Date Released: 24 August 1995
Date Played: 7 July 2019
Introduction:
Phantasmagoria is one of those games that I've played through several times over the last 25 years. When I was a kid and this game originally came out I didn't have PC that could run it, so I was totally out of luck when it came to playing it myself. Luckily, I had a friend who's parents seemed to buy him everything he ever wanted (didn't we all have one of those?) and along with pretty much every video game ever made, he also happened to have this one. I spent a good part of the summer of '96 sitting next to him in front of his computer while trying to avoid the scorching heat outside as we worked our way through the game. The internet was in its infancy, but like everything else, my friend had access to it. Sadly, neither of us had the brilliant idea of trying to look online and find out what we were supposed to do when we got stuck in the game. It's something we all take for granted now, but at the time it was a completely foreign concept. This led us to the classic adventure game loop of getting lost and not knowing what to do. So, we spent hour after hour trying to brute force our way through the game without any outside help. After getting hopelessly stuck one night towards the end of the game, I went home to sleep. The next day, when I came back, my friend had finished the game without me! Needless to say, I was pretty angry with him for making me miss out on the conclusion to the game. I choked down my frustration and we moved on to something else.
A few months later, I had finally saved up enough money to buy a decent PC (which was incredibly expensive at the time) and was looking forward to finally get to play some awesome games at my own house for once. I traded some Magic the Gathering cards to my friend for a big stack of big box PC games that he wasn't playing anymore and was thrilled to start off my collection with some killer titles that he seemed not have any sort of emotional attachment to whatsoever. In the pile was Phantasmagoria, and it was the very first game that I installed on my new PC; and when I saw the opening cinematic play out in all of its campy glory, I knew I was in for a treat. The next day, I beat the game. Even now, when I go back to play it again, it feels the same as it did all of those years ago and is still a fantastic and thoroughly entertaining adventure game that is one of the best in the genre.
Phantasmagoria was written and designed by the legendary Roberta Williams. She and her husband founded Sierra online and were basically responsible for inventing the graphic adventure game. Before that, everything was text based and required typed input commands. When they added graphics to that formula, the point and click adventure game was born and was the genre of game that reigned supreme on the PC for several years. For eight years Mrs. Williams waited for technology to advance far enough to enable her to make the horror game that she had envisioned in her mind and after writing a 550 page script, hiring a team of more than 200 people, and pumping $4.5 million dollars into the project ($3.7 million over the original $800k budged) Phantasmagoria was born. This game feels like it's the culmination of everything Roberta Williams wanted in a game and is, by many, considered to be her best work.
The game was met with mixed reviews at the time but was a commercial success despite a cut-scene involving a rape that spurred a fairly large amount of controversy. Although Sierra repeatedly stated that the game was only intended for adult audiences, several large retailers refused to carry the game. While this scene is pretty tame by today's standards, it was shocking that it was part of a video game at the time. The video game industry was still viewed as something exclusively for children by most of the public and there was a strong backlash from more conservative parties in reference to topics and features they deemed immoral being featured in media for the youth. This caused Phantasmagoria to gain a somewhat dark and seedy allure that continues to this day.
Graphics and Presentation:
Normally, I wouldn't begin my review of a game with the graphics, but in the case of Phantasmagoria, they seem to be the component of the game that most people remember. They were a huge selling feature when the game came out and were the biggest draw for the public. When you first open up the physical box the contains the actual game, you're greeted by an entire folio of CD-ROMs. There are 7 in total, more than I can recall seeing in any game I've ever encountered in my entire life. The reason for this is because the game was filmed like a movie in a $1.5 million dollar bespoke studio with a cast of twenty-five actors who all performed in front of a blue screen. This was all digitized and and added to the game both in terms of cut scenes as well as actual gameplay in classic FMV (full motion video) style. The real actors are visualized on the screen and are inserted into pre-rendered 3D backgrounds. As you click to move your character, from location to location, actual video of the actors plays as you see them walk, interact, and talk about the intended target. You'll explore the disturbing mansion, surrounding outdoor areas, and the the local town as you point and click your way through the beautiful environments. It's a striking visual style that was mind-blowing at the time of it's release and still holds up extremely well today while many other FMV games absolutely do not. With over 1000 different screens, several different locations, dozens of items to interact with, and hours of dialog it's no wonder that the number of CD-ROMs is so bloated to accommodate the sheer amount of content in the game.
In addition to this, the game contains a spooky Gothic soundtrack that contains Gregorian-style chants that were performed by a 135-voice choir. The music is not only intense and haunting, it's quite memorable and really helps fill out the over-the-top presentation of the entire game. This is quite apparent from the opening cinematic of the game that really turns everything up to 11. During the more tense moments of the game, you can always count on the choir's ooohs and ahhhs to add to the atmosphere in a very chilling way.
