Frictional are having a simultaneous launch  of the game on Windows, Mac and Linux. It also comes with four translations (French, German, Italian & Spanish) in addition to the original English version, is DRM free and available from most major online retailers in addition to their own online store.

Amnesia: The Dark Descent is a first person horror game with focus on immersion. It is a game where atmosphere and story comes first.

The game begins with Daniel awakening in a desolate Prussian castle, without any memories to explain his situation. A letter written by himself, reveals that the amnesia is actually self-inflicted.

The mysterious message urges him to seek out and kill Alexander, a man residing deep below the castle. Hunted by a dark shadow, Daniel can see no other way out than to trust his former self. If he is to save his life and mind, he needs to find out what it is all really about. It is his only hope for salvation. A dark descent awaits.

Before you purchase, try the demo.

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In Alchemia, you play as Noses (the same character from the the Haluz series), a little man who shoots a bizarre looking mechanical creature (Lootpecker) from the sky. Feeling remorseful he then agrees to help Lootpecker’s soul find another body in the nearby megapolis. Primarily Noses’ objective is to help his unlikely new companion replace his robotic body but once the creature is up and running, he then has other problems to solve.

For the most part, Alchemia plays out like any other point’n'click adventure although most of the puzzles are logical – very little in the way of inventory based solving.

Alchemia is actually a succession of flash scripts containing impressive degrees of interactivity. Each chapter or level is contained within one script and therefore there are no save slots .the game will automatically move on to the next chapter or, if you quit the game you can type the name of whichever chapter you wish to play in a pop up search bar contained in the bottom menu (so long as you can remember it from your last session ! otherwise you will have to go to the program files for the chapter listings. 19 in total I think). The menu displayed along the bottom of the screen also contains :
Walkthrough, Full screen and Sound options as well as a humorous Manual, About, and Exit.

The walkthrough itself is comprehensive although a little to readily available, maybe a progressive hint system wouldve been better. For the most part you are aware of your objective in each screen but it was all to easy just to select the walkthrough button instead of thinking it through for another couple of minutes.
Although, that being said, there was a puzzle towards the end were you had to click on the same button 33 times(!) to solve and I’m afraid there was a likelyhood that I couldve given up on that one had I not read the instructions. All the other puzzles, I found were pretty logical and with a little reasoning could be solved.

What little in the way of inventory items you collect are held in a left menu bar from where you will have to drag an item to where it belongs in the scene to progress.

The story behind Alchemia does maybe fall a little short with the majority of the game occupied with repairing the mechanical creature and then what seems like some further puzzles patched on to the end. I really feel the developers missed an opportunity with the storyline after creating such endearing characters in a beautifully crafted world that blends nature and mechanics perfectly.

What you will remember most about Alchemia, after playing, is the gorgeous artwork, presentation, fun puzzles and sensitivity that make up the short story – similar in styling to a child’s book. The puzzles are new and unique and will encourage a lot of lateral thinking and problem solving.

In each game you play a guardian angel named Peri. She can’t rest while anyone has problems – that’s just the kind of person she is. Everywhere she goes she finds herself in new stories with new people and new problems to solve.

Sometimes she finds herself as a character within the story, and other times she finds herself looking down from above.
The first three stories in Enter The Story form a trilogy, showing Peri’s origin and destiny. All the stories join together, making an ever larger world for Peri to explore. In Les Misérables we see the world she came from, her beginning as an angel, and her goal: to end suffering and find ultimate answers. In the Divine Comedy we see her journey through the heavens. Genesis of the Gods shows the awful truth: what she finds when she gets there.

All the locations in Enter The Story join together. So if you’re in Paris you might be playing Les Misérables, then if you turn a corner you might find yourself in A Tale of Two Cities and by pressing M you can easily get back.
The other characters can’t move back and forth between stories, only Peri (and you, the player) can do that.

