Perfection was an entry for a make a game in a day competition, not sure where but as with all games of this nature the contest rules and restrictions have to be taken into account when crafting a review. In this case it manifests itself in the game length, coming in at around the 30 minute mark, which is still pretty decent for a game-in-a-day. However that was for the 1.0 version of this game, the version currently available on the game page is the 1.5 where the developer had the opportunity to go back and fix and polish their original creation. The problem here is that whilst it is bug and glitch free so there is no impediment to completing it there was no polish applied.

The basic premise is simple, an unnamed female protagonist is called to the aid of an elderly lady who needs help in ridding her mansion home of a bothersome ghost, for it seems our nameless heroine is indeed a famous ghost hunter, with years of experience under her belt, but this one is a new one, even for her.

Perfection is not a horror game, though the concept of hunting a ghost through a haunted mansion may at first give that impression, but it's designed primarily as an adventure/puzzle with all the elements you require to solve the mystery of the ghost and its reason for the haunting hidden somewhere inside the house.


That would be what we call a clue.

The game itself uses the standard RM2K3 graphics with a few passage errors, but does make use of some custom music tracks to add to the spooky mood of the game, and includes a custom menu interface as well, which is quite impressive given the time constraints. It's not flawless but it's a good effort at showcasing something a little different. Though the overuse of lighting effects on all of the maps does reduce visibility somewhat, I'm not sure if that was intentional on the part of the developer or if he just got carried away with the overlays, but toning it down a little would have made the experience a little easier to navigate.

Where the game falls down the most however is the dialogue and direction; English is not the primary language of the developer, but whilst that does give a little leeway, there are a large number of secondary or tertiary English speakers in the community who have mastered enough of the language to produce something on par with a native speaker, or who recognise they don't and seek help from someone who does. This developer chose to do neither, and it shows in the lack of understanding of nuances, idioms and colloquialisms not to mention simple word choice and use of punctuation. Given the game is solely driven by the story this lack of polish to the non-contest version is disappointing.

Direction is also lacking, oddly in the middle section of the game, the first few interactions are fairly well signposted, find a picture, read a diary that sort of thing, but after that the lady who hired you stops providing information and it becomes a case of running into walls until something moves the game forward. The developer has added an option to turn on sparkles to interactive objects but that feels like a cop out, the exploration should be guided by the narrative, not flickering sprites.


Famous last words.

The game touches on some fairly heavy themes near the end, about gender stereotypes and prejudices, but unfortunately doesn't do it in a sensitive way; it's just thrown in as a redundant and slightly distasteful plot point, and was completely unnecessary to understanding the motivation of the ghost or the person who was responsible for the ghost's corporeal demise.

The ending is also very rushed and though the murderer is ultimately made to face the music, it's not satisfying or given any real closure. For a short contest game this would have been expected, even accepted but for a version that the developer had the opportunity to correct and polish, it's insufficient.