Adventure Gamers - Forums

5 Days a Stranger

[Firstly a great big thank you to chrissie, who posted the last couple of weeks worth of Freeware Monday scenes with some great choices. Unfortunately for the rest of you it’s back to me this week!]

Well, let’s be honest, it was only a matter of time before this one turned up given the AGS heavy content of this slot. Apologies for the blurry shot, but it didn’t upscale to forum friendly size too well I’m afraid and I was too lazy to try again.

In all probability, if you’ve only heard of or played one AGS freeware game then it’s likely to be this one. Created by Ben “Yahtzee” Crowshaw back in 2003 it is probably the most common game that “got people into” AGS games. First of a series of 4 (together with spin offs) it has gathered many surprisingly loyal fans inside and out of the genre but also garnered a lot of hate, or at least indifference, as well. It’s certainly been discussed on these forums before (I think it was probably an AG scene of the day too) with some pretty varied opinion.

You play as Trilby, a cat burglar who receives a tip off that the large Defoe Mansion stands empty following the death of its occupants. Surely rich pickings for a professional thief! However, while getting into the house is simple enough, getting out again is something else entirely. Trilby finds other “residents” of the house who have also sneaked in and become trapped. Strange things happen, “residents” start to die. Is one of them the killer or is there someone or something else with them in the house?

For me, there are a lot of strong points to the game. There is a real sense of dread and loneliness in the house, the residents dealing with terrible events while being completely cut off from the rest of the world. Whilst there is some blood and gore, the essence of the game is in the suspense and horror and (in my opinion) it is really very well done. Each of the characters are distinct personalities and react to events in their own way, whether to hide, fight or simple bewilderment. There is a real sense of mistrust between the characters and temporary small alliances are sometimes formed and sometimes dashed by events.

It does have flaws - some plot holes are inevitable when you are trying to convincingly keep several people trapped in a house for several days. (…but if they had tied together a couple of bedsheets and the electrical flex they could have made it up the tree and over the wall even if there was a large ditch…) but to be honest they are just nitpicking - and believe me they have been discussed at length in various places over the internet.

There are one or two sort of action sequences, in the Gabriel-and-the-snake-in-the-voodoo-musem sense of the word, but these just involve acting quickly rather than any sort of skill with keyboard or mouse. Interestingly, I have heard the game described as survival-horror, but it really isn’t anything of the kind - traditional adventure all the way with inventory and other puzzles as you would expect.

In summary I really like this game and, although the graphics will be too basic for some, I think it still stands up really well a decade or so on. There is a nice and short little review of the game by a young Mr D. Gilbert esq. on this very site here.

Intense Degree - 07 September 2015 07:14 AM

It’s certainly been discussed on these forums before (I think it was probably an AG scene of the day too) with some pretty varied opinion.

Better: a community playthrough!!!