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archived preview: Still Life hands-on
Remember the last time you were totally excited about a game? You soaked up every bit of news, loved all the screen shots, and said, “Oh man, this is going to be great!” Then you got it in your hands, whipped it onto your hard drive, and started it up. What a rush when it proves to be everything you hoped for. Returning to our opening crime scene, Victoria searches for anything that might lead to the killer. Unfortunately, tonight the trail is cold, and to make matters worse, the crime scene itself seems determined to fight back. What a night. With that disappointment, Victoria makes her way to her former childhood home and is reminded of an old trunk in the attic that belonged to her long dead grandfather. Motivated by nostalgia, she makes her way there, and after a small bit of puzzling, manages to get it open. Get ready for a deliciously creepy change of pace, mood and scenery. The case file notes that Victoria finds inside that old, forgotten trunk serve as the initial transition from the present to the past. Welcome to Prague of the 1930s. The music now takes on a dark carnival tone. There are strange, shuddering breaths that slide in and out around ominous accordion music, intermixed with strained electronic notes that skitter around your ears. It’s both erotic and unnerving, and as you look down on a surrealistic, sepia-toned riverside scene, you know you’re definitely far removed from the gritty streets of Chicago. We meet up with Gus McPherson at the side of a sodden corpse tossed underneath an old bridge like so much garbage. There is also a token police presence in the figure of one Inspector Skalnic. These are not the lovely vistas of the Charles Bridge or charming castles; this is the nasty little underbelly of life. Here there are prostitutes, criminals, jaded police, and murky waters alongside burned-out buildings. Perfect hunting grounds for one who preys on those that no one cares about or even remembers. Gus has a heart, though, and it is taken by the very charming Ida, a dance hall girl, whose friends are the prostitutes and cabaret girls of this end of town. He also has his own friends—among them one Kamiser Stasek, a pretty decent policeman and fellow, even if a bit on the corrupt side. Throw in all the shady sorts he meets along the way, and you have another layer added to the engaging blend of mood, story and atmosphere that is Still Life. I do have to make special note of one of the best characters in this game. In fact, he is one of more memorable I have encountered in quite some time. Nameless at this point, I think of him as ‘The Coachman.’ Sitting up in the rafters of the wreckage of a church, surrounded by ravens and cloaked in old clothes, he is mesmerizing. Just the sound of his voice sent a slight shiver down my back. I certainly hope that he has no real life counterpart, but I sure love his role in the game. So begins a tale that stretches from the streets and sewers of Prague to modern day Chicago and back again, weaving in and out towards what has to be an intense conclusion.
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