Zero Critical

"A game that has great potential"

I got this game from a friend right after I finished Sanitarium. That game sparked an interest in me to play puzzle adventure games. Although I still remember my first time playing through it, and I tell you it was quick, I got this out to play it one more time the other day and I finished it even quicker.

Anyway let's start with the basics. Chatt Ruller is an Interstellar Transportation Commission Field Agent on assignment to Rhoem 1. In that planet where the sun never sets, a research facility is ran by a Dr. Victoria Frayne, who won the Nobel prize(they still have those in the distant future) for Quantum Mechanics. Anyway the story starts with you going there to investigate an incident where Dr. Frayne has killed a fellow scientist, apparently in self-defense. Now rumours are circulating that people are going insane.

Interesting background story. However once you play this game, which was released in 1999, you'll notice one thing, no one speaks a single word. They're all mute, and it's all in subtitles. Which is a big turnoff for most gamers, and certainly it was for me. In 1999 all games had talking characters, I wonder why they never gave this game some.

Music was well done. This game had a feeling of mystery in it, and the music adds to it. Nothing to comment on that.

Gameplay is point, click. That's all there is to it. You take items, put them in the right places. Examine things. A stereotypical adventure game. One good(or maybe bad) thing is you don't really have to think hard to know where to put items, which makes the game really easy, unlike some adventure games. The game progresses through days, where you do some conditions and the day ends. Very linear, and there are no extra things to do or other endings. The problem is, with items having really obvious uses, the game ends really quick, about 3-4 hours for the average gamer the first time. The whole game world is pretty small too, which further decreases the time it takes to complete the game.

The story is superb. However the shortness of the game basically makes this game like reading through a novelette or short story. Most of the background story is told in the beginning and in the manual, and your character's background isn't really discussed, as well as most other character's backgrounds. Game designers really didnt probe into that, but in compensation they came up with a really great story that unfolds perfectly when the game advances. This game would probably be excellent for a motion picture adaptation, that gives you an idea how good the story is.

The graphics are not stunning by any means, but you have to consider that this game was made 5 years ago, so it was pretty good for back then. The graphics are well detailed, and the art is well done. The absence of lengthy animation in this game however makes the graphics score not so good.

So for the scores
Graphics - 7
Sound - 4
Gameplay - 9
Story - 10
Lifespan - 2

Overall you can buy this if you like, it's discounted nowadays anyway. Those who like adventure games with a point and click interface might like it, as to other people, you might want to try other adventure games first(those with speech in it)

Reviewer's Score: 6/10, Originally Posted: 08/14/03