Lifestream Review

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Lifestream

Review by TogerOctober 2004

Have you ever wished that you could change your life in a dramatic fashion? Not just a better-paying job or painting the kitchen a brighter color, but truly live your heart’s desire? Be careful what you wish for, because it might come true …

Father Randolph Holton, a local parish priest, feels that he’s lost his faith. His liturgies have fallen flat, and he’s found it necessary to seek out the help of one of the newer priests to put some “oomph” back into his service. One day during the daily confessional, a mysterious man confesses that he thinks his life is in danger. Before Father Randolph can learn more, the man drops a post office box key and runs out of the church.

Once he’s retrieved the package, Randolph learns of the Lifestream.  A parallel existence to the “real” world, the Lifestream allows you to live your heart’s desire. Randolph is at once consumed by a hunger to find out more and, later, by the temptation of actually living in the Lifestream even though he knows that once inside he may not be able to return.

Then Father Randolph disappears. No one hears from him for weeks.  His son, John, is worried about his father’s inexplicable disappearance, yet he cannot tell anyone of his concerns as it would ruin Randolph’s reputation. So John elects to uncover the mystery on his own.

So begins Lifestream, a new game from independent developer Christopher M. Brendel. If the name sounds familiar, it’s because Brendel also created the music for The Arrangement.

Lifestream is similar to most first-person perspective games—completely mouse-controlled point-and-click—yet a little different. Instead of each prerendered, node-based scene popping into view as you turn in a cardinal direction, most scene changes are accomplished via a transitioning process that gives the appearance of actual movement. The transitions are quite smooth and in one instance made me a tad dizzy. Graphically, the transitions were, um … We’ll talk more about that later.

Gameplay is the standard left-click to interact with objects and people or for movement from one room to the next. Movement is indicated by a small arrow (it’s really a half-diamond shape), while interactive objects will display a stylized eye icon and talking to people will give you little orange lips. Items are accessed via the inventory bar at the top of the screen, and saving/loading is called up by hitting the Esc key.

Clicking on objects will treat you to either a description of said object or a verbal clue indicating there’s more to that item than meets the eye. Repeatedly clicking on several objects will reward you with some of the wackiest Easter eggs ever seen or heard. My favorite was the rope and bucket sequence, while the one in the organ vestry was hilarious in a rather disturbing and disco-ey psychedelic way. (There are just no words to really describe the scene, it has to be experienced to be believed. Even then, it’s indescribable.) Trust me when I say the Easter eggs, alone, are worth the price of admission.

The story’s presentation is excellent. Each chapter—there are ten plus an epilogue and prologue—alternates between Randolph and John’s perspective. As John uncovers more of the mystery, he’s sometimes able to see the torment that Randolph suffers as he searches for the Lifestream.

Lifestream’s puzzles are varied and plentiful. Conundrums range from inventory-based, like using a key to open a music box, to standalone puzzles such as figuring out how to preheat the oven by adding and subtracting six numbers to get the desired temperature. There are also two mazes (eek!), two timed puzzles and the ever-popular slider. (So don’t say you weren’t warned.) None of the puzzles are particularly difficult—as long as you can see the item in question.

I’ll admit that I wasn’t pleased with the water valve puzzle.  There were just too many possible permutations of which valve(s) should be in what position(s). To my way of thinking, it all boiled down to endless fiddling and blind luck to figure out the correct combination. I’m not a huge fan of “dumb luck” for the answers to a puzzle. Logic? Definitely. Hints hidden in a locked drawer? I’m all for it. Luck simply frustrates me.

In playing Lifestream, I ran into a few technical glitches: two puzzles wouldn’t complete when I’d done everything correctly and one I was able to skip right through. A quick reload of a prior save set things to rights. There were also a couple of instances where finding the object of my desire was obscured either by the darkness of the scene itself (the trigger to a secret cubbyhole) or the item not graphically standing out (the crowbar).

