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I just wanted to share my thoughts with you about Three Cards to Midnight. I was one of a few lucky people to Beta-test the game through the final build and I thought you might like a little tease.
First of all, the story is simply fantastic. This game does remind me a little of the Tex adventures as much as the cut scenes and pieces of the story come as reward for completing the objectives. And what a compelling tale it is. Without giving too much of the plot away, the story unfolds in scenes with Jess as she tries to piece together her lost memories and the reason why she is in this strange place with a man she doesn’t know.
The voice acting is astonishing good, on par with the best of Pandora. Fans will peg Merryman’s voice right away as our beloved detective, but the cast is solid all around. My favorite performances were Ben Silloway, Jess’s missing father, Devin Tellis, Daniel and the mysterious Ylli.
The story unfolds as objectives are met for each location. And the objectives, keywords, game mechanic (however you want to say it) does have a tie to the scene. So unlike other casual games where the link seems tenuous, there IS a method to their madness. Each chapter also has a puzzle to solve, and these are very much like the puzzles you might encounter in any adventure game. And, like the Tex games, they tie directly into the story and plot development, not just arbitrarily tossed into the mix.
The characters are rich and interesting, and a few enigmatic and mysterious. The game stands on its own as a complete adventure, but not all of the pieces have been revealed. There is at least a few games worth of story to unfold with Jess, and more, if they expand the “mythology.”
Matt Heider’s score is remarkable for setting the mood, and as we’ve been told, the entire game was made on a shoestring budget. It doesn’t feel that way at all. I was amazed at the level of detail with the graphics and sound based on the size of program. It is easily downloadable for those with DSL or broadband, about 220 megs if I remember correctly.
The first time I played it was in a single sitting, pulling an all-nighter to see the story unfold to the end. But I’ve gone back to play it again, uncovering more subtle secrets that I missed the first time around. And of course, discovering more questions……
Bottom line, if you like intriguing stories and interesting characters, Three Cards is for you.
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