For a point-and-click adventure game, Phantasmagoria has it all in the presentation department. It is still the most atmospheric, best looking, and coolest setting I've ever seen in a game from the genre and hangs up there with Myst for a memorable experience. Yes, it's an FMV game that was all the rage at the time and I know that that can be a bit of a black mark on a game. But, this is one of the best examples of doing-it-right that is out there and you shouldn't let all of those other terrible games turn you away from this one.
Story:
You play as mystery novelist Adrienne Delaney (Victoria Morsell) and her photographer husband Don Gordon (David Homb) who have purchased a mansion in a sleepy little down in New England. The mansion itself has been on the market for some time and the couple were able to procure it for next to nothing due to its history of a 19th century magician named Carno (Robert Miano) committing a series of murders there. It's a classic horror story device that we've all seen again and again, and you can tell Roberta Williams is trying to pay homage to the concept. Once the couple arrive, Adrienne begins having nightmares involving the unfortunate past in the mansion. Her loving husband, Don, supports and consoles her and she begins to feel better. As she explores the mansion and surrounding areas, she begins to uncover mysteries, clues, and strange messages about the the horrific events that took place. After discovering a secret altar hidden in the mansion, Adrienne accidentally unleashes an imprisoned spirit that possesses her husband. As she continues to explore the estate over the next several days, her husband begins to behave more and more strangely and aggressively towards her, finally causing her to fear for her safety. As you continue to delve further into the mansion's history, you begin to learn that Carno practiced black magic and as the mystery unravels, you'll get to relive the gruesome and elaborate ways the Carno committed his murders and see them first hand in some of the most outrageous set pieces committed to any FMV game. If you have your wits about you, you'll get to uncover the horrific past and the mansion's secrets to save not only your husband, but also yourself.
Despite the game being more well known for it's graphic presentation and controversy, the story, setting, and acting are the real stars of the game. All of the locations in the game are expertly crafted and feel real despite them being nothing more than pre-rendered graphics with performers in front of a blue-screen. The art design has a whimsical but creepy nature that evokes not only memories of Tim Burton, but also Dr. Seuss and is a welcome addition to the atmosphere. The performances by the actors are all very good despite them not being "big names' in the industry and they carry the game. David Homb's performance as Don is the real standout and watching his descent into madness is fantastic. His acting is so over the top that it borders on cringeworthy, but it's perfect in this scenario. I wouldn't have it any other way. On the other hand, Victoria Morsell performs Adrienne in a very demure and subtle manner. She's made out to be the typical weak female lead (at first) and you really begin to sympathize with her and her situation of being under all the weight of not only her progressively more insane husband, but also that of the mansion itself. It really makes you feel like your in an old horror movie, and it's very enjoyable if that's your cup of tea.
Gameplay:
Despite the game being a huge departure and step up in terms of story and presentation, the gameplay is still point-and-click adventure through and through with almost no innovation. You wander around from screen to screen looking for objects to collect and items to interact with in order to solve puzzles or gain access to blocked off areas. Luckily, the puzzles aren't as esoteric as your average adventure game of the time (excluding chapter 7). You'll still spend a lot of time picking up items and trying them on every other object you come across hoping that you'll somehow figure out how to advance. Unfortunately, there are still a few puzzles where if you do them incorrectly, you can soft lock yourself and won't be able to finish the game without restarting or loading a previous save (I'm looking at you sliding the newspaper under the pantry door puzzle). Fortunately, there is a "hint master" represented by a red skull on the bottom left of the screen. You can click him for clues whenever you need help. At first he is rather vague and will only give you a slight hint on how to solve a puzzle, but if you're still not able to figure out what to do, his clues get more and more blatant. Sometimes this is to the point where he flat out tells you the solution. Other times, his clues are still so vague that you'll continue to be stuck even after exhausting all of his dialog options on the subject. This hint master is a really nice addition to the game and I wish more adventure games employed something like him. However, the temptation to use him too often is pretty bad and I wish he had more of a limit, or a timer, or something else to keep you from just clicking him instantly the second you get stuck. Even though the game has it's difficulty toned down, less non-sensical puzzles, and a literal helper to aid you, there are still several times you will get lost and won't know what to do. Don't feel bad if you have to resort to looking up a walkthrough online, there are a lot of small objects you need to interact with that are quite easy to miss.
Conclusion:
Although I'm not a huge fan of the point-and-click adventure game genre and it's esoteric gameplay loop drives me crazy, Phantasmagoria is still a fantastic game and is by far my favorite in the genre. While I feel the gameplay is dated and the FMV was a relic of the past, the game is very immersive and interesting and is still entertaining today. The campiness surrounding the game and the performances of the actors as they develop and go through their story arc really helps drive the game forward through its 7 chapters and the controversial scene that almost prevented the success of the game is pivotal for setting the tone of the game and it wouldn't be the same without out it. It's an important part of gaming history and plenty of people out there have nostalgia and an odd fondness for this game that I feel is warranted.
If you like FMV games, campy horror movies, point-and-click adventures, or are just a video game aficionado, you should definitely give this one a try.
Final Status: Completed
Final Score: 8/10 (Everything is great except for the slightly dated gameplay)
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