Clowns get a little bit of a nasty rap. What number of instances have we seen a clown looking victims by way of corridors in a survival horror recreation? Or showing in a movie, smiling away in make-up, full with a knife and a scary chuckle? So the identify Vlad Circus: Descend Into Insanity doesn’t come as a shock. However there may be rather more to this retro level and clicker than meets the attention.
I’m fairly positive that the sheer variety of ‘retro’ factors and clickers on the Xbox would have surpassed the precise ones created again within the Nineteen Nineties. But that does imply the standard and storylines are most likely stronger than ever.
With Vlad Circus: Descend Into Insanity you play the position of a clown who’s down on his luck. Oliver Mills, or his clown identify – Lazy Ollie – has been launched from a psychological well being establishment. In his earlier job on the well-known Vlad Circus, there was a horrible tragedy leading to a hearth and the destruction of the circus. Set within the Nineteen Twenties we see Ollie getting an invitation from the unique wealthy proprietor, inviting him to a reunion together with all of the surviving members. Ollie units off, however issues aren’t fairly what they appear.
The writing and setup are extraordinarily good, taking part in out over an extended night time on the mansion as you meet up with outdated members of the circus and attempt to keep sane. It had me hooked from begin to end with its unusual story, amazingly bizarre characters and curious plot line. Some would possibly discover the story to be unusual, however for me, it was a dream expertise that could possibly be loved.
The gameplay is so simple as you would possibly count on from video games of this ilk, however fulfilling and all working nice, as you work together with the environments and the rooms you enter. To start with, it’d appear to be a bit complicated as you’re in semi-darkness and making an attempt to work out easy methods to transfer and play the sport. However quickly you get into the rhythm of Vlad Circus: Descend Into Insanity. When you get entangled within the quests on supply, it does sink its enamel into you.
The puzzles and the quests themselves are a great wholesome bunch of issues, as you absorb a 4 to 5 hour operating time. However all through you’ll need to regulate your stress bar which threatens to replenish, taking a knock to Ollie’s psychological wellbeing. To beat this worry you should use prayer beads to destress. There are small parts of fight available too, however these aren’t essentially the most profitable a part of the sport; they only don’t really feel proper. There’s additionally – as in most point-and-click adventures – lots of backtracking between rooms available, which is all the time a little bit of a ache.
All that mentioned, Vlad Circus: Descend Into Insanity is without doubt one of the finest examples of a pixel artwork recreation. There are some good lighting results, nice character design, and a shocking color palette on present. It has an actual sense of environment, constructing as you progress by way of the spooky mansion and attempt to uncover the reality behind issues.
The small variety of cutscenes on supply are additionally superbly offered and designed; they’d not really feel misplaced in a high-end comedian guide. The sound that goes with all that is minimal, however what happens is efficient and enthralling.
From the second the primary cutscene arrives, you recognize you’ll be in for a little bit of a golden time with Vlad Circus: Descend Into Insanity. Probably the greatest examples of the style, with its compelling and unique story, pixel artwork visuals, and nice puzzles, that is one try to be taking part in. Maybe the backtracking is annoying, however that’s arduous to keep away from in some extent and clicker, and I may personally have completed with out the survival and fight mechanics. On the entire although, this can be a recreation that excels.
Seeing Lazy Ollie’s development into insanity hasn’t lessened the stigma of clowns, however possibly it has made me slightly extra sympathetic.
