Shady Brook - A Dark Mystery Text Adventure
- October 24, 2016
- Storycentric Worlds
- 8h median play time
Get on Steam"Shady Brook - A Dark Mystery Text Adventure" is a single-player Role Playing game with an interesting plot, inspired by the television series Twin Peaks. As author Jake Torrent, you explore a small town's twisted secrets in this interactive fiction game, featuring a graphic user interface that emulates early 1990s text adventures. Gameplay includes making choices, exploring locations, collecting items, and advanced adventure game mechanics, taking about 8 hours to beat.
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Reviews
- The game features a creepy and engaging story that keeps players hooked until the end.
- Simple controls and a mix of puzzles ranging from easy to hard make for an accessible gameplay experience.
- The GUI-driven text adventure format is reminiscent of classic games, providing a nostalgic feel while integrating meaningful puzzles.
- The plot is fairly linear and predictable, with choices that don't significantly impact the outcome.
- Some puzzles can be frustratingly obscure, requiring specific combinations that may not make logical sense.
- The game starts slowly, taking over an hour to get into the main plot, which may deter some players.
- story23 mentions
- 26 % positive mentions
- 61 % neutral mentions
- 13 % negative mentions
The game's story has received mixed reviews, with some players finding it simple and predictable, while others appreciate its immersive and creepy atmosphere, filled with unexpected twists. The narrative unfolds slowly but effectively builds tension, drawing players into the mystery of a small town and its inhabitants. Overall, while some critiques point to a lack of originality, many agree that the storytelling is engaging and well-executed, making it enjoyable for fans of the genre.
“The plot is exciting and it manages to enthrall gamers right to the very end.”
“There are several twists and turns, and although you could guess what's going to happen broadly, the finer plot points, especially the ending, were unexpected.”
“I loved the immersive story. The story creators made a good job in pulling you into the mystery and making you feel like 'there is something wrong here' but can't pinpoint 'what exactly?'.”
“The plot of this is a little simple, although I suppose I liked the resolution.”
“So, I guess I would like to try another game of this style, just with a more surprising plot--I mean I've certainly seen movies with this exact plot several times, all the way to the black and white era.”
“It would just have to have a more creative storyline.”
- graphics4 mentions
- 75 % positive mentions
- -50 % neutral mentions
- 75 % negative mentions
The game features minimal graphics typical of a text adventure, supplemented by impressionist drawings that enhance the player's experience. It includes a graphical overlay reminiscent of classic adventure games, with decent still artwork for each location and several cut-scene images. Overall, while graphics are not the main focus, they effectively complement the narrative.
“Since this is a text adventure game, there are no real graphics to talk about; however, there are some impressionist drawings that give the player an idea of what they are looking at, which is nice.”
“A hybrid text-based adventure game with a graphical overlay, reminiscent of the old Legend games engine used to create titles such as Xanth, Shannara, and Death Gate.”
“Decent artwork: each location features a still graphic, and there are several cut-scene stills.”
“Since this is a text adventure game, there are no real graphics to talk about. However, there are some impressionist drawings to give the player an idea of what they are looking at, which is nice.”
“A hybrid text-based adventure game with a graphical overlay, reminiscent of the old Legend games engine used to make games such as Xanth, Shannara, and Death Gate.”
“-/+ decent artwork (each location has a still graphic and there are several cut-scene stills)”
- music4 mentions
- 25 % positive mentions
- 25 % neutral mentions
- 50 % negative mentions
The music in the game is praised for its ability to enhance the atmosphere, with ominous and creepy background tracks that complement the dark narrative. Additionally, the incorporation of western themes effectively captures the southern town vibe, contributing to an immersive experience. Overall, the soundtrack is considered a strong element that supports the storytelling and emotional depth of the game.
“The western themes in this game are awesome and pull off well the southern little town vibe.”
“The background music is ominous and creepy, which is a perfect accompaniment for the dark story.”
“The writing is decent, and it has music to go along with stills of the various areas you visit.”
