Scrapbook 2: The Determined Daughter

Sometimes, tragedy strikes during the most common activities, such as going to the grocery store, or trying to take a shower. Although they are quite rare, there are many cases of accidental deaths or horrific injuries that resulted from day-to-day activities everyone engages in. On top of that, you also have to consider all the domestic violence cases that get out of hand.

Scrapbook 2: The Determined Daughter is a short interactive story in which you witness a quiet dinner between three women. Although you can choose one action instead of the other at one point, it would seem like your input is much less important in the grand scheme of things. However, the goal of the game is to teach you a lesson, not to let you alter the course of the story as you desire.

It all starts with a mother, her daughter and the nanny sitting around the dinner table, making all sorts of small talk. However, it turns out that the nanny has some gruesome plans in store for the family, which begin with the murder of the girl’s mother. Things escalate pretty quickly from there on, and it really makes you think about the people you trust just because they’ve been around you for a long time.

You cannot really participate in the dialog between the characters, but it’s quite a thrill to watch it unfold in front of you. Obviously, the replay value is very low, given the fact that it always ends the same, but it’s worth a try just for the initial impression. As you might have gathered so far, on the other hand, the story is pretty sad, so it’s not a good idea to play the game if you are feeling particularly down.

The graphics are very basic from a technical point of view, and the artwork is not that impressive either. However, the straight lines and the moody environments are quite powerful for some reason, and they do a great job when it comes to setting the atmosphere. On top of that, there’s a beautiful Dresden Dolls track playing in the background, which completes the mood.

Even if Scrapbook 2: The Determined Daughter is a bit too short to deliver a proper shock, it’s still quite powerful, especially if you are a sensitive person. Hence, the game is definitely worthy of a try.