Chris says:

I’m really selling a game world, a bookshelf, rather than individual stories, though people can buy them individually if they prefer. As you play the games you’ll recognize some of the same locations, an ever expanding world, starting in Paris, and later games will expand to London, the rest of Britain, America, and so on.

E.g. you’ll see on end of a street in Les Miserables and the other end of the same street in A Tale of Two Cities. The map in Les Miserables shows ATOTC links as well.

The imagery and gameplay are basic but it is just such an ambitious project and there has been so many improvements between Les Mis and ATOTC. Chris eventually plans to have games for each of Shakespeare’s 37 plays !
Currently you can download Les Miserables for free with the other titles priced at just $7.99 each or $14.99 for all four games (PC and Linux).

There is an extensive blog covering all aspects of the completed work and future projects as well as development stories etc at enterthestory.com which is well worth visiting

The story follows agent Claire Ellery trying to uncover the truth behind her ex FBI partner’s (Tom) apparent suicide.As Agent Ellery begins her investigation she discovers that Tom has left a trail of clues for her in the form of cards. You must follow the cards to solve Tom’s untimely demise.

Starting at the murder scene you discover the first card leading you to explore Tom’s apartment for a further clue. Having a good mix of hidden-object hunting and elements of standard point-and-click adventuring, The Lighthouse Mystery is definitely a solid and enjoyable title.The trail leads you through a variety of locations, each with numerous environments contained within. Eg when you go to investigate Tom’s girlfriends house , you get to search the garage, the backyard, the cellar and bedroom. The contrasting locations include Tom’s batchelor pad appartment, his girlfreinds homely house,a kind of hunting lodge and the ultra modern office building with it’s deepest recesses.

In all the locations, Claire has to find a Tarot Card. There are three different types of cards, each with a different style of clue: Blue cards have a list of items, green cards display silhouettes of objects to be found and brownish cards show broken items of which you must find the pieces.

Each level can contain as many as three hidden cards, one of each type. The scenes aren’t too cluttered with random objects and the items that do appear don’t look too out of place. While the hidden object scenes are actually done well, I found some of the items were a bit hard to pick up as the action areas around them seemed to be very small however, you really need to go mad clicking on them before you get a warning about multiple clicks this will induce a “cursor penalty” that sends the pointer spinning out of control for a few seconds. As for hints, you aren’t going to need too many but the hint timer refills at a decent rate and you are not restricted by the number of hints available.
The puzzles I found to be enjoyable and just testing enough but you’ve always got the option to skip these if you like. The game also includes a bit of point and click gameplay this is acheived after searching the different scenes within locations and earning a vital item to further your investigation.

The graphics are pretty impressive with lots of different styles adopted for the varying locations and even the cutscenes are beautifully depicted – I wasn’t tempted to skip any and was genuinely hooked on the story

Summary

Strange Cases The Lighthouse Mystery is a classy hidden object title with basic point and click elements which have been combined very nicely. The game is solid, well presented with challenging puzzles and some collecting and usage of inventory items. The different types of searches dictated by the cards keep things fresh and interesting. All in all, Strange Cases: The Lighthouse Mystery is very impressive stretching beyond the usual HOG limits. It’s fun,challenging,has a gripping story (for a HOG) and looks great. Definitely worth playing and I can see myself revisiting this title.

Bracken Tor: The Time of Tooth and Claw is set in a neighbouring area to the setting of Barrow Hill in Cornwall and Matt Clarke creator of Barrow Hill and Bracken Tor adds :

“I have heard many strange stories, while 3D mapping the landscape and recreating forgotten shrines. There are whisperings of mythical beasts, appearing out of the fog. What are these strange creatures? Visitations? The ghosts of long extinct creatures? Is an ancient feral world colliding with ours? There really are undiscovered treasures, and dangers, waiting for the gamer to experience. Venture onto Bracken Tor, pitch your tent, prepare for the dark, listen for the sounds and hope to survive the Time of Tooth and Claw”

