The Slaughter: Act One Demo

You might have noticed that brilliant doctors and detectives are not usually very happy, and they more often than not behave in a rude manner. Alcohol or drug abuse is common as well, although they always seem to know their trade even when they are intoxicated. Granted, all this is mostly true for fictional characters, which is why there are so many books and movies on the subject.

The Slaughter: Act One is a point and click adventure game that sports a very unusual story, one that does not seem to follow the conventions of the genre. Instead, it’s a thick mixture of noir, humor and mystery, with a sweet layer of Victorian British atmosphere to tie it all together. As long as you are up for a weird ride, this should provide you with a few hours of entertainment.

The story itself puts you in the shoes of a private investigator by the name of Sydney Emerson. He’s not doing very well career-wise, given the fact that his current job is to find a missing dog in the park. On the other hand, things start to change once Sydney stumbles into a gruesome murder scene, and the entire plot starts to oscillate between dream and reality, which makes the whole thing a lot more engaging.

There are two things that seem to define The Slaughter: Act One, namely the writing and the presentation as a whole. The jokes are amusing, the dialog is very well-written, and the characters are superbly outlined to appear either impossibly eccentric or incredibly believable. The surreal intertwines with the real more often than not, and it’s a blast to see Sydney dealing with his delusions.

Lastly, the level design is great as well, even if the game features pixel graphics that do not allow for fancy special effects. However, everything appears to have a purpose in each frame, and even the animations are somehow very expressive. The soundtrack ties everything together, on the other hand, because it greatly adds to the overall atmosphere.

Even if it’s rather short and the puzzles are more than simple, The Slaughter: Act One is still a real accomplishment, especially when it comes to writing and the story in general. Hence, if you are up for a journey to a weird world that might even frighten you a bit, this is certainly one of the best new experiences on the market.