Post Mortem

OK … I must admit it. I’m a big fan of action games and anything usually revolving around high speeds, heavy weaponry or medieval RPG style gameplay. Well, now and then I do get the opportunity to sit down and read a good book. Usually I choose John Saul or Dean Koontz … if I’m in that paranormal, creepy, investigative kind of mood. In that same “P.I.” kind of sense, I also took the opportunity to review Post Mortem from Microids and The Adventure Company, which is more of a sleuthing “search and find” kind of game. Since it’s not my usual cup of tea, you might be saying, “did I enjoy it”? Well, it’s up to you to read on and solve that mystery for yourself.

Our grisly little tale (or game) opens up in Paris, France around the 1920’s. A gentleman by the name of Gus MacPherson has retired from his esteemed private investigations in the U.S. to pursue a career in painting, definitely more in a starving artist’s kind of lifestyle. A strange and sensual woman by the name of Sophia Blake shows up one night and asks for his help. It seems as though Sophia’s wealthy sister and husband were murdered and decapitated in a nearby ritzy hotel … and the police are evidently moving way too slow for her satisfaction. Gus decides to help her out. Armed with her number, some detective tools, and the gift of clairvoyance, he heads out into the night to get some answers.

The game engine in Post Mortem runs very similar to other titles in the same genre that are out. In each area that you can visit, you have full 360 rotational view movements and a small cursor to indicate the center of where you are looking. When you can move to another area, grab an item, or talk to someone the cursor turns into a little icon representing the action that you are allowed to take, and left clicking activates the action. Right clicking the mouse opens up your inventory, and left clicking an item in the inventory will allow you to try and use it, read it, or whatever you are trying to do with it at the time. Simple, huh?

To its credit, one thing that kept me playing was a well-written and bizarre storyline that introduces you to some weird (and sometimes creepy) locations and people. The voice acting and script were done well, and the voiceovers will help give you an indication of whom you are dealing with. The snobby hotel clerk for example sounds and acts like a snobby hotel clerk, which in a game that lacks a lot of action definitely helps in keeping the game moving along.

Another benefit to the game is the level of challenge (but not frustration) in questioning potential witnesses or suspects. Due to the fact that there are usually multiple questions and responses that can be given during a conversation, it’s easy to make a mistake and say something wrong. Well, with some people it shuts off the conversation for good, while others you can make a come back with. Even with the ones who just won’t talk anymore, I never really got stuck since it made me look a little harder for another possible clue or person to question which gave me some answers I needed.

While Post Mortem has a good, entertaining story and some occasional brainwork to be done, there are also some things that could have been done a little better. For starters, games like this need a good amount and variation of puzzles to solve. While Post Mortem delivers some decent ones, many seemed out of place or didn’t seem to make sense in the outcome or the story. Overall, most of the game will have you running around talking to people rather than deciphering strange letters or finding codes to locks or whatever you would think a detective would do anyway, and some of the puzzles can be downright frustrating (5 lock picks … only two work … and there are probably 120 possible ways to do them).

Another little issue that I ran across in my sleuthing around in this game comes in the overall replay value. Due to most of the game being conversational, you can usually flit around getting answers pretty quickly … even with a stubborn puzzle or two here and there. Well, when the game is over in a couple of days, you don’t have a lot of reason to go back and play it through again unless you want to try and get a different ending or try a different line of questioning. Add in the fact that you can’t skip dialogue and may have to go through entire scenes over again, and you may just say, “forget it” and begin searching for another game to play instead.

Graphically, the cut scenes looked great … from the disturbing opening to the bitter and strange end. The in game graphics consist of still shots that you look around in, dotted here and there by moving people indicating that you can talk to them. That’s not horrible, but in a bistro with about 20 people in it, everyone but two people are accessible and everyone else looks like an oil painting. In addition, the character animation looked good during a conversation, but the characters tended to keep repeating the same motions over and over again … sometimes whether they were talking or not.

From a sound perspective, the music overall was done well for the time frame and would occasionally switch tones depending on what the situation was. Also, as I stated before, the voice acting was well done and the script was well written … so it will most likely keep your attention as you guide Gus around helping him solve the mystery.

Overall, I have to say that I enjoyed Post Mortem’s story and the good job that Microids did in the overall presentation of the game. I personally think that there were some things that could have been done better, and some extra clues and item gathering like the old Police Quest games on 386 PC’s could have added to the overall experience. If you enjoy this sort of storyline and game style, you should have fun with this one (My wife watches umpteen hours of Court TV and thought it was great). If you’re more of an action gamer like me, you might want to save the $30.00 and grab something that delivers a little more bang for your buck.  

Gameplay: 7.1
The game itself is easy to pick up and figure out due to a simple point and click interface, and the great storyline will keep you sitting down to see what’s going to happen next. Microids also put a good amount of different conversations and directions in to make you think a little bit before talking. Unfortunately, the puzzles seemed a little odd or misplaced at times, and the rewards to some of them didn’t really make sense for what you were being asked to do. Lastly, while there are a few different endings to get depending on what you do in the game, not being able to skip long dialogue you’ve heard before may put a dent in the replay value.

Graphics: 7.2
The movies were great, but the rest of the game … while well done … was static backgrounds all of the time and certain areas suffered a bit because of it since you suddenly felt like you stepped into an oil painting. Also, the animations were decent but many of the movements were repetitive loops.

Sound: 8.1
The music score did a good job in setting the timeframe and the scenarios when you would interview someone. Also, the voiceovers, acting, and script were written well and will definitely help in keeping your attention as the story progresses.

Difficulty: Medium
Don’t get me wrong, there are definitely some brain squeezers here and there which can get a little bit difficult. Fortunately, Microids made sure that doing something wrong or not the 100% correct way wouldn’t ruin the game, but made you look a little harder at a possible alternative solution.

Concept: 7.7
While it’s not perfect and may not appeal to a bunch of high action gamers out there, it is definitely unique … and the cool storyline blending a good, old fashioned murder mystery with some bizarre paranormal things worked out well.

Overall: 7.3
Well, crime fighters … let me put it to you like this. Microids did a great job putting together a well-written and scripted mystery to solve, and those of you who love the “whodunit” shows, books, and movies will probably have a good time with this one … despite a few flaws. Even being an action gamer myself, I still enjoyed Post Mortem and really enjoyed the storyline … but I would suggest possibly interviewing some witnesses who have played it before or make sure you have your receipt tucked in next to your magnifying glass and camera just in case you should want to return Post Mortem if it turns out to be a bad lead.

Lastly … in the words of Sherlock Holmes himself … It is a capital mistake to theorize before you have all the evidence. It biases the judgment.

Keep that in mind and happy sleuthing, GZ readers!