The opening music sets the theme (pardon the pun) of this short suspenseful game. Dark and foreboding with an otherworldly harmonic running through it. If the name of the game wasn't already a bit of a giveaway then this musical opening would be pointing you in the right direction.


Close, so close

So after the mysterious opening monologue we find our hero Todd fast asleep at 1am when he is awakened by someone pelting his window with stones. That someone turns out to be his friend Jenny, daughter of the mayor and all 'round pest. She's been out for a late night, or more precisely early morning, run and has seen something in the woods, something with glowing red eyes and she wants to Todd to go and investigate. So being the obliging and semi-comatose friend that he is he decided to make a rope out of this bed-sheets, clamber out of the window she'd almost broken and find the answer to the mystery. Why exactly he couldn't have walked down the stairs and out his own front door is never explained, or indeed even mentioned, but it's that kind of story.

Jenny it appears is amongst other things, a bit of a conspiracy theorist, and believes what she has seen is linked to the mysterious facility on the ridge behind the town, so that becomes the target of their investigation. To reach it they'll need to access a path that is locked at night by the local ranger and he's not about to be pleased by a couple of kids waking him in the wee small hours to ask him for it. So theft is the only way forward. Jenny however is convinced that some people in the town are under the control of the facility and therefore she wants to avoid raising suspicion. This is achieved by means of asking careful questions of the townsfolk, some of which are still up and about this early in the morning, which is suspicious in itself if you ask me. It's barely even a one horse town; these people should be in the land of Nod, not hanging around on their stoops. Still you are granted 5 suspicion points, handily displayed on a HUD, which equate to Todd's hit points. Ask the right questions and you'll get helpful answers or at the very least useful pointers, ask the wrong questions and your HP will fall as your suspicion level rises.


What, you thought this was an RPG?

The game boasts both custom graphics and music, and whilst the graphics are relatively amateur and stylised, they are consistent. The music as previously mentioned has been chosen well and suits the various situations in which it is employed. It's mostly from a modern rock base but given the game is set in the near present day, that's hardly surprising. A medieval melody palette would not have worked as well.

So after a few conversations and close calls you managed to sneak your way into the secret facility with an eager-eyed reporter in tow and find some strange wreckage half buried in the woods and a computer technician pottering about in the building. After threats of exposure and other intimidation tactics you manage to procure the backstage pass card key to the facility and of course end up getting separated in true horror movie style. You investigations eventually lead you to a dark and blood spattered basement full of echoing hallways and discarded rooms and equipment, until in the end you come face to face with the answer to the mystery. Or at least the apparent one, and once you've been satisfied that you know the truth, you can go back to your quiet little town with its little town problems and your own warm and comfortable bed, safe in the knowledge that all is right with the world.

Or so it would seem, the 'true' ending comes a little later, and whilst it's not particularly amazing in its execution it is handled well and as such I won't spoil it for anyone who wants to take the 30 minutes or so it takes to finish this game. By and large this was an amusing way to spend half and hour, neither particularly memorable, nor so awful that I'd regret spending the time. Just a little story told with a bit of thought and executed with a touch of drama and style, and a few amusing pop-culture references along the way for flavour.