What is it?
- An adventure game,
1998,
Windows and Macintosh.
- What computer or emulator will it run on?
- A Pentium or PowerMac.
- Similar Games
- Myst, Blue Ice, Wrath of the Sea King.
What is it?
I think I haven't seen a game that had critics as divided as Zero Critical. And it is not just, as Clint Mullins remarked about Daggerfall, that people either love it or hate it. Of the three reviews I link to below, Tom Houston gave it an A–; Ray Ivey an F; and Steve Ramsey gave it 2.5 out of 5 stars, occupying the middle ground.
Whatever position you take, take into account that this game was essentially the work of one man, Istvan Pely, and that he knows his strengths and limitations well. That the graphics are mostly in shades of gray not only fits the atmosphere well (Fallout fans will love it), it is also an old trick to get more shades out of a limited palette. That there is no night on Rheom I not only makes the artists job easier, it solves the problem of time. The game is divided into four days, but, similar to the Gabriel Knight series, a day is simply over when a certain number of tasks are fulfilled, there are no time limits.
Zero Critical is definitely a short game. You will play it through in one session, the way you watch a movie. You cannot die, you cannot get stuck or make a fatal mistake. On the whole, I liked it. I didn't miss voice acting, the only thing that annoyed me a bit was that you have to walk around a lot, which gets boring after a while. But the atmosphere is intense, the artwork is great, and most of all the story is original and uncommon.
I'm not sure how it got this strange name, Zero Critical; Istvan Pely originally named it Satin Rift, a title that makes a lot more sense and fits the atmosphere of the game far better, but it was changed for publication.
A distant planet where the sun never sets…
A top secret research facility…
A murder…You are Agent Chatt Rhuller of the ITC Special Projects Division and you have just been assigned your very first case: a homicide. A classified experiment is being conducted on Rheom I, and something has gone wrong.
Zero critical is a graphic adventure game, full of intriguing characters and rich dialog, challenging puzzles woven invisibly into the plot, and a fully realized environment. Explore a top-secret research lab, question the scientists, and uncover the secrets which lie beneath a seeminly innocent operation.
Features:
- Gorgeous graphics with highly detailed backgrounds.
- An intuitive, easy-to-use interface.
- 3d modeled, fully-animated characters.
- Digital ambient and incidental sound effects.
- A dark and moody score complements the unfolding mystery.
Perhaps unexpectedly, you will discover that love plays a key role in the story. For me, this was a different twist in the development of a graphic adventure story, and it was quite welcome. I'm not aware of too many games, particularly those based in a sci-fi environment, where mysteries and events evolve around the lives ofstar-crossed lovers.Now I'm not going to suggest that this story rivals Romeo and Juliet or Tristan and Isolde, but…well…you need to judge that for yourself.
What's sadly ironic about Zero Critical is that it is so strong in an area in which so many games fail: story. The story in this game is intriguing, mysterious, violent, and at moments, even visionary and romantic. What more could you ask from a game? Unfortunately, in these sophisticated days, we generally ask for much more, and Zero Critical simply can't deliver.
I read somewhere that Istvan Pely, Zero Critical's designer, said this game wasaimed at the older, casual gamer, who doesn't want to be insulted by poor writing, doesn't want to waste time with lengthy FMV, doesn't want to struggle with irreverent puzzles that exist merely as an excuse for poor gameplay. At least two of those are admirable objectives, and are certainly achieved in the end product.
Istvan Pely is primarily a 3D graphics artist, but he has been creating games (mainly with Macromedia Director) since 1995. Later, he was the main dungeon designer for Oblivion and part of the Fallout 3 team.
