The City of Lost Children Review

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The City of Lost Children

Review by Old RoosterAugust 2002

Let me start this dual review by expressing sincere thanks to Alan McDonald of Playing Games Interactive. After my successfully answering a forum trivia question, Alan offered this writer not only a copy of the COLC game but also, as importantly, a copy of the 1995 film release. As he suggested, the game is interwoven with and, in most respects, dependent upon the film for best understanding and appreciation. With the wife away, and no distractions, I was able to have a wonderful, immersive, completely involving eight-hour experience last Saturday by first watching the film and then playing the game. This total package comes highly recommended to select and peculiar readers (you know who you are).

“Who Stole the Child’s Dream?”

The City of Lost Children, the film, is by the famous French directorial team of Caro and Jeunet (also responsible for Delicatessen in 1991). The setting is bizarre and dark (literally), reminding me of the world of Septerra Core gone bad. A fiend named Krank is using Borg-like Cyclops (with acute hearing in one eye) to find and steal small children. In Krank’s quest to add depth and humanity to his soul, he’s set up a primitive machine to transfer the dreams and purity of children into his twisted brain (think The Cell). This isn’t always successful, and the odious Krank is continuously frustrated and angry. Accompanying him in his lab/residence (like an oil rig) are seven cloned adults (who provide some comic relief), a brain that lives in a tank, poisonous mechanical insects, and a dwarf princess. None of them, including Krank, is complete or psychologically whole. Finally, an Oliver Twistian approach is added with the use of tyrannical, Fagan-like Siamese twin sisters controlling and ordering orphaned and captured children to steal for the cause.

Into this grotesque quagmire enters One, a mentally lightweight circus strongman who has lost his little brother to the Cyclops, and Miette, a precocious 10-year-old who escapes the Sisters and