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.
Reviews
- The game is a unique and charming throwback to 80s B-horror films, offering a fun and humorous experience with multiple paths and replayability.
- It serves as an important piece of gaming history, having been restored and made available for modern audiences, showcasing the dedication of its developers to games preservation.
- Players appreciate the nostalgic feel and the campy, over-the-top video segments that make it a memorable experience, especially for fans of FMV games.
- The port lacks essential quality of life features such as a pause button, volume controls, and subtitles, making it feel like a lazy adaptation of the original arcade game.
- Gameplay can be frustrating due to trial and error mechanics, with many deaths feeling unpredictable and unfair, which may deter some players.
- Some players feel that the game could have benefited from additional polish and options to enhance the overall experience, leading to disappointment with the current version.
- humor6 mentions
- 100 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
The game is praised for its clever and engaging humor, featuring a mix of spooky freeze-frames, tongue-in-cheek jokes, and cheesy visuals that enhance the overall experience. Players appreciate the funny point-and-click mechanics, a great story, and a humorous ending, all of which contribute to its charm and personality. Overall, the humor is described as corny yet top-notch, making the game enjoyable and entertaining.
“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 hilarious ending.”
“The tongue-in-cheek, blunt, and subtle yet visual/cheesy humor shines through.”
- story3 mentions
- 100 % positive mentions
- 0 % 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 point-and-click elements, culminating in a satisfying and funny ending, supported by a compelling backstory.
“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.”
- replayability2 mentions
- 100 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
The game offers significant replayability, with a fun and goofy story that encourages players to revisit it in order to uncover all the clues and monsters. It serves as an excellent introduction to FMV games, enhancing its appeal for multiple playthroughs.
“Fun, goofy story, great introduction to FMV games, and tons of replayability to find all the clues and monsters.”
“Tons of replay value.”
- gameplay2 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 100 % negative mentions
The gameplay is characterized by a trial-and-error approach that can be frustrating, reminiscent of an 80s horror version of the Dragon's Lair formula, albeit slightly less hectic and more forgiving. Every choice significantly impacts the player's outcome and 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.”
- graphics2 mentions
- 150 % positive mentions
- -200 % neutral mentions
- 150 % negative mentions
The graphics feature charming visuals and humorous gags that enhance the game's personality, although players with ultrawide monitors may experience some cropping of the detective's graphic and text at the top and bottom of the screen during choice moments.
“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 life, enhancing the overall experience of the game.”
“The attention to detail in the environments and character designs truly brings the game to life.”
“It cuts off some of the content at the top and bottom of the screen on an ultrawide monitor, particularly the detective's graphic during choice moments and some text at the top.”
“The graphics feel outdated and lack the detail expected from modern games, making the overall experience less immersive.”
“There are noticeable texture pop-ins and low-resolution assets that detract from the visual quality of the game.”
- music1 mentions
- 300 % positive mentions
- -200 % 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 blend of humor and spookiness that complements the visuals effectively.
“I love the sense of humor throughout the game, the spooky freeze-frames, and the style of music.”
“The soundtrack perfectly complements the game's atmosphere, enhancing every moment.”
“The music is incredibly immersive, drawing you deeper into the game's world.”
- monetization1 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 100 % negative mentions
The monetization of Gga has been criticized as a cash grab, with reviewers feeling that the port 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.”
