Faces of Illusion: The Twin Phantoms

Faces of Illusion: The Twin Phantoms
Developed by: Moonrise Interactive - January, 2017

Available at:
Big Fish
iWin
GameHouse
Steam



Immerse yourself in the lore of 19th century Paris!

A young journalist witnesses the kidnapping of a theatre star, Beatrice Le Brun. The ambitious girl then undertakes her own investigation. As it turns out, the main suspect is one Charles Delacroix – a world-famous illusionist who mysteriously vanished some time ago.

When the journalist and her young associate – Beatrice’s brother – follow the kidnapper, more and more of the truth about the abduction and a mysterious romance come to light.

Is it all just smoke and mirrors, or true magic and pure evil? What really hides in the underbelly of the Parisian Theatre?

Discover the identity of the kidnapper and thwart his plans before it’s too late!

Features:

• Immerse yourself in the lore of 19th century Paris
  
• Become the detective and solve fascinating riddles
  
• Explore hand-painted locations and look for clues
  
• Overcome challenging hidden object scene
  

Well, okay, this game doesn’t have the glamorous special effects and just over the top gorgeous graphics that I am addicted to. The artists do good things, though, with the video scenes, very realistic motion, even if the glitz is not there.

It also has an old-fashioned feel to it, with HOs more like the classic HO games than the extravaganzas we have now. Although there were a couple of different kinds of scenes, they are the most common ones we encounter. 

But that is all surface stuff. What makes this game such a wonderful surprise is the mindset. The puzzles heavily outweigh the HOPs, and every move you make will require at least some figuring out. Problems are not solved in the usual predictable fashion, where we know immediately what we’ll need to open that door or know exactly what situation will require the tool we just picked up. I was surprised how often I got that dead wrong. 

The puzzles, though nothing new, often had a different presentation to them. And while they took some doing, were all doable. I didn’t skip any in the demo. I can almost never say that about puzzles, because I am hopeless at them. These were not excessively easy, but they didn’t mess with my head either.

Also fun was the helper. No, he is not excessively cute. And he is human, able to talk and walk (very well), and have his own responses to things. He is simply more agile than you.

If you are a player who enjoys something a bit different, or are a fan of the early classics, you might want to check this one out. It is clearly not for everyone, but look behind the visuals, it may just be ‘you’.

Very nice review Justie, thank you!
(Will add info to post #1 when I get home!)

Thanks genki! Easing my way back in.