The game's weaknesses begin with the look of the game. One of the first things that strikes you is the graphics, or really the bare-bones look of them. Now, graphics alone don't make or break any given game, but the limited look can't go unmentioned. There is a grainy, blocky appearance to the backgrounds and environments, with details and customary subtleties noticeably lacking. An unfortunate side effect of the higher quality character modeling is the sharp contrast they create with the lower end environments. This pulls you out of the game, detracting from the immersive story and gameplay. The fuzzy graphics also impact some challenges in the game, many of which are organic to the game environments and involve careful manipulation of inventory or other items at close range. The visuals don't sharpen up much in close ups, and this can make it difficult to spot interactive spots or clues to the solution. Certainly graphics are a budget hungry area of game development and independently financed games frequently have to cut corners close in this area. But given the negative impact on immersion and the functionality of the gameplay, it is an area that needs some re-thinking for future projects.

The gameplay itself is a mixed bag, as it is logical in some ways, poorly clued in others. The game has a definite non-linear environment, as you can walk anywhere and talk to people or go places when it suits. However, a player can also feel lost or stuck without solid gameplay nudges along the way. In Shady Brook, most of these "what's next" clues are provided by an in-game to do list. While this notebook works fairly well, listing tasks for the day as they arise, they can be completed out of order and the information isn't detailed, providing only a vague reference of needing to talk to person about a topic. This leads to the other set of triggers that arise through key dialogues. Many of these critical game-advancing exchanges are triggered only after a set point of gameplay milestones are reached in a given level. This is not unusual in a game, but it is not apparent from the plot whether the person has more to say and needs to be revisited, or if they are simply done. This can lead to a great deal of unnecessary backtracking and walking around doing everything you can think of to find out why the game has stopped moving along. A small design change in the notebook or verbal hints from the main character could have easily clued the gamer in that specific NPCs had more to say, but wouldn't talk until you'd completed other items on your task list.

Besides serving as a built-in hint system, the task list serves another purpose as well. In another nod to classic gaming, the designer added a point system to track the player's progress and completion of all possible tasks and interactions. Although maximum point achievement isn't a requisite for beating the game, for those who like an added challenge, it's in there.

The in-game challenges themselves are well represented, without a maze or "push the key through the lock" in the mix. A few are quite well done, with clever designs and solutions. There are inventory application puzzles, standalone locked boxes and safes, and dialogue or character driven conundrums, among others. Despite some problems associated with graphical details, they are perplexing enough to be engaging without pushing the gamer into frustration. It should be noted that there a few "action" events included in the gameplay. However, the so-called action is fairly easy, and either generously timed or off the clock altogether. The type of challenges range from throwing a few well-aimed punches to playing a game against another character. To suit personal preference, the designer has provided an option to play the game in adventure or action mode. Having played both ways, I would recommend the latter. If you choose the adventure setting, these challenges are beaten automatically and the resulting reward added to your inventory, with nothing more than an abrupt visual skip forward. So while the option is there, I would urge you to give it a pass and play the full game. No reason to miss any part of this story by taking short cuts.

This brings up one of the best design add-ins of the game. The game cinematics include a hidden feature that gamers typically love: easter eggs, and tons of them. Although they require careful hunting — meaning, move that mouse around and let the random clicking begin — they aren't totally obscure. Most are character-based, so never assume you have heard the last word from anyone. Triggering one is always good fun, and most are full outtakes, including references to Lifestream, choreographed outbursts or well-placed cultural references. It is one of the areas where the game excels and it's a charming addition. It also makes a replay of the game more than a point-maximizing formality.

This game does have its flaws, leaving definite room for improvement in future projects. It certainly isn't going to be known for its eye-candy graphics or amazing cinematics, and the gameplay has some rough edges that may require a hint or two along the way. Despite these caveats, the atmospheric story, engaging characters, smart use of classic game features, and clever extras make the game worthy of a long look, particularly at its very reasonable purchase price. Offered only on DVD, the game is available directly from the Unimatrix online store. Assuming you didn't actually book a room at the motel and remembered to keep that engine running, a stopover in Shady Brook may suit you just fine.