follow the steps.”
stability
7 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The game's stability is a mixed bag, with users reporting various bugs and glitches that can hinder gameplay, such as issues with scrolling and event triggers. While some players experienced significant slowdowns and performance problems, others managed to navigate through minor glitches with troubleshooting and frequent saving. Overall, the game's stability may require patience and careful management to fully enjoy the experience.
- “I did run into a few glitches that meant I was stuck because the given event wasn't triggering, so save often. I recommend using a three-slot rotating system in addition to whatever milestone saves you decide to keep.”
- “I installed it and it works terribly slow and seems buggy; what a huge shame.”
- “What is probably a pretty nice game has turned into a buggy, stuttery mess on Windows 10.”
humor
6 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The humor in the game is described as a blend of intentional and unintentional comedy, with moments that range from ridiculous to satirical, providing a light-hearted contrast to the overall suspenseful atmosphere. While some character portrayals and romantic developments may feel clichéd or underdeveloped, the humor adds an enjoyable layer to the experience, making it a refreshing change from other recent games in the genre that rely heavily on silliness.
- “Although sometimes it is so ridiculous that it almost becomes a satire and is funny again.”
- “There is a good mixture of seriousness and humor within the overall suspenseful atmosphere.”
- “Both sad and funny at times (sometimes unintentionally funny), it's also a great experience to share with a friend.”
replayability
1 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The Gabriel Knight games are noted for their linear gameplay, which results in limited replayability; however, some players are not deterred by this aspect, as they are aware of it prior to playing.
- “I've played the Gabriel Knight games before and knew going in that this would be really linear, with very little replay value, so that doesn't bug me.”