About Bracken Tor

SOMETHING IS STALKING THE PEOPLE OF THE MOOR.
The Bloodmoon has risen. Something is stirring, something feral, ancient and terrible. It began many years ago, with the discovery of the livestock, ripped to shreds, torn apart and devoured. The beast now has a taste for blood… our blood… there has been a murder – a vicious, brutal killing – out there on the mist shrouded moorland. A lone hiker, exploring our ancient land, has been discovered… mutilated and bloody. The beast struck at some point just after dusk, ripping out the throat. Our land was once the hunting ground for many vicious carnivores, but they have long since disappeared, hunted into extinction. Could those beasts have returned, to seek their revenge? Where or when have these monstrous creatures come from?

SOLVE THE MYSTERY OF THE MOORLAND BEASTS.
Spend a night on the mysterious moor, with only the canvas of your tent as protection. Listen out for the sounds, look out for the tell tale signs, or flee in fear when the pack closes in. You are a bold journalist, always looking for the next ‘big story’. How far would you go to grab the front page? Would you risk your life, for a news story? If so, the ancient rock formation known as Bracken Tor awaits your arrival. The stony outcrop dominates the moor, and boasts several unnerving stories; from unexplainable glowing lights, to this latest horrifying incident. Are some places cursed? Or, are they haunted by those who went before?

THE PAST HOLDS THE KEY.
Thrown into the ancient past of the Bronze Age people, you will find the true origins of the nightmare. Those primitive people lived in fear of the mighty beasts, making sacrifices to protect themselves from the packs, which hide in the thick pine forests and wind-swept tundra. They practised long forgotten ceremonies, and studied the natural world, in an attempt to understand and conquer their foe. For it is only through understanding the ‘old ways’ that you will survive the night. You will have to decide what is worse… the beasts that lurk in the darkness, or the terrifying acts performed by our ancient ancestors.

For more information, visit www.brackentor.com.

Bracken Tor Features

• Explore the desolate moorland & ancient sites, searching for evidence.
• Travel back in time, to The Bronze Age, to learn its secrets.
• A complete interactive world; brought to life on your PC.
• Environmental sounds and weather to heighten the experience.
• An unnerving and eerie soundtrack to chill the blood.
• Experience virtual archaeology, and uncover the past.
• Survive beast attacks using items close at hand. Defend yourself!
• A complex and unusual story to piece together.
• Glean clues from newspaper articles and local radio broadcasts.
• Solve a bloody murder through investigation and detection.

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They discover a city hidden in the dark, with it’s white stone houses, long bridges, strange mechanic creatures and people skilled in ancient alchemic techniques.

However, the way back is closed and there seems to be no other way out. Is the little hero able to help his new friend? Will they escape dark tunnels?

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In the first installment, Rhem you learned about two brothers, Kales and Zatias, who were on the island before you.Your goal was to find a missing object for them and they gifted you the key to another train.Travelling on down the tracks in Rhem 2 you get to explore the underground section of the island in a bid to capture a picture of an “Important Artifact” for the brothers. In Rhem 3 You continue on the track and enter a third area of Rhem again to retreive another Important Artifact for the brothers and now we are set for Rhem 4.(incidently it isnt necessary to play any of the previous games or even play in sequence as each of the Rhem titles are stand alone games)

Game discription

In RHEM 4 the game picks up where the third game left off, but unlike its predecessors, this time there’s hope of an actual escape. Kales has discovered a transport system that could ultimately lead off the island, but players must first collect several parts of the key to access it. So once more it’s time to “explore this huge, fantastic world full of strange vehicles and buildings, unknown mechanisms and machines, secret passages and doorways, though players will this time meet new characters, who can help them solve some of the mysteries they will face.”

