Missing: Since January Review

I dare say how many times I was on the verge of using a cheat, but I somehow managed to avoid that filthy temptation. Now why would I need cheats? Because of useless and idiotic mini-games, that's why. I expected a game like this to make my brain hurt, but I never expected a stiff thumb. The puzzles in the game are exceedingly difficult, but they are way easier than the idiotic mini-games. For those of you who believe I'm going a bit too far, pray tell, what in the world does moving a spider through a labyrinth of rotating stone slabs have to do with catching a serial killer. The correct answer to this would be:"Nothing whatsoever!" and I do not even want to know why they chose to put nonsense like that into the game. Now, this spider game was one of the easiest of its kind, only took five minutes of my time, but even that is too much. Some mini-games, however appropriate for an average platformer, are simply not becoming to a mystery adventure like this.

The worst mini-game included several 2D maps of irregular shape with floating skulls on them. In order to complete the mini-game, you have to put a die in its appropriate position by attaching the string it hangs on to the corners of the maps. Now, the longer the string, the wilder the die, and if a skull happens to touch the die or string, you lose energy. The only thing that pissed me off more than this was that stupid PacMan 3D. Fortunately, you can play these mini-games as much as you like, or to be more precise, you have to play them until you complete them, which is more than you like, believe me. (This game gave me a new and unbelievably huge hatred of mini-golf. Play it and you'll understand. - Six) Some of the game became a real nightmare, and I cannot even think about them without going mad, mad, mad. I love a challenge, but Missing: Since January is somewhere between a challenge and punching yourself in the dick just for fun. However many of the mini-games tend to be stupid and irrelevant to the course of the game, the puzzles are their exact opposite; they are mostly intelligent, interesting, logical and witty.

On the other hand, the motivation in the form of the videos sent by Phoenix wanes in time, as they lack dynamics. One can still see the effort put into the development of this title: a bunch of web sites were created for it, some of which look highly authentic (even Phoenix has his own web-site), and dish out tons of relevant and irrelevant data... I do not breed a typical sense of humor, but I was more than delighted by Phoenix's wit - who would ever think that a guy like that belongs to some secret cult, has a fetish about Giordano Bruno, and likes writing Latin gibberish on walls. In one of the puzzles you have to make an insect-like creature help you open a coded lock by feeding it combinations of pills. If you feed the creature the wrong pill it will die - which is not too much of a problem as it is instantly replaced by another insect. At this point the game was slightly getting on my tits, so you can imagine how many little insects ended up pushing up daisies. Once I completed the mission, Phoenix complemented me, saying: "I believe you played a lot with the (blank) pill, didn't you?". (What, you thought I was going to tell you which pill it was? Silly reader.) Things like that really made me love the game for what it is, as it really felt like I was talking to a real killer.

On the other hand, the very end of the game was a huge disappointment. After being dragged into the hunt for the serial killer and search for the journalist in such a realistic manner, you somehow come to expect a lot. Well, at least a nice, spectacular ending that would reward my hours of play and puzzle-solving. However, the game ends abruptly, not even letting you enjoy the fruit of your own labor, leaving a bitter aftertaste.

Another strange feature of the game is the lack of the Save option. The game only has an auto-save feature which keeps track of your progress, which lets you forget about saving the game, but also prevents you from backtracking your steps, which means, you better keep a pen and a piece of paper at hand.

Whatever the case, Missing: Since January is, regardless of all its flaws, a catchy game with an incredible atmosphere, and however it annoyed me at times, I never once thought of quitting - with every step, the past seemed clearer, and the killer closer... the atmosphere is tense and grim, and successfully makes you forget the moronic mini-games. The sound effects are not particularly varied, but they perfectly accompany the game and help improve the general impression. The music is also good and follows the dynamics of the game. The video-clips are more than satisfactory; acting and voice acting are not academy-award material, but they are pretty good. Thanks to the clips, Jack and Karen become living and breathing characters, and the game becomes more than a game.

All the graphics in the game are 2D and pretty simplistic, at times even "cheap", but mostly on the level. The interface is simple and intuitive. Checking the sites and e-mail has been made simple by using the toolbar to switch in and out of game without quitting - a feature you will come to appreciate in time.

It comes down to this... Missing: Since January is something completely different; it is an original, innovative, interesting and witty game with a bunch of highly intelligent puzzles. The gaming market today is definitely not crowded with titles like this (the only exception that comes to mind is Majestic). However, Missing is also an example of how you can ruin a fantastic idea by throwing in tones of irrational and pointless mini-games and occult mumbo-jumbo. This game has a few flaws, but those flaws manage to affect the fabulous atmosphere of ritual murders and ancient cults and scripts. I still recommend it, but only to people with extreme amounts of patience, and the desire to undergo certain amounts of mental suffering. There it goes: a good game, but recommended for masochists only.