Polygons of Terror

[PixelProphecy]

#1792

Just wanted to say hi and how much I enjoyed this game, despite its tendency to kill you off constantly and a pretty weak and infuriating late-game. Alone in the Dark pretty much invented the survival horror genre and paved the way for the likes of Silent Hill and Resident Evil. And it also pointed my attention towards H.P. Lovecraft and I can’t thank it enough for that 🙂

[Mgoddard]

#1794

This was probably my first survival horror game I played as a kid. I seem to recall having to dial up to some BBS’s to get a few hints but after that and a lot of trial and error I was able to finish it.

I had tried many similar games afterwards (Bioforge I’m looking at you…) but nothing seemed to come close to the haunted mansion theme.

[Tijn]

#1803

Yeah, I think it’s the very first 3D survival-horror game ever made.

I tried playing this game several times in the past, but never really got anywhere. Looking forward to diving in properly this time!

[Mgoddard]

#1807

Did anyone else play Ecstatica (1994)? It was another one that I played through that was really challenging.

[Pix]

#1808

Yes, I played Ecstatica at the time but haven’t been back since. I think it was basically the work of one person who had spent years on it. Those sorts of games tend to end up being a little odd and this was no exception. I can’t say I remember much now other than a werewolf wandering around that made life a misery. I don’t think I got too far without a walkthrough. It did have a really unusual elipsoid based engine where everything looked a bit like balloon animals. There was even elipsoid nudity which got it a bit of press back then.

I’m way more familiar with Alone In The Dark. We seem to be on a roll of some of my favourite games from back then at the moment. Definitely looking forward to going back to this series again.

[PixelProphecy]

#1817

When I played it as a kid, I never figured out how to advance beyond the puzzle with the mirrors on the second floor. Many years later I found out that you need to place them on the statuettes and not just put them on the ground. Looking forwards to playing it again! 🙂

[Corgibuttz]

#1971

I love the dos game club, you dudes are guys right after my own heart!

I played both BioForge and Ecstatica. I even suggested Ecstatica in the forums! I actually installed Ecstatica last month and played it a bit. You can find it on MyAbandonware.com (I think that’s the name of it, if not, it’s close) and I ran it in dosbox w/o any issues.

Seriously, no one I have ever spoken to in real life has ever even heard of BioForge or Ecstatcia. It’s awesome to have come across folks who enjoyed these games as a kid like me. 🙂

I did end up finishing both games, but BioForge is damn hazy in my memory (other then I remember liking it) but Ecstatcia is pretty clear. I don’t remember all the puzzles, but I do remember a lot of them. It was creepy, and that werewolf guy scared me as a kid. I remember fighting him FOREVER trying to kill him. I don’t think it’s possible.

[kdrnic]

#2000

Since spooky old polygons are being mentioned, one that cannot be avoided is Fade to Black, a very unique game from 1995. It is the sequel to the more famous Flashback, itself following Another World, but it is a 3D person game rather than a cinematic platformer.
It doesn’t really hold up though – very bad controls, something which plagues so many of those early 3D games.

[PixelProphecy]

#2001

@kdrnic Oh, wasn’t that also from Dephine Software? I remeber playing the demo and being duly impressed that each kind of death had its own little rendered cut scene 🙂

[kdrnic]

#2002

Yes, FtB and the two platformers mentioned are all by Delphine, and that is a running theme of those.

[Pix]

#2003

I think Fade To Black has a worse reputation than it deserves these days. It was one of the very first 3rd person titles in a 3D environment, a whole year before Tomb Raider. It was really ambitious given the technology available and very well received at the time. My main gripe with it was how often you would see those death FMV’s. It’s a good job they were short.

It’s a common misconception but Flashback isn’t actually related to Another World. Another World did get a sequel on the Mega CD called Heart Of The Alien which is punishingly difficult and had no involvement from Eric Chahi.

[kdrnic]

#2005

I am not sure how undeserved it is – it may be 1 year before Tomb Raider, but Tomb Raider is more solid altogether, and it likely didn’t build knowingly on FtB’s failures. It is maybe a Bubsy 3D/Mario 64 situation (both also 1 year later though).