Return NULL - Episode 1 reviews

A little interactive, very short, but also entertaining Mini-Adventure. The Game resembles an interactive Comic or Visual Novel more than a traditional Adventure game, because as a Player you are offered little Freedom and the Puzzles are not really challenging either. Characters don't move in the Locations, the Dialogues are mostly linear, usable Objects are few and far between, and often they only appear at the Exact moment they can be used. So there's never really a Point to hold on to. Pixel Hunting hardly exists, as most interactive Elements are very generously sized, and even the two short Action sequences are fun and do not interfere with the Flow of the Game, as the action elements in Adventures often have on them. Whether the few real Decisions make a Difference as the story Progresses will not be revealed until later Episodes. So Some Aspects that have already been resented by the Adventure Classics, and yet I can't be nasty to this little Indie title because it clearly wants to put the Emphasis on the Scenario and the Characters, and actually not more Interactivity at all Needs. There is still very little to see of the Story – I had the first Episode through in 40 Minutes and hope that Part 2 and 3 will offer a little more Content. But it is precisely through the rather word-poor Characters and only hinted Backstory that a little tension and Compassion comes up, because you have to imagine a lot of Things yourself. The Dialogues are partly a bit clichéd and bumpy written (I played the German Version), but the Locations are all the more beautiful to watch. I also really liked the Soundtrack, and supported the Mood well. A few smaller Bugs occurred. The animated Speech Bubbles occasionally leave Behind Artifacts, in one Scene the object Descriptions were missing from under the Cursor, and once the Program played two Music tracks at the same time (which could be fixed by a short Detour into the Menu). Technically, however, everything is acceptable. There is certainly room for Improvement, but all in all the first Episode is eager enough to see what the Rest of the Trilogy will tell. It has to be said that despite the very low Price For many, the Duration of the game will probably be at the lower Pain Threshold. No one Will have to expect more than an hour. But if the Story can come up with a few more original Elements and Twists in the future, deepens some of the hitherto only striped Characters, and lets the Player explore more of the beautiful Game world above all else, I consider this little Play to be a Purchase Value.