Singularly non-interactive puzzles, a dated engine, and a plodding pace put Rocky Interactive Horror Show on a level below that of its esteemed peers, even the now geriatric Curse of Monkey Island. But as a game, well, it ain't the tiger in 3D shades' meow. Rated on kitsch value, this product would be a clear cut winner. open a locked door or use an object improperly. Still, if there's one thing worth complaining about above all else, it's that the hero(ine) makes a stupid "DUH?" noise whenever you attempt to do something that's currently not possible, i.e.
All characters are strangely silent, but On-line's attempted to cover their tushies in this regard by bribing fans of the film with three new dance tracks, including the ever popular Time Warp and a catchy number called Science Fiction - Double Feature. Seldom will one hear ambient noises, though phones ring, thunder booms, and doors creak when opened. Lackluster and goofy as the visual presentation is, the audio effects are just as off kilter. MIDI, we repeat MIDI (!), music renditions of famous tunes like the Time Warp play whilst bloody kitchens, rooms of paintings that make funny faces, and boudoirs decorated with portraits of musclebound men in Speedos appear on the monitor. Cheesy video clips interrupt the flow at set points, allowing actor Christopher Lee to narrate and offer helpful tips or show creator Richard O'Brien to interject bad advice and show off his fruity guitar moves. A grainy, outdated aesthetic style gives it a campy (read: cheaply made) feel. Yet oddities permeate the Rocky Interactive Horror Show from top to bottom. Be thankful that a walkthrough's packaged with the CD to counteract puzzlement over the title's obscure quirkiness. And while it's mildly amusing to dress a skeleton in a mask, leather suit, and panties so that it triggers a set reaction or have to place KY jelly on a dead man's hands so he'll release a tightly gripped key, players must employ a singular type of logic to surmount the challenges. Thus the 80 built in conundrums aren't especially taxing or deep by design.
Gameplay therefore translates into a series of search and retrieval missions, as Brad or Janet combs the house for important, single use items. Directional movement keys, an action trigger, and an inventory menu are the extent of the interface. So too do the puzzles feel out of place in this day and age. While the publisher should be ashamed to have released such an anachronistic piece of software, the experience nonetheless seems rather compelling from an oldschool gamer's perspective. Meanwhile, a host of goons from the cult flick - including Riff Raff, Frank, and Columbia - stalk the mansion, though a run in with these rejects means nothing but trouble. Minutes vanish from the counter as you wander the corridors, seeking out the various objects that solve each mindbender.
Although it's the year 2000, this title plays like an aged point and click adventure, parading observers through a series of puzzle laden rooms. Just assume the title's a whole lot like Maniac Manson and you'll save your frontal lobe a whole mess o' trouble.įurther comparisons to LucasArts' zany classic are inevitable. Don't try to understand the plot, however.
Survival's important, but not so much so as rescuing the victim from their stony prison within half an hour, lest all parties involved receive a free one way ticket to Transsexual Transylvania courtesy of a house that morphs into a spaceship when the clock runs out. Depending on which member of the pair is chosen, the goal is to rescue the other character, who's been turned into stone by the Medusa machine. Sticking to the movie's script, players assume the role of either Brad or Janet, two helpless bystanders that wind up hopelessly enmeshed in a freakish baddy's nefarious schemes.