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Not for me

2 Rating: 2, Useful: 5 / 7
Date: October 02, 2007
Author: Amazon User

Allow me to preface this by giving kudos to the programmer who put all his energy into designing a game that came solely from his heart. That alone is worth an added star.

That being said...

If you believe in the supernatural, then this game is for you.

If you like your supernature to be eerie, then this game is for you.

If you enjoy adventure games in which you interact with no one, then this game is for you.

If you like taking lots of notes, as well as hand-drawing cryptic designs, then this game is for you.

If you like open-ended unanswered questions at the conclusion, then this game is for you.

This game was not for me.

Don't get me wrong, those who appreciate a creepy atmosphere and worthy (albeit grainy) graphics will be quite satisfied. ...if that's all they want. But I wanted and expected more than that, and this game left me thoroughly frustrated to have spent all that time suspending disbelief only to be disappointed overall.

I'm sorry, but for me, the cons heavily outweighed the pros. I wish they didn't.

Quite Well Done

3 Rating: 3, Useful: 2 / 2
Date: September 13, 2007
Author: Amazon User

"Dark Fall: The Journal" is a ghost story. It is not a horror story. No dripping blood. No beasties popping out of the woodwork. If you like a good ghost story that you play slowly and carefully, take notes, make some sketches, then this is the game for you.

This is a first person, single character game with no dialog. There are some sounds, snatches of old songs, a character from the past may speak. The time is the present. You go to a rural train station and a small hotel in England that was abandoned in 1947. You are looking for your brother. This is not a time travel game. Rather, everything is exactly as it was on a certain night in that year. It is a game of immersion. Gradually, you find clues, and you learn what happened on that particular night.

The game has a few minor puzzles. The major puzzles form a sort of gauntlet at the end of the game. These puzzles can be solved with what you have learned during the game. No sliders, colors, or mazes. If you have not played the game carefully, you will not possess the information that you need to solve these puzzles and complete the game. In particular, you will find a number of mysterious symbols necessary to solve the final puzzle. You must find all of them.

The graphics are of the single-scene type with no panning. They are very detailed and very atmospheric. You will believe that you are there.

If you like a good ghost story, you will certainly enjoy this game.

Short, enjoyable, and creepy!

4 Rating: 4, Useful: 2 / 2
Date: May 27, 2007
Author: Amazon User

Dark Fall is creepy, but in a non-bloody way. Shadows and whispered voices along with a generally dark atmosphere set the tone for this very engaging game.

Most of the action takes place in a deserted hotel or the adjoining rooms of the train station platform. You cannot get lost, even with numerous rooms to explore. You cannot die, either, and there is a cleverly designed way to get hints during the game that does not detract from it at all.

Despite there being many pieces to find and put together, I did not find this game to be frustrating like others I've played recently. I think this is because the game is pretty straightforward. If you find a set of coordinates, there is only one place to use them, a row of 7 buttons corresponds to information set up in the same manner, etc.

Inventory is not hard to handle- a little wrench shape lets you know a tool is needed, and if you click on the right one, the tool simply does what it's supposed to. (The only exception is where to use the goggles- listen for the verbal clue) There is no pixel hunting, thankfully. A few areas are hidden just enough to make you look a bit harder, but everything makes sense and you don't have to go in circles looking for the cellar or attic, for example.

The voice work is excellently done. There's not a great deal of music, however some of the sound effects get annoying after a while if you stay in one spot thinking. This is a point and click game in the first person. There is no violence, however due to the creep factor I would not recommend this for kids under 13. (Just a note: one drawer contains several old-timey nude women, but not in close up) There is no foul language.

There's several different types of puzzles to keep you busy, but none are extremely hard. I solved a couple by randomly clicking. A few are audio-based and there is no captions to this game. There are no math problems. You save the game by saving it to a file you create and I found it quick and easy. There are no audio or settings controls.

Overall, this is a pleasant little game set in an interesting environment that will not overtax your brain.

Best Adventure Scary Game I ever played !

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 1 / 1
Date: May 11, 2007
Author: Amazon User

I thought Dark Fall (one) was an Outstanding Game. It had all the elements of a great adventure scary game. It is fairly easy to play. The game is straight forward. The puzzles are not too difficult or impossible to solve. There are many voice characters. One must involve oneself 'in the nature of the game'. Don't cheat it. No real hints are necessary to play; this make it a very good adventure learning game for future game playing. Give it a try, and it is a ancient bargain.

My Most Favorite Adventure Game

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 5 / 6
Date: April 13, 2007
Author: Amazon User

"To each, his own." The reviewers who didn't like this game should probably have read the box. This is a first person (uh, usually means no other characters to interact with?) point and click, adventure game. It is not an action adventure game--no blood, no swords or machine guns, no bulked up heroes or large breasted avatars. Just you and your own brain and your emotional response to the experience. What you see is through your own eyes, not someone else's. You are not just watching someone else go through the adventure. For me, this perspective facilitates total emersion. I can suspend disbelief and feel that I am really there--me, myself, behind my eyes. The "aloneness" adds to the creepiness and dread as you move through the old, long abandoned hotel and train station, impelled by the need to solve the mystery of what happened to your brother.