Remember the aforementioned screen transitions? Well, let’s be blunt here—they were not the prettiest I’ve ever seen as there were lots of bleed-overs from other scenes, including the opening logo—however, it was great to see the effort in not only a first-person game but a first attempt at producing a game.  It helped tremendously in keeping me “grounded” so that I always knew which direction I was facing as the scenes changed, including during a dizzying maze!

For an independently produced game, Lifestream’s graphics are quite pretty. Most objects have a real-life quality about them. I especially liked the character models’ ability to show expression—from Father Randolph’s surprised look when asked if he had any children to the librarian’s smirky eyebrow wiggle when he enigmatically answered a simple question. The models do suffer from a strange affliction that causes them to stand stiffly and their hands to display a stiff-fingered, doll-like position.

Background music for Lifestream is incredible. The orchestrations evoke feelings of melancholy, mystery, danger and sometimes inner peace. I particularly liked the music used for Father Grandl’s room—it was reminiscent of The Exorcist. I’d like to have a CD of just the music tracks used for the game.

Ambient sounds include something not usually heard in a first-person game—the footsteps of your character as he walks over various surfaces. Sometimes, the footsteps are a little faster-paced than the transitions lead you to believe, but you hear them nonetheless.

Once again, the inimitable John Bell shows off his vocal chops and voices almost all of the male characters in Lifestream.  The supporting actors handle their jobs just as well. The synching of the character models’ expressions and lips to the voice work was very well done.

At first, I wasn’t enamored of the voice used for Holton the Younger. He had such a whiny, world-weary, why-is-this-happening-to-me type of voice; however, as I played through the game, I changed my mind about him. His father is a priest, so he’s spent his entire life “hiding in the shadows.” Now that his father has disappeared and he seems to be the only real family that his father has, Holton’s suddenly got the weight of the world on his shoulders as he attempts to unravel the mystery of Randolph’s disappearance.  So I suppose a little whining is due.

Ultimately, it all boils down to this: Lifestream is a fun little jaunt. It isn’t the world’s longest game—about eight to ten hours—but it’s enjoyable nonetheless; and although I wasn’t surprised by the ending, I did find it infinitely satisfying, much more so than the last couple of games I’ve played. Its story made me want to find out more about Randolph’s search, the puzzles kept me entertained and the hunt for Easter eggs had me clicking like a madwoman.

So now it’s simply a matter of your taking my hand and stepping into the Lifestream to live your life’s desires … The End

The Verdict

The Lowdown

Developer: Unimatrix Productions Publisher: Unimatrix Productions Release Date: October 2004

Available for: Windows

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Screenshots

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System Requirements

Pentium 733 MHz Windows 95/98/2000/ME/XP 64 MB RAM 700 MB free hard disk space 640×480 resolution 24-bit Color display 4x or faster CD-ROM drive Windows-compatible sound card and mouse

Where to Find It

Unimatrix $14.95

Prices/links current as of 10/22/04Links provided for informational purposes only.  FFC makes no warranty with regard to any transaction entered into by any party(ies).

      Copyright © Electric Eye Productions.  All rights reserved.  No reproduction in whole or in part without express written permission.

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14 Responses to Fear Factor

  • Fear Factor | Tap-Repeatedly.com | Reality Topics Blog

    […] nobody@flickr.com (graftedno1) wrote a very interesting post today.   Here’s a quick excerpt:My greatest fear is to be trapped alone in a confined space with a blind human, in total darkness. They have a heightened sense of smell and hearing, and. […]

  • Matt "Steerpike" Sakey

    Lewis, you made me think of the scariest moments I’ve experienced in gaming, and we’re very similar people.

    Bioshock had two moments – the dentist and the flooded room filled with mannequins.

    Thief had Return to the Cathedral, which was terrifying to me. Thief 3 had Shalebridge Cradle, which is so scary it ought to be fined.

    System Shock 2 kept me on the edge of my seat, but it was more lonely panic than true fear.

    Korsakovia was so scary that I uninstalled it.

