Review: Decay - Part 3

See the trailer and our review of Part 1 & 2.

Decay - Part 3 does a good job of continuing this stunningly creepy point-and-click adventure series. It's been a long time since I've been so tense and jumpy when playing a video game. The creepy atmosphere, ambient music and well-placed scripted moments are a testament to the great design Shining Gate employs.



The story continues to take shape in the third chapter. Players find out just why main character, Jim, is in this limbo-esque world (and what the world actually is) and what the deal is with the creepy dolls that seem to pop up out of the blue offering help.

The story is mature, and although there are only a few lines of dialogue in it, it's still more intriguing than most and keeps players rushing towards the end of this roughly one-hour adventure.

The gameplay is nothing fans of the older titles or point-and-click adventures aren't familiar with. Searching the creepy apartment halls, finding objects, combining objects and solving sometimes brain-busting puzzles are all part of the experience. Part 3 does do a good job of breaking up the pace with two games of skill: one where players guide a marble through a maze, and another where a doll needs to be reconstructed.

It's also worth pointing out that Part 3 isn't nearly as hard as its prequel. Thankfully there are no puzzles to match the frustration of that darn piano one, but it's enough of a challenge to keep players from boredom.



Old areas are revisited in Part 3, but because it all makes sense in terms of the story's progression, it doesn't ever feel like you're getting a recycled game.

The game's ending reveals that this is not the end of the series. Another part to the mysterious story is inevitable, and I can't wait to get my hands on it.



Part 3 offers extras to unlock by beating the main adventure. This time, the extras consist of more in-depth story bits. This is a little different from the soundtrack players received before, and not as cool.

I don't feel cheated, and it's certainly nice to have these story revelations, but I would have rather had them worked into the game to flesh out the scenario a bit more and received something else (perhaps concept art). 

Aside from that pet peeve (and a minor spelling error in the extras) Decay - Part 3 is a great title and a perfect continuation of the series. If you're a fan of point-and-click adventures or scary games, then this should be in your download queue.