Rhem 4 is a first person point and click game with the choice of full or windows screen.The menu is displayed in two columns with floppy disc style icons with Quit, New, Load, Cursor, Options and Info selections. There are 18 saved game slots and there is an auto save when the game is exited. On hovering the cursor on the bottom part of the screen. 4 gameplay icons are displayed – The box on bottom left is the inventory, The book shows any documents picked up during play, a compass, and a wheel on the right used to access the menu.
at the start of the game you receive a letter before embarking on the train

“Dear Friend,
Many thanks for embarking on the journey to Rhem yet again. I am sending you off with the black crystal because you will likely need it. I examined it and came to the conclusion that it is the key to a still unknown part of Rhem. I am including the results of my research which you will need to activate the crystal.
All the best for your journey. Please say hello to my brother Kales for me.
Zetais”

and a video from Kales shortly afterwards details a hidden transport system leading  to a second connection to the outside world. In order to activate this  and also to enable your own return, you must find all nine fragments of the key to the system

….and that is the storyline. But then again fans of the franchise are not buying Rhem for a story driven adventure. Puzzles – its all about the puzzles.

The graphics improve slightly with each new installment but still remain a bit dated but again thats not why people buy Rhem.
The problem, I think, is that Rhem is still classified as an adventure game. Unfortunately for Rhem, while it has remained true to its origins, the adventure genre has progressed and developed and modern players may not appreciate having to solve a chain of puzzles with little or no interaction.So let’s just scrap this notion and move onto Rhem’s strength – its puzzles and shift it into the puzzle category

What kinds of puzzles can we expect to find? there are very few inventory based puzzles – mostly you will be unlocking doors and operating machines with keys and combinations along with logic word and number puzzles. The gaming environment itself isnt large if we were to compare it with modern adventure titles, and the game involves a lot of backtracking returning time and again to areas you have been through.It is complex,but the puzzles are logical with the clues scattered throughout the environment.While some of the puzzles are simple enough its often locating a solution held within a chain that adds to the complexity. For instance. you may have to open several doors and go through several areas before finding a clue or hints as to how to solve a puzzle in the initial room.

Summary

If it’s an adventure you are looking for then this may not be for you however, Rhem 4 is a puzzle lovers Paradise and if you liked the previous games or are a Myst fan, then you will love this. It offers non-linear gameplay, a non violent setting and a shedload of very challenging puzzles old school style.

His growing supernatural powers may be used in various ways. He will eventually become able to control objects and people with mind power, move objects around without touching them. Lucius even has the incredible mind power to dictate weak people into causing destruction and pain.

He was born 6 of June in 1966 and when he had lived his sixth year on earth, he finally started to show signs of his true origin.

The mansion is full of unrevealed mysteries that paint a story behind the family and how it became tangled with evil, but what is already clear is that Lucifer had taken the soul of the boy and replaced it with his own blood.

Lucius Trailer – Death becomes you from Shiver Games.

scheduled for release at the beginning of 2011 in both retail and digital formats

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HAUNTED is a new adventure that stands in line with previous games by the genre specialist Deck 13, who is internationally renowned for successful classics such as “ANKH” and “Jack Keane”. The high quality game will inspire gamers with a harmonious storyline and demanding riddles.

HAUNTED takes the gamer along with the main character Mary, who finds herself all alone on the mysterious streets of London during the 19th Century after her sister’s death. But she soon realizes she is not as lonesome as she thought when she hears her sister’s voice asking her for help. In the course of the game, Mary is also joined by supernatural attendants as ghosts come to support her… – needless to say that the gamer will encounter the typical Deck 13 humor.

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BOOK OF UNWRITTEN TALES, the award-winning Point & Click Adventure has already been released in the first quarter 2009 in Germany, Austria and Switzerland and has received excellent feedback by gaming media and gamers. JoWooD Entertainment will now act as the global distributor and is looking forward to the release of the localized versions of the game. A big emphasis will be put on rendering homage to the great books and movies of the role game and fantasy genre. Therefore JoWooD will hire the best translators and Voice Actors so that the great quality of the animated dialogues is assured. More than 40 characters will wittily interact so that the gamer can solve more than 150 challenging riddles in more than 60 lovingly created settings.

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