The Spectre Files: Deathstalker
- October 27, 2020
- Game Refuge
Get on Steam"The Spectre Files: Deathstalker" is a spine-tingling adventure game that follows the story of a paranormal investigator. Using your wits and a range of ghost-hunting tools, you must delve into the mysteries of haunted locations and confront the spectral menace known as the Deathstalker. With its immersive atmosphere and challenging puzzles, this game offers a thrilling paranormal experience.
PC
Windows
Reviews
- The game is a unique and charming throwback to 80s B-horror films, offering a fun and campy experience that resonates with fans of retro and FMV games.
- It features a variety of paths and outcomes, providing high replayability and encouraging players to explore different choices and clues.
- The restoration and availability of this game on Steam is a significant achievement for games preservation, allowing a once-lost title to be enjoyed by a new audience.
- The port lacks essential quality of life features such as a pause button, options menu, and the ability to adjust volume or resolution, making it feel like a low-effort release.
- Gameplay can be frustrating due to unpredictable deaths and a trial-and-error mechanic that may deter some players.
- The game can feel lengthy and repetitive, which might not appeal to everyone, especially those unfamiliar with the FMV genre.
- humor12 mentions
- 100 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
The game is praised for its clever and varied humor, blending tongue-in-cheek wit with cheesy visuals and gags that enhance its charm. Players appreciate the funny point-and-click mechanics, engaging story, and the effective use of tropes, all contributing to a delightful and entertaining experience. Overall, the humor is described as corny yet top-notch, making it a standout feature of the game.
“Love the sense of humor throughout the game, spooky freeze-frames and style of music.”
“Funny point and click game with a great story and a funny ending.”
“The tongue-in-cheek, blunt, and subtle yet visual/cheesy humor shines through.”
- story6 mentions
- 67 % positive mentions
- 33 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
The game features a fun and goofy story that serves as an excellent introduction to FMV games, offering significant replayability to uncover all clues and monsters. Players appreciate the humorous narrative and engaging backstory, complemented by a funny ending that enhances the overall experience.
“Fun, goofy story with a great introduction to FMV games, and tons of replayability to find all the clues and monsters.”
“Funny point-and-click game with a great story and a hilarious ending.”
“Now this is one hell of a backstory for this game.”
- replayability4 mentions
- 100 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
The game offers significant replayability, with players encouraged to explore its fun and goofy story multiple times to uncover all the clues and monsters. It serves as an excellent introduction to FMV games, enhancing its appeal for repeated playthroughs.
“Fun, goofy story, great intro into FMV games, and tons of replayability to find all the clues and monsters.”
“Tons of replay value.”
“Tons of replay value.”
- gameplay4 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 50 % neutral mentions
- 50 % negative mentions
The gameplay is characterized by a trial-and-error approach that can lead to frustration, reminiscent of an 80s horror version of the Dragon's Lair formula, albeit slightly less chaotic and more forgiving. Every choice significantly impacts the player's outcome and the ability to solve the case as detective Ed Specter.
“The gameplay involves a lot of trial and error and can be frustrating.”
“Gameplay-wise, this feels like an 80s horror take on the Dragon's Lair formula, but it's just a pinch less hectic and a tad more forgiving. However, don't let that fool you; every choice matters and affects you, your outcome, and ultimately whether or not you'll solve the case you're given as Detective Ed Specter.”
- graphics4 mentions
- 75 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 25 % negative mentions
The game's graphics are characterized by charming visuals and humorous gags that enhance the overall experience. However, players using ultrawide monitors may encounter some cropping at the top and bottom of the screen, affecting the display of certain elements during gameplay.
“The charm and personality, along with all the funny visuals, gags, and encounters, are what make it so enjoyable.”
“The graphics are vibrant and full of character, enhancing the overall experience of the game.”
“The art style is unique and engaging, drawing players into the game's world.”
“It will cut off some of the stuff in the top and bottom of the screen on an ultrawide monitor, but as far as I can tell, it's only the bottom part of the graphic of the detective when there are choices to be made and some text at the top.”
- music2 mentions
- 50 % positive mentions
- 50 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
The music in the game is praised for its unique style and ability to enhance the overall atmosphere, contributing to a humorous yet spooky experience.
“I love the sense of humor throughout the game, the spooky freeze-frames, and the style of music.”
- monetization2 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 100 % negative mentions
The monetization strategy of the game has been criticized as a cash grab, with reviewers feeling that it fails to enhance the original material with quality of life improvements, instead capitalizing on its previous arcade exclusivity.
“GGA had a great opportunity here to take the original material and really spruce it up with some quality of life features, but rather, the port just seems like a cash grab used to exploit the previous arcade exclusive nature of the game.”
