From the same game engine that gave us
the Shadowgate and the Déjà Vu series, Uninvited
is another graphic adventure/horror game has you thinking
about nothing but survival. Though the setting in this classic
game, newly ported to Pocket PC, is more modern than Shadowgate,
Uninvited spares no effort in creating a bone-chilling, ghost
roaming mansion. There are more puzzles that are even harder
to solve, dragging you deeper into the eerie unknown.
You know it’s a good sign when a
game starts with “Good morning. You have been summoned
as the Uninvited.” You wake up in a crashed car and
your brother has gone missing. Standing in front of a gloomy
Gothic mansion, you realized that you must go inside. The
exploration of the mansion will look familiar to those who
have played either Shadowgate or Déjà Vu games.
You go through room after room, and avoid being killed by
unhappy ghosts and hungry zombies as you search for your
brother. You will need to find keys, go through a maze, figure
out how to pass unbeatable monsters and oh, you will die
a lot if you don’t use your wit.
The two most impressive elements in this
game are the mystery puzzles, which are really the heart
of the game, and the writing style in which the intriguing
game environment is presented. Each room, as you progress
through the game, provides some kind of clue and each turn
could be deadly if you don’t know what to do. Compared
to Shadowgate Classic, the hints in Uninvited are subtler.
You can’t afford to miss anything in your path and
must look for slightest unordinary signs. Most of the puzzles
are sequential and you must gain one thing to get another.
(If you get stuck, check out my hints below.) Without the
aid of extensive visual display, Uninvited had no trouble
in creating a spooky haunted mansion with detailed descriptions
of the visuals, sound, smell and feeling every step of the
way. A blood stained towel in the hamper, the sound of the
floor creaking, the stale smell that makes you feel that
you are not alone here yet you can’t see anybody… all
accompanied by eerie room décor and an occasional
ghost and zombie appearance. The game developer didn’t
forget to add a little humor: when you pick up an axe, you
will read the comments like “This is the type of axe
that broke up several of Henry the Eighth’s marriages.”
Even though Uninvited has nothing
but still graphics, the quality of these images seems to
have improved from the Shadowgate Classic for HPC/Pocket
PC. The sharp images make the game play much easier and
the clues clearer. The game window looks very similar to
its cousins’ where the Action Menu and Game Menu
spread in the bottom of the screen with the Inventory window
floating in the game for quick access. You will use the
stylus to click on the graphics and menu buttons with the
aid of a small map at the bottom right hand corner. The
sound effects, though not a huge collection, often come
on at just the right time to make your heart race. There
is no in-game option to turn on/off the sound. Uninvited
supports ARM, MIPS and SH3 devices, it takes about 5MB
of memory with multiple save file option.
If you are hankering for a mystery
game, you will find Uninvited very inviting. In this ghost
and zombie infested dark mansion under the gloomy sky,
you will wish you were not a guest here. With the frightening
environment and tough mystery puzzles, this game offers
some quality game play. The only thing I wished for is
a longer game. Even though I understand that this game
is a straight port from the classic game, the newer horror/survival
games just seem to have a much longer story line and more
game play!
Playing Hints and Tips
Pay attention to everything! The creatures in the mansion must have been starving
for a long time. Food is the best distraction. Write the spells from the
scrolls down. You will need to repeat them later.
Short of giving away everything, I will
list some important bits in the game. Hope this will give
you a hand if you get stuck.
Outside: mailbox
First Room: chair and fireplace
Library: the book on the table
Second Floor Master Bedroom: diary, large cabinet
Dracan’s Room: diary and nightstand
Spiral Staircase Room: axe
Second Floor Closet: bug spray, No Ghost jar
First Floor Hallway: No Ghost jar
Parlor: bug spray and spider
Servant’s Bedroom: lamp
Dinning Room: dry flowers
Kitchen: knife
Pantry: Match
Game Room: Doll,
Study: business card
Hunting Room: Birdcage
Greenhouse: watering can and empty pot
Chapel: Thunder spell, and Skull spell
Maze: special tomb stone, bird case, Blothney Gem
Maginsterium: business card and cookie
Not a large collection of sound effects,
but the dog barking, the thunder and lightning and ghost screaming
have enough effect on the environment.
Fun Meter
The well-written story makes the game
appealing. The solid puzzle design makes the game play interesting.
You will get drawn deeper and deeper into the game as you go.
Addictivity
The game’s replay value lies in
the puzzle solving part. I couldn’t put it down until
I finished the game. The length of the game play isn’t
long by today’s standards.
