"D is more than just a letter...."

When one sees the title "D" for the first time, he or she is generally confused. The title seems to leave something to be desired. What exactly could a game with only a single letter in the title be about? Do letters fall from the sky trying to kill the towns people? Is it some social commentary on how the English language can be confusing to those who are not natural speakers? Truth be told, one does not discover the meaning of the single letter until the game is beaten.

D is not your typical game. There is very little set up. The premise is that a world renowned doctor and hospital director has mysteriously snapped and gone mad. He has committed mass murder inside of the hospital where he works and has taken many more people hostage. The police are helpless to communicate with him and cannot attempt to take him down without risk to the hostages. The daughter of this doctor, Laura has heard of the tragedy and has come to the hospital in hopes of relinquishing her father of the insane beast that is controlling his mind. This all takes place in Los Angeles in the "future" year of 1997. Keep in mind that this game was released in 1995.

As Laura steps into the hospital, she sees many dead bodies littering the floor. Puddles of blood leak out from under them as they were obviously shot. She is taken aback by the sight and when it looks like she is about to turn and run, she is mysteriously transported to a stone walled castle. This is where the player takes over.

You start out in a dining room with absolutely no clue as to where or what to do next. You have to search various crevices, drawers, rooms and other things to unravel the mystery. While there are clues all around, they are vague and unclear. It takes a committed person to make it through this game.

One can think of this as sort of a Myst clone. While there is no clear direction, one must discover clues in order to move on throughout the game. While there isn't 100 percent free range motion, there are numerous things to look at, some of which help a great deal and some of which do nothing for you whatsoever. The beauty of this game lies in the fact that is takes diligence.

For the most part, the game shows you a first person view from Laura's perspective. When an action occurs that furthers your progress such as opening doors or moving up staircases, you are shown a third person view as she moves. When an action occurs that is frightening to Laura, you are first shown it from her perspective and then from a third person view, usually of her facial reaction. This works really well as it keeps the game suspenseful and adds to the frightening atmosphere.

Graphically, this is probably one of the best games ever. While shunned by today's harsh standard, in 1995, the third dimension was just beginning to be explored by video games. D presents everything in a 3D aspect as a full motion video environment. Everything moves fluidly as you progress through the game. When Laura walks, not only do all the graphics scale as she moves towards and away from them, but things bob slightly up and down with each step she takes.

Stunningly beautiful graphics, especially for the time, really add to the horror aspect of the game. The camera direction really reminds one of a movie in the aspect that it switches at exactly the right time to maximize the surprise of what is behind every door. The graphics are so impressive that you actually feel like you are inside the game at times.

Perhaps the only drawback of the graphics is the fact that they appear grainy at times. While nothing is indistinguishable, there are times where the visuals looks washed out or pixilated. While these occurrences are infrequent, they are noticeable when indeed they do occur.

As you are traveling throughout the bowels of the castle, Laura will stop when there is something near by that can be investigated. While this takes away from the game in the sense that it is a total mystery on what to do next, it helps in the respect that there are a lot of things that would go by without a second glance by the player. When you reach a crossroad, you press a directional button and Laura will turn in that direction. You press up to look closer at something in front of you or to continue walking in the direction she is facing. Left and right turn her to the next closest path in that direction (sometimes in the opposite direction if there are no other choices). Pressing the A button activates whatever she may be looking at.

Items that are picked up and used in another location are activated by pressing the left or right shift buttons. You select them by pressing A. If the item is usable, it will flash when pressed and it will then be used. If that item cannot be used, nothing will happen. While simplistic in nature, the controls are useful and do not leave anything else to be desired. The lack of a pause feature in a timed game is frustrating, however.

Perhaps one of the best aspects of the game is the fact that everything is done in real time. In addition to the items you have, there is a watch that times you from once you start in the castle. You have two hours of real time to get to Laura's father and beat the game. If you don't manage to solve all the puzzles and make it, you will fail in saving your father and the lives of the hostages.

Another item you have to start with which is very helpful and a great idea by the designers is a small compact mirror which you can use when you are stuck. When you select the mirror in your inventory, it opens up with a bright flash of light and reveals a picture that can help solve the puzzle. Unfortunately, these tips are very vague and sometimes take more looking for than the actual solution would require. You can only use this three times in the game before the mirror breaks fully.

The sounds in the game are just what you would expect in the environment. There is no music in the background to speak of (which is a good thing). Doors creak when they are opened and drawers squeak when they are examined. Even Laura's shoes click on the stone steps found throughout the game. While there are not a lot of sounds, what little sounds that do exist are placed perfectly and add to the environment perfectly.

One rather disappointing area of the game is how slowly it moves along. While the game was never meant to be a fast paced action game, it does not move at the speed in which one would expect. Laura's walking speed is comparable to that of a snail.

There are also times where the player has to wait, even if for a brief few seconds, for the game to load. While there are no loading screens, it takes a couple of seconds to perform an action after pressing a button. When staring at a door, after pressing A, you will look at it for a second before trying to open it, as if Laura doesn't quite know what to do with a door knob. One can surmise that this is chalked up to her being frightened of what is on the other side, but it still happens on the second and third times opening the same door.

D is one of those games that most people do not like or do not understand. However, if one puts aside his or her prejudice and plays this game for more than twenty minutes, one will find a fascinating game sprawled across two discs. While it certainly is not the most interesting or original game, it maintains a certain atmosphere that you should not deny your self. The intrigue will keep the player enticed and will keep the player coming back for more. However, once the game is mastered, that is the end of it. Once you solve all the puzzles, there is not anything left to do, except perhaps for a speed run. However, given the date of the systems this game is available for and the number of systems you can own it for (3DO, Playstation and Saturn), it certainly is worth a couple of bucks to see the marvels of graphics in the mid ninety's. If nothing else, at least it is a fun game. Turn off the lights, turn on the surround sound and play it around midnight on Halloween. D will not disappoint. Just try not to wet yourself.

Reviewer's Score: 8/10, Originally Posted: 10/01/07

Game Release: D (US, 1995)