Dark Strokes: Sins of the Fathers (Collector's Edition)

Game Category: Casual - Adventure, Hidden Object, Horror
Developer / Distributor: Friday's Game / Alawar Entertainment
Release Date: 16 February 2012
Rating: ESRB - Rating Pending

Be captivated by Dark Strokes

Introduction
Casual games that tend to strike a chord with us are usually the ones that come hand-in-hand with a great story. Often, such games have you taking on the role of a protagonist who faces overwhelming odds and teases you with subtle hints of darkness and death.

Take for example, the latest offering from Friday's Game and Alawar Entertainment - Dark Strokes: Sins of the Fathers. This, as you will find out from reading the rest of the review, is a  game that epitomizes one of the better games in the casual hidden object adventure genre.

Game Play 
Shadows abound in the world of Ethan Black, a suave young gentleman who will embark on one of the most convincing and exciting stories ever. Sinister events take place during Ethan's journey to see his father back in his home town, Cedar Falls. Along for the ride is his fiancée Clair, but evil waylays the couple and Clair is lost to some mysterious supernatural force.

It will be up to brave Ethan to rescue his damsel in distress, but he faces threats from a group of masked beings who doggedly thwarts his every move. Our brave hero must eventually make his way into a dark and forbidding Tower found at the edge of the town, and meet his destiny there.

Listen... I can hear it softly playing - Clair de lune

Dark Strokes: Sins of the Fathers plays like most adventure hidden object games out there. The game has a great number of adventure locations and hidden object scenes, plus there are many occasions when puzzles are thrown your way. It's unlikely you will stay stumped by any of the puzzles since there's a handy skip button.

The game is divided into several chapters and each of these has quite a varied mix of adventure locations that you will visit. You won't see any numbers to indicate you are transiting to the next chapter, but usually an all important cut scene will take place to indicate this is happening. The Collector's Edition comes with the complete walkthrough, and you can always refer to it to see where each chapter ends and the next begins.

Pay attention to all the visual clues

At the start of every new game, you will be asked to choose from two difficulty levels - a casual mode where the hint button recharges in 1 minute and all interactive areas get highlighted, or an expert mode where you must wait a full 2 minutes for hints to recharge. With no indication to the interactive areas at an adventure location, the expert mode is definitely no walk in the park.

There is a simple tutorial of sorts that you will encounter as the story sets off. Just a couple of instructions that you can easily read and breeze through. The first chapter places you on what seems to be a pleasant train journey, however something strange happens halfway through this train ride. As conveyed to you through a most nerve wrecking cutscene, you will probably shake your head in disbelief at how vivid the entire movie sequence was. To put it bluntly, both Ethan and Clair are now in over their heads.

You'll also need to think during hidden object scenes

Hidden object scenes are marked by a glowing eye symbol. Once you enter one, you are greeted with a scene that is littered with a reasonably good amount of objects. A list of twelve objects will appear at the bottom of the screen. Some of these objects are featured in white colour text - that means you will need to solve a mini puzzle to reveal the object.

Take for example, the screenshot above - the worm can be found if you pick up the knife and click on the apple. An animation appears showing the apple being sliced in half and the worm comes crawling out waiting for you to pick it up.

What a sordid mess!

You'll find a lot of items in the game that you will help you along in the story. Some of these may be handy tools like a crowbar to prise open locked compartments or a screwdriver to open up a panel. Prized items include keys and figurines. The former usually unlocks an area of the game that you have not yet visited, while the latter is placed in a fantastic box that will paint you a story explaining the mystery behind all the strange happenings in Cedar Falls.

On top of the items you find, you will also chance upon news snippets, notices, and letters containing some important titbit of information; all of these will be logged into your journal. This handy little book found at the bottom left of the screen contains everything you have learnt while playing the game. It also contains a map of Cedar Falls (which in my opinion is not of much use).

Don't forget to read your Journal entries

One of the best parts of Dark Strokes: Sins of the Fathers is the story. Some chapters may seem derivative of horror or supernatural novels, but otherwise the overall story is a very good one. The character development is very good and most of them are so life-like in appearance that you'll probably feel for them. So if you like story driven games, do consider getting this game.

Once you complete the main adventure, the bonus chapters of the Collector's Edition are unlocked for you to play. The story found in the bonus chapters takes you on a little prequel playing the role of the antagonist in the story; this presents a great opportunity to experience first hand the genesis of a great villain. Once you complete the final chapter, you have officially won the entire game; you will then get access to a section featuring concept art, character portraits, wallpapers, and media (movies and music).

A location from the bonus chapters

Graphics and Interface
The art direction in Dark Strokes: Sins of the Fathers is excellent. It's like looking at a digital canvas featuring artwork that is lovely to behold. Even the cutscenes that you watch are done with such dedication and quality that it feels like you are watching an actual movie. Mind you, the cutscenes can be quite long, and they retell every crucial moment in the game with equal clarity and beauty. With such excellent production qualities, I won't be surprised if this game wins some awards this year for all the hard work put in by the developers.

The design of the interface looks pretty good for a casual game of this genre. Everything is placed towards the bottom part of the screen, and messages appear in a small area right at the top. You will have to click on little X's to exit from windows that pop up now and then, and the journal provides controls for you to flip the pages.

Absolutely flabbergasted...совершенно изумлен

Audio
The tense and spooky music soundtrack fits the game's theme like a glove. There are four different tracks you'll hear in the game and I must add that all are very well done.

The sound effects also do a good job of instilling atmosphere and indicating feedback; with the former relying on ambient sounds - for example, the rain, rumbling thunder, the howling wind, and the sounds from a waterfall.

The voice acting is generally good, however there was one point where Clair's voice almost gets drowned out by the soundtrack.

Uh... Hi Dad!

Pros:
Dark Strokes: Sins of the Fathers is an excellent casual adventure hidden object game that is strong in the graphics and story department.

• The story featured in the game is a very strong one. The theme may be horror based, but it's really the plot, the story structure (which includes one or two interesting surprises), and the characters that all add up to make this a truly satisfying experience.
• The production values for graphics is incredibly excellent. So, make sure you gawk at the artistry and marvel at the cutscenes; they are really that good.
• The adventure like game play, hidden object scenes and puzzles all work together to make this a great cohesive package of fun, fun, and fun.
• The hint system is very direct in leading you to the required solution.
• This game is quite long and is going to take you at least 3 to 5 hours (on Casual mode) to complete; and that includes the bonus chapters too.

An elaborate locking mechanism that's actually a puzzle

Cons:
There are two issues that I didn't like about the Collector's Edition.

• I played the game a couple of times and even tried both difficulty settings. I have to report that the hidden object lists are fixed (that is to say, the list of things you must find are not randomized). And I think the same also applies for all the puzzles... So I ask, where's the replayability? I feel the main reason is because the solution to the game must exactly match the strategy guide write-up, otherwise the strategy guide would be of no use to the player.
• Other than being a handy reference to the story, the journal is of not much use. Even the map feature didn't provide any added value.

Playing the game a second time... and the list is the same

Conclusion
Dark Strokes: Sins of the Fathers is a compelling game to play. It comes with a strong story, excellent graphics, and features great fun for casual players. The Collector's Edition extends your game by letting you play the role of the antagonist, which in my opinion was a brilliant idea. Though the story has now ended for me, I still feel that there is one loose end to answer - perhaps it shall one day be answered with a sequel to the game.

In the meantime, enjoy Dark Strokes: Sins of the Father now by downloading it today!

Daily PC Game Review Score: 9 / 10
Review Date: 1 Mar 2012