- gameplay2 mentions
- 100 % positive mentions
- -150 % neutral mentions
- 150 % negative mentions
The gameplay emphasizes exploration and features time-based events that can limit players' opportunities to accumulate points and unlock bonus content, making achievements challenging. Players appreciate the immersive storytelling and character interactions, particularly the dynamic between the protagonist and his elderly father, which enhances the overall experience in the mysterious small-town setting. However, the lengthy gameplay may deter replayability for those not seeking a hardcore challenge.
“Much of the gameplay is oriented around exploration, and this title introduces time-based events. This means some events will skip time, and if you don't take the time to talk to everyone and explore before proceeding with the story, you lose the chance to accumulate points—over 1400 in this title. This makes achievements challenging and also affects the unlocking of bonus scenes. As the game is, in my opinion, longer than 10 hours, it also makes replay value difficult unless you're a 'hardcore' player.”
“I loved the moments of interaction between the two main characters and how you, as Jake, try to live and integrate yourself in a small country town. Many interactions with the locals are available, and before you know it, you end up knowing most of them and their routines. To put it simply: I loved the immersive story. The creators did a great job pulling you into the mystery and making you feel like 'there is something wrong here' but you can't quite pinpoint 'what exactly?'. In the end, it's a good horror story, even if at first glance you would never guess it—not from the first hours of gameplay or the soundtrack. The western themes in this game are awesome and capture the southern small-town vibe perfectly.”
“Much of the gameplay is oriented around exploration, and the introduction of time-based events means that some events will skip time. If you don't take care to talk to everyone and explore before proceeding with the story, you lose the chance to accumulate points—over 1400 in this title. This makes achievements difficult to obtain and also hinders unlocking the bonus scene. As the game is, in my opinion, longer than 10 hours, it also makes replay value challenging unless you're a 'hardcore' player.”
“The gameplay can feel restrictive due to the time-based events, which can lead to missed opportunities for exploration and point accumulation. This design choice complicates the achievement system and diminishes the overall replayability of the game.”
“While the story is immersive and engaging, the gameplay mechanics can detract from the experience. The time constraints imposed on exploration create a sense of urgency that may frustrate players who prefer a more leisurely pace.”
- humor1 mentions
- 100 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
The humor in the game is largely absent, with few moments that may elicit a smile, though it's unclear if these were intended to be funny. The characters lack quirkiness, and the overall experience does not include any surreal elements to enhance comedic value.
- replayability1 mentions
- 300 % positive mentions
- -500 % neutral mentions
- 300 % negative mentions
The game's replayability is limited due to its exploration-based gameplay and time-based events, which can lead to missed opportunities for accumulating points and unlocking bonus content. With a playtime exceeding 10 hours, it poses a challenge for casual players to replay and achieve all objectives, making it more appealing to hardcore gamers.
“Much of the gameplay is oriented around exploration, and this title introduces time-based events. This means some events will skip time, and if you don't take the time to talk to everyone and explore before proceeding with the story, you lose the chance to accumulate points—over 1400 in this title. This makes achievements challenging and also affects the unlocking of bonus scenes. Since the game is longer than 10 hours, it makes replay value difficult unless you're a 'hardcore' player.”
“The game offers a rich world filled with secrets and multiple paths, encouraging players to replay it to experience everything it has to offer.”
“With various character choices and endings, each playthrough feels unique, making you want to dive back in to see how different decisions impact the story.”
“Much of the gameplay is oriented around exploration, and this title introduces time-based events. This means some events will skip time, and if you don't take care to talk to everyone and explore before proceeding with the story, you lose the chance to accumulate points—more than 1400 in this title. This makes achievements difficult to obtain and also hinders unlocking the bonus scene. As the game is, in my opinion, longer than 10 hours, it makes replay value challenging unless you're a 'hardcore' player.”
“The lack of meaningful choices and consequences in the game makes replaying it feel pointless. Once you've experienced the story once, there’s little incentive to go through it again.”
“While the game has a rich world, the linearity of the story and the limited branching paths significantly reduce its replayability. After the first playthrough, there’s not much left to discover.”
