An English Haunting

An English Haunting is the perfect title for this classic-style adventure game. Two distinct aspects lie at its heart: the haunting of ghosts, and the even more insidious haunting of curiosities and obsessions. The developer, Postmodern Adventures, has conceived other well-received adventure games, such as Nightmare Frames. Their latest offering continues that winning streak. 

This frightening tale begins in London in 1907. During a lecture, the protagonist – Professor Patrick Moore – learns that his university will no longer support his passion for finding proof of the existence of ghosts and the afterlife. Compounding matters, his missing colleague, Professor Ward, is accused of stealing money from the university. Moore has seventy-two hours to prove that ghosts exist and learn the truth behind Ward’s actions, or both will face dire consequences.

Fortunately, Moore will have help to accomplish his monumental tasks, which ultimately touch on themes that are sinister and heart-rending. Assistance will arrive from two sources – the medium Beatrice Shaw and Sir Arthur Conan Doyle. Like Professor Moore, Arthur Conan Doyle is a particularly intriguing character. He seems to be a perfect blend of his two fictional creations – Sherlock Holmes and Dr. John Watson.

The team behind this suspense-filled adventure knows how to use pixel art to draw players into the game world. The university interiors feature crimson, panel-like wallpaper and Victorian furniture. Over the course of events, Professor Moore finds himself in Scotland. The Scottish Highlands are rendered in grassy greens with violet skies, including ancient druidic stones and foggy forestland. Each of the locations has relevant sound and music: for instance, raucous tunes for the pub and sedate classical melodies for the university. I was so entranced by the lovely Highlands that I found it appealing that the soundscape initially included only wind, water and bird calls, but no background music.

Scotland also hosts an especially intriguing puzzle where I was able to incapacitate an annoying character using an amusing item. The game's conundrums are well-conceived, logical and make sense within the context of the story, but don’t overly tax the player.

A point-and-click interface ties all these well-crafted elements together in an interactive bow. Pressing the F1 key explains how the interface functions. The player controls Professor Moore by left-clicking on an area of interest, which compels him to walk there. If you move the mouse over a hotspot, its name appears on the bottom of the screen. Clicking on a character activates a list of questions, starting a conversation that helps Moore learn more about his tasks and his environment (the characters are not voiced).

Along the way, Moore will pick up many objects and store them in his inventory. The player examines objects by left-clicking on an item and moving it to the eye in the upper-right corner of the screen. The eye provides a detailed description of the object and how it may be put to use. The game uses helpful shortcuts for saving and loading, though pressing the Escape key saves and loads the old-fashioned way, allowing you to store progress and name the file. This game would benefit from a task list and hotspot indicator; however, other elements are so well-executed that it is easy to overlook their omission.

An English Haunting features a fascinating, dark narrative that builds to an exciting, memorable finale, leaving an opening for a possible sequel. Its lack of voice acting does not prevent it from standing among the classics of the adventure genre. 

The Good

• Effective narrative with a suspenseful ending
• Engaging pixel art locations
• Appropriate music and puzzles that suit events as they unfold
• Classic point-and-click interface

The Bad

• Lack of voice-overs
• No hotspot indicator or task list

Our Verdict

Excellent

A superb game that excels in just about every area, held back only by one or two notable flaws or a collection of smaller ones that prevent the game from earning full marks.

An English Haunting is a memorable experience, revealing an intricate, gripping story, elaborate and varied locations, plus stimulating puzzles that are not mind-bogglingly difficult.