The Black Mirror

Due to the fact that their gameplay is not exactly fast-paced and does not allow for any quick actions, point-and-click adventure games rely on different elements in order to captivate the players. Most of the time, this is achieved through a unique atmosphere, engaging level design and a well-constructed storyline to explain the events and give the incentive required to keep on playing.

The Black Mirror blends all of these elements into a single package and delivers a one-of-a-kind experience, centered around a dark, yet intriguing story that revolves around a mysterious manor and a string of strange deaths. Thus, you play as Samuel Gordon, who becomes increasingly interested in these deaths, as it becomes clearer and clearer that they are not just unfortunate accidents.

A rich back story explains many many other things as well, whether through dialog with various other characters you meet throughout the game, or by reading journals and books you find in your journey. Toward the end, the game descends into slightly more occult matters and it even involves a bit of black magic as well, coupled with disturbed rituals, pentagrams and the powerful forces of darkness.

Like most adventure games, your purpose is to get to the bottom of the mystery, by traveling where the clues lead you and solving a variety of challenging puzzles along the way. To do this, you use basic point-and-click mechanics and examine the world around you, as well as combine items and use them to advance the plot. Sometimes, these riddles are more than challenging, although they do not require anything more than logic in order to be solved.

As far as the technical aspect is concerned, the graphics are mostly hand drawn, which makes for quite detailed backgrounds and landscapes. The characters could have used a bit more work when it comes to animation, however, but they are not that bad either way. Sound-wise, the game truly shines, especially thanks to the ambient noises, whether it's rain, wind, or the dialogue echoes in a large hall.

The Black Mirror definitely deserves a shot, since it has all the right elements working for it and it should appeal even to the most hardcore fans. Thus, if you don't mind reading extensive journals, solve creative puzzles and go through endless dialogue scenes, this title is worth the few design mistakes.