We are already accustomed to the fact that when the continuation of any project is done by people who are not related to the original, it comes out badly and sadly. Especially if this very original raised the quality bar in the genre. The first The Black Mirror was (and there is) excellent adventure. A mysterious estate in the English wilderness, an ancient family with their skeletons in a closet, bloody murders, mysticism and an oppressive atmosphere – lovers of good detectives were just in the seventh heaven with happiness … And barely talking about a “black mirror” began to talk exclusively in the past tense, there was an announcement of the sequel. True, the development was entrusted with an unremarkable studio Cranberry Production, which was noted only by a very mediocre Mata Hari. In this situation, it is difficult to imagine that she will be able to surpass the authors of the first The Black Mirror. But whether the Germans managed to at least not hit their face in the mud?
The ghost of the black-mirror castle
The story of the original “black mirror” was twisted around the same name in the rainy,
dank England. Its inhabitants, a noble family of Gordons, suffer from an ancient curse, which has long been lying on them. Once the grandfather of the protagonist William is thrown out of the tower window-something clearly scared the old man to death. Samuel’s granddaughter comes to the castle and begins the investigation. Every day of work for a newly-made detective, everything is added-someone kills the inhabitants of the village. Later it turns out that the maniac (a-ta-ta, spoiler; everyone who is now playing the game is running and in the beginning of the next paragraph without looking back)-the younger Gordon himself, who fell under the terrible curse.
In the first The Black Mirror, we literally dipped us in the atmosphere of mysticism and fear from the first minutes, so the project fascinated and carried away in earnest. The authors of the continuation went the other way – they decided to play in contrast. Everything starts quite harmless, and at first even confuses. The place of action is now a pretty town, the most grumpy chief of the protagonist seems to be the biggest problem, and we are not informed about a series of deaths, but that the fuse burned down in the basement. In a word, nothing portends troubles. Almost half of the passage, in the person of the simple guy Darren Michaels, is completely spent in the serene corner of the United States, contemplating the estate of Gordons only in photographs and cheap advertising booklets. And suddenly it begins – the murder of the chef, the mother’s illness, the mysterious stranger who fell behind bars … This is the second stage of “dive” – we are still in the town, but menacing clouds are already thickened over our heads, both in a figurative sense and in the direct way. We are suspected, we suspect, constant tension, screams, and even rain on the street tickles the back of the head with cold paws. And finally, in the second half we get to Willow Crick, and then to the Black Mirror. The player is very carefully prepared for the long-awaited visit to the castle, extremely cleverly causing a feeling of nostalgia in him-first they show a familiar lighthouse on the portrait, then they throw a booklet with a description of events in which he once took a direct part, and in the Will-Creek museum they show howThe wax version of Samuel straightens out with its victims.
Perfectly succeeded and riddles. Some accuse The Black Mirror 2 in excessive simplicity, but we will only answer these claims that the plot and dialogs are more important here. It is they who pull the narrative forward, and puzzles – only a means of achieving the goal, and not the goal itself. However, as we have already said, they are good. And, most importantly, logical. A nightmare of anyone who meets this specific genre is the need to understand the logic of Advenchur. Why you can’t get water in the river, but you can only in a well, to which you also need to find a bucket? Why, in order to open the door, you need to jump on the right leg and buy? This is reduced to zero, and conventions are not striking.
At the same time, a gentleman’s set of any questard at your disposal is a dozen cunning locks and safe, five -minute “crazy pens”, when we have to collect different devices, speeds for speed and resourcefulness from improvised material. Someone will complain again, they say, everything is too standard and boring. Of course, we will agree, but have it prevented the template riddles from becoming famous for the original? After all, there was also nothing special.
Despite all the advantages of the brainchild Cranberry Production, Many remained disappointed in The Black Mirror 2. Mostly waiting for a classic detective in a familiar entourage, but received something completely different. The castle manages to see only closer to the finale, and the first third of the game is completely held in the sunny town. But you just need to understand that, make the developers an ideological clone of the original now, he would still have not struck anyone, did not hook. They do not fall into one funnel twice, no matter how filigree was the projectile. Remember the second “bio -shit” – after all, everything was in it as in the first part, the fans were given what they asked. But what remains after Bioshock 2? Emptiness. The first “bio -chill” is so one, unique and indispensable. The same can be said about the original “black mirror” – you will not distort it. The best that the Germans from Cranberry, – Create another game. Interesting, wonderful, but other. And let the well -known expression “not a cake” apply to it, but it does almost everything that the sequels are most likely capable of – steps on a nostalgic callus, gives food for memories and makes you go through the legendary predecessor. We’ll go all.
Pros: logical tasks;a sea of nostalgia;Exciting plot.
Cons: Riddles are a little standard.