Happy Halloween. And today actually is halloween, so I guess this is the last time I can say that for another 11 months or so.
7 days a skeptic is the second game of the Chzo Mythos, and sequel to 5 days a stranger. It is a good companion to that game, and has many similarities, including theme, plot and gameplay elements. 7 days features a tightened up interface, which helps the sense of game flow. Both games draw their strength through atmosphere and character.
Generally I find that the atmosphere comes from the writing, and the flow of the game. There's a bit of isolation, even though there are other characters available to talk with. Also, the sense that anything could happen at any time helped to keep fresh my experience of the limited environment. I was driven to progress the storyline.
Both games take place in a series of rooms, each contained in a single screen. Over the course of the games progression, the player is free to walk through any of the available rooms and the plot will require a lot of walking back and forth. I haven't played a lot of point-and-click adventures, so I don't know if this is common to the genre. It can definitely be frustrating at times, and I fully endorse the consultation of a walkthrough when that frustration moves in.
I think that both 7 days and 5 days really work with the limited space given: 5 days has about fifteen screens and 7 days has maybe twenty. Part of the atmosphere of the game comes from the experience of being trapped in a limited space, which adds significance to every new screen that is revealed through play. In addition, when an event takes place in a screen that was, up to that point, relatively inert- that screen gains a new characteristic and emotional response from the player (me). Still other screens may never have anything significant in them, but they still reflect the potential of something happening.
The atmosphere is edgy in 7 days. Solving a mystery in a very dangerous-- and sometimes horrific environment. Yahtzee does turn the horror dial up a notch in this game, which I appreciate. I wouldn't say the game itself is generally gratuitous, just occasionally gratuitous. It definitely startled me a couple of times.
The music is also little bit better in 7 days. It was actually written for the game, rather than stolen. And it seems more consistent - the music in 5 days seemed to just kind of drop off sometimes like it got confused and just wandered away.
I enjoyed playing 7 days a Skeptic, and I recommend it to anyone who has played 5 Days a Stranger and enjoyed it. You can play it on its own, but it really is best to start from the beginning. Solid, Amateur, Point and Click, Horror. What's not to love? Happy Halloween.
-Dr. Potts
P.S. I have continued on with the progression of the Chzo Mythos and started the third game (of four) Trilby's Notes. With this game, Yahtzee has changed up the formula. Instead of point and click, the character is now controlled using the keyboard, and actions are controlled by typing phrases like "type review of Chzo Mythos" or something more simple like "turn on light." I've played through the intro sequence and a few minutes into the main story and it looks like the horror is ramped up yet again. Along with the production value.
Also, though this is the third game in the series, it is more of a direct sequel to 5 Days a Stranger.
