"A Gem In A Dying Genre"

In a time where quality adventure games are a few and far between, a game like Still Life is certainly a breath of fresh air. It's intriguing story, believable characters, challenging yet not impossible puzzles and fantastic graphics make it a must own for all mature fans of the genre.

STORY

Still Life takes place both in the near future and in the past. It is somewhat of a sequel to Post Mortem which was also decent in its own right. Still Life follows the story of a heroine who works with the FBI. She is on assignment to solve a case of gruesome serial murders. We join the story as the fifth murder occurs and immediately visit the crime scene. With the help of her partner and a friendly forensic specialist, you are on your way to solve the murders.

At a point in the game you will find yourself at your fathers home and it is here you visit the attic and, through memoirs, are reminded of your grandfather who happens to be the protagonist from Post Mortem. Here in somewhat of a dream sequence the player assumes control of Gus in the 1930's and has to solve a case eerily similar to the one in present times.

Still Life is quite a mature game. It doesn't shy away from violence although most of the time we only see the aftermath and are left looking to our minds to fill in the blanks. It does contain nudity, gore and cursing but not just for the sake of having it like a game like BMX XXX. In this game, it's integrated with class and fits the tone the developers were trying to achieve nicely. It's a game for adults and spares us the "goo goo gaa gaa" approach.

The game doesn't throw much twists and turns at you but in highly detailed cutscenes, it definitely packs a lot of suspense and intrigue. This is a very interesting game to play and one that will keep you hooked until the end.

GAMEPLAY

The gameplay in Still Life is similar to that of Post Mortem if you happened to have played that. It is a typical point and click adventure but one of high quality. As mentioned earlier, the game has plenty of challenging puzzles but none that are impossible without the aid of a walkthrough. This is certainly the game's high point as many developers seem to struggle finding the balance between childish and genius skill levels required for puzzle solving.

You'll get your adventure genre standards. You'll have to find keys, pick locks, decipher codes, and solve mazes. At one point you assume control of a robot and have to take out a laser grid. Another neat innovative feature is the "Spot the difference" type puzzles where you are required to view a picture of the past and present and find the tiny difference.

The integration between the past and present is done quite nicely through cutscenes and the wealth of characters in both times keep it fun. The technology advancements in the different times also allow for different types of puzzles. A chase by stage coach or a chase by a futuristic SUV; it's all in the game.

The game is never frustrating and never dull. The great story compliments the gameplay greatly as you'll always want to keep playing to see how it progresses.

GRAPHICS

The graphics in the game are gorgeous. The pre-rendered cutscenes are brilliant and the in-game visual are just as appealing. Characters are all highly detailed and express several expressions and animations. The backgrounds are all beautiful with real time weather effects such as snow and wind.

The style is dark and eerie when it needs to be and soft and pleasant when that is required. All in all, the game is wonderful to look at as it is great fun to play.

SOUND

In an adventure title, the biggest quality of sound is its voice acting and previous reviews have stated the voice acting is horrible. This is not so. The game boasts voice acting not of the highest calibre but certainly far, far away from awful. It's actually quite good.

The protagonist is believable and all supplementary characters, save for the corny accent of Mark in prague, are also well done. They have the right amount of expression and don't exaggerate at all.

Supplementary sound like effects and music are also well done when present. The soundtrack is quite nice especially in the cutscenes. The sound effects are also decent when present although are rarely required. Nice attention to detail, however, with the footsteps. Notice in the Campus area when you walk across the main floor. It's mostly tile except for a single area that's carpeted. You'll notice that when you walk on the carpet, the sound of your footsteps change accordingly.

OVERALL

Still Life is a remarkable achievement. The adventure genre is dying. There's plenty more below average titles out not then there are gems. The Grim Fandango's and Longest Journey's of the world are vanishing. By no means is Still Life as good as those two titles and that's purely due to its relative short length. However, by the new, decreased standards that recent adventure titles have set. Still Life is a diamond in the rough. It's fun to play and intriguing even to watch. After completing it, sitting back and watching the cutscenes over and over is a pleasant experience. For this reason, Still Life is a must own for all mature adventure gamers. With an ending that begs for a sequel, one can only hope that it is in the works.

Story 10/10

Gameplay 9/10

Graphics 9/10

Sound 8/10

Overall 9/10

Reviewer's Score: 9/10, Originally Posted: 05/12/05