    And STALKER. Oh, god, the haunted labs in STALKER. The latter two games don’t have scares like that. Few games do.

    It’s especially rare for a game to have more than mere “moments” – for a game to be scary from beginning to end, that’s a triumph.

    Wonderful article. As if Gregg’s review wasn’t enough to convince me that Penumbra is not something I have the courage to play!

  • DPenn

    I’m with you Lewis … I’m a bit of a puss. I just have a hard time wrapping my head around the idea of dread as entertainment.

    Still, I’m drawn to dark stories when they have something interesting to say, whether it’s a game like Thief or a film like, say, Gaspar Noe’s Irreversible. So I’ll push through, sometimes peering through my fingers.

    The trouble with games, though, is that if you look through your fingers, you’re probably just going to have to play through the scenario again. :~)

  • Mike "Scout" Gust

    I wanted to play this game. I downloaded the demo but the controls were just too wonky for me to get my head around. I liked the atmospheric vibe a lot. I think I’m a bit desensitized from an overdose of horror movies in my youth so I don’t so much get the dread thing from these games as a nice creepy vibration. If only the controls were better…

  • Lewis B

    @ Mike, what’s wrong with the controls bud? As someone who despises poor control schemes, Penumbra’s is just like any other FPS, except to examine things you right click on them.  To use things you left click.  I’m not sure that can be considered difficult 🙂

  • Gregg B

    @Steerpike: Yeah my greatest shit-scared moments were with those games too. A few spoilers below people, so beware.

    Bioshock – Haha, I remember the dentist. I didn’t really find the game that scary overall but the bit where you go into the wine cellar and notice a mannequin facing the wall and after upgrading your weapon it’s stood directly behind you motionless and quiet just for a moment before attacking you. I shat a brick. I also missed that bit originally until Lew told me about it.

    System Shock 2 – same as you really, more unremitting tension all the way through rather than specific terrifying moments. Oh actually, theres a bit where you call a lift and it breaks then you realise a service droid is coming to fix it… I do remember having sleep issues after my first encounter with the cyborg ninjas though.

    Thief: The Dark Project – The Sword and Return to the Cathedral and Down in the Bonehoard and well, loads of them. The Sword made me break out into goosebumps though because there was a bit where you could hear this creepy giggling which seemed like it was following me about then it suddenly changed to this horrible throaty noise. What made matters worse was that the EAX (bless you Creative) made my foot steps sound like somebody else was there with me. That level was incredible, a bit too incredible as it seems I missed great chunks of it because I was so eager to leave.

    Thief II: The Metal Age – Trail of Blood where you end up in that opening with those damn tree beasts. God the first time I saw one of those hurtling towards me I actually died shortly afterward. Do you remember that Mechanist child walking around on one of the levels? That was a little creepy.

    Then there’s Penumbra: Overture – quite a few bits but I’m not mentioning them here.

    Oh and S.T.A.L.K.E.R. – The brain scorcher lab just because it was so damn quiet. My imagination seriously got the better of me there. Those stuffed animals and heads I’d seen in various buildings led me to believe that those creatures were lurking somewhere in the Zone, specifically that lab.

    @Mike: My control setup was perfect after some tweaking (as well as the simple weapon swing fix). If you ever fancy giving it another go, give me a shout and I’ll let you know my setup.

  • Lewis B

    I’m not sure why guys, but one of my starting paragraphs had gone missing, even though I copied it straight from the original source, and It was fine earlier. 

    Incase you missed it due to some technical issue you might want to re-read just after “Well no she wouldn’t in truth, but in Penumbra: Overture you don’t want to move anyway.” at the very start for those who’ve already read the article. Apologies 🙂

  • Mike "Scout" Gust

    Lewis, it was the weapon swing. It had this terrible, unresponsive feel to it, like trying to hit through molasses. I couldn’t stand using it. I tried the .ini fix as mentioned in the review but it didn’t seem to help. Of course this was the demo…but that shouldn’t have made any difference. I might try the second game instead as I guess they did away with the weapons thing.