The pacing is up to you. You are not led along by the hand or whatever else. The story develops as you uncover it. The clues are very intuitive, but not overly easy. I never did have to resort to hints or walkthroughs. But, I didn't figure everything out instantly, either. I found myself thinking about puzzles and clues when I was away from the game going about other activities. I realized the solution to one puzzle just as I was falling asleep one night, and had to get back up to go see if it was correct. It was. And it was very satisfying.

The graphics are detailed, atmospheric and, in my opinion, excellent. They are not glossy or flashy or highly colored, however. That would not have been in keeping with the mood. At times, you almost feel as though you are existing within an old photograph.

I loved that almost every drawer and cupboard can be opened and its contents examined.

It's true that there is a considerable amount of reading and note-taking and a few places where you would do well to do some rough drawing. If you don't enjoy the challenge of putting together all the (well placed and appropriate) clues--and in this game you actually can--you can always use a walkthrough. Personally, though, I would recommend that you do your best to restrain your impatience and take advantage of the opportunity this game offers--to actually solve the mystery all on your own.

This is my all-time most favorite adventure game and has remained so even though some of the more recent releases have been very good. I particularly enjoyed Barrow Hill: Curse of the Ancient Circle and Scratches. Because of "Dark Fall: The Journal" I have become a fan of Jonathan Boakes, its creator. I look forward to more of his work, which he will tell you has been influenced by the writings of M. R. James--the writer of the best ghost stories I have ever read.

To those who say, "Too much reading; you might as well read a book," I say, maybe you should. And to those who complain about the pace or the interactivity, maybe you should watch a movie.

Actually, I do have a complaint about all those who bring down the ratings of excellent things because they want to complain that the genre doesn't suit them. That, people, is a reflection on you and your tastes, not the product in question.

If you enjoy mystery, atmosphere, and a good, scary story that you can actually participate in, you'll like, maybe even love, this game. If you're looking for blood and breasts and intense action, simply look elsewhere. But, please don't complain and blame the game because you failed to read the box.

Better than the sequel

4 Rating: 4, Useful: 4 / 4
Date: April 13, 2007
Author: Amazon User

This point and click was a fun game. It's in 1st person in a 2D environment. It had at times a creepy atmosphere, but what I most remember is a feeling of discovery and curiousity. I enjoyed revealing the mystery with my character. I don't recall pixel hunting for clues and the story line revealed itself at a good pace. There were plenty of hotspots to keep me entertained but not so many that I wanted to pull my hair out, and they all added to the story (though in the end, they may not have all been necessary). It's been a while since I played it, but it is a game I thought good enough to keep and play again (which is pretty rare for me). The sequel to this "Dark Fall:Lights Out" I didn't like, the whys you can see in that review.

Wow.... Creeeeepy!!

4 Rating: 4, Useful: 3 / 4
Date: March 29, 2007
Author: Amazon User

This game is great! It's not much to look at. The graphics are a little dated, but with the lights off, and the sound up..... ooooh boy!! It'll make you wet your pants sometimes!! The footsteps on the winding staircase ahead of you.... and they seem to be coming down the stairs... oh my gosh.... this game will freak you out!! You won't regret it!!

Difficult Game.

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 2 / 2
Date: March 08, 2007
Author: Amazon User

This game is really difficult. Before I played Dracula, Dark Fall 2 and these 2 games were easier. I spent a lot of time to play Dark Fall but couldn't win without help. Anyway the game is really good. (But if you want to play this game, be prepared for a lot of reading).

The Journal - a very exciting game

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 3 / 3
Date: January 04, 2007
Author: Amazon User

The game has it all. A lot of places to explore and new good puzzles. You can feel the creepy atmosphere when you play. The puzzles are challenging and the grafic is exelent. I hope they will make more games like this.

I Can't Wait to Play the Sequel!

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 6 / 6
Date: January 01, 2007
Author: Amazon User

"Dark Fall: The Journal" is one of the spookiest games I've ever played! The creators of this product used just the right sights & sounds to really freak you out at times - especially if you're playing late at night like I tend to do...

"Dark Fall" is set in an old train station & hotel that had been shut down in the 1940's due to the disappearances of several people - a mystery that had never been solved. Because of these disappearances, and talk of quite a few disappearances from long ago, this site is considered by many to be extremely haunted...

At the present time, a young architect has gone there to create plans for turning this into a modern-day nightclub and he's joined by a couple of college students who plan to do a very technical ghosthunting mission as part of their studies.

After receiving a very disturbing & urgent message from your architect brother, asking you to come right away, you appear on the scene - and find yourself completely alone - your brother & the college kids have vanished, just like all the others. It will be your "job" to find the clues & put everything together to find out what happened to them, as well as to all the others who have also disappeared from this "evil" place.

There is a great variety of rooms/scenes to check out while playing this game and, although you don't need to find lots of items for your inventory, you will need to take notes about what you do find along the way (be sure to have a notebook handy).

Overall, I found "Dark Fall: The Journal" to be an excellent mystery game with a great surprise ending! As such, I would highly recommend it to those who enjoy this genre of computer games - and at this price, it's truly a bargain!

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