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Casual Friday

I’m not sure, but I think the above screenshot is the only time the three main characters in the game Phantasmat are all shown together at the same time. The game was the second Casual Community Playthrough. It was interesting because the game plays well and ends well on its own. But those who played the bonus material from the game’s collector’s edition had thoughts about the characters that were often quite different that those who only played the standard edition.

If you think Johnstown Flood, you won’t be far off from the game’s setting. After a car wreck you find yourself at a rundown hotel. The three characters are the owner, his assistant and a long-time resident. They present themselves as being survivors of
the flood. But are they? Each has a backstory which you only begin to fully understand as the game nears its conclusion.

The overall atmosphere, the different settings within the overall location, the music and certainly the voice acting all contribute to a very bleak story.

YOu often hear about events such as Hurricane Sandy, or the Oklahoma tornadoes. When interviewed, the residents always talk about how they are going to rebuild. They often do….with results that surpass the original. No such luck here. Whatever the situation was….it was too remote, too poor, or perhaps just too far gone to justify rebuilding. Every scene you visit bears witness to that situation. The above scene is what is left of the “main drag.”

Phantasmat was produced by Polish developer Codeminion. The final screen give us a tantalizing thought, i.e. a sequel.

Well, as far as Codeminion is concerned, that didn’t happen. Phantasmat, released in 2011 was the last game Codeminion ever made. That’s unfortunate for several reasons. One, it was a great game, and is still able to provide enjoyment on replay, despite the number of HO scenes. Two, because Codeminion, alone, seemed to be able to capture the correct mix of characters, ambiance, creepy graphics and everything else that made the game as good as it was.

Three, and this is the biggy. Two other companies, (I’ll not embarrass them by revealing their names,) have attempted to capitalize on the franchise by producing three more games. Each succeedingly worse than the one before. And none approached the excellence of the original.

There was a brief conversation about this on the Casual Games thread. The original game had three characters, plus, of course, you the protagonist. The location was tight. Hotel, town proper, cemetery, underwater portion of town. Subsequent games seemed to operate with the thought “If less is more, then more than more must be even better!” It didn’t work.

Probably true. In the non-casual adventure realm it’s like asking if a new Jane Jensen game can possibly live up to expectations. Or will Syberia III bring the series to a satisfactory conclusion?

Very good game, one of the better casual CPTs, even.

It’s a favorite of mine as well.