    I’m see your first paragraph just fine. It’s the dialogue, right?

  • jdeuel

    I like the argument that weapons can remove fear, but even loaded to the teeth with ammo in AVP’99 the Marine missions were frightful because the enemy was anywhere at any time.

    As for Penumbra Overture, if the controls are anything like the original Penumbra they need to hack in some Wii-Remote 3d controls. I did not like using my mouse for 3d movements.

  • Gregg B

    @Mike: I’ve read that many people avoided conflict altogether in Overture which incidentally is something forced upon you in Black Plague. As somebody who has been renovating a house over the last 6 months with no DIY experience I can safely say that swinging a hammer is significantly easier in real life than it is in Overture without the fix. The fix balanced that for me.

    I’d highly recommend completing the first Penumbra because it’s one big build up to Black Plague which spoils the ending to Overture in the intro. And it’s a great ending too. Just so you know!

  • Lewis B

    @ Steerpike, those moments you mention are all my worst too!!  Do you remember the Robot labs in SS2? Absolutely terrifying, waiting for robots to burst out on you! 🙁 oh and have you ever player Condemned?

    @ Mike, The use of weapons in Penumbra is different to say HL2, where the player is physically holding the weapon, as in Penumbra it floats slightly infront of you.  However, if you change the control method to normal weapon swing, it’s no different!  Speak to Greggi and he’ll tell you what to do 🙂

    @ jdeuel, AVP the original and its sequal were scary however what type of fear do you think it is? I don’t think it’s anything more than sheer tension.  Having a Smart Gun makes you feel incredibly powerful.  I can honestly say in Penumbra the fear is sheer unrivalled terror, where you actually have to force yourself to play on.  It genuinly is that scary! 🙂

  • Jason Dobry

    It’s so true, an arsenal of weapons and ammo rapidly deflates any sense of horror or uneasiness in any game for reasons you already mentioned. Sakey, I thought Bioshock was more “lonely panic,” while I was pretty much always terrified in System Shock 2. I really, really, REALLY did not want to enter The Many’s nursery, and my weapons were so unreliable and ammo so scarce that I never felt safe.

    Silent Hill was terrifying for the same reasons. Ammo was rare and I frequently had to rely on my pipe for self-defense.  Even when I had ammo, the game mechanics prevented my character from being anything other than marginal with any firearm.

    Fear had one moment for me: I was climbing up a ladder, and as I reached the upper platform, my guy briefly looked down as he climbed off. As my perspective looked up again, that Ring-esque little girl was RIGHT THERE, reaching for me. I screamed and she was gone.

    What else…the original Aliens vs. Predator sent me into a locker room and I could only hear the facehuggers scurrying about somewhere within. I had to go in there. I advanced about three steps before the damn thing screamed and filled up my screen with its repulsive underside as it implanted me with its spawn. My roommate made fun of me for weeks for screaming like a girl child.

    Korsakovia–meh.  I was too annoyed and frustrated by the box rearrangement/jumping puzzles to be scared. I uninstalled it after an hour of play, I think. Maybe the scary parts were later, but I doubt it.

    As for Penumbra, I did play through about half of it before other games distracted me. I remember unease and creepiness, but no sweaty fear. I think I’m to blame here, or, more precisely, my daughter, who was still an infant at the time and generally allowed me only to play during the day for 45 minutes at a time. I was denied total immersion and the fear effect suffered. Maybe I should give it another go after I finish Call of Pripyat since she sleeps through the night now. With any luck, Penumbra will keep me from doing the same.

  • Gregg B

    I played the demo of F.E.A.R. but that ladder scare is the only bit I remember. Christ, that made me jump. I’m not too good with cat scares.

    Also I felt exactly the same about Korsakovia. It was creepy at first but then it began to irritate me far too much and it just soured the experience. I stopped playing as a result. Not to mention, when I realised I could bash those smoke-things with my crowbar they didn’t bother me nearly as much.

  • Online Up

    Great article. I look forward to reading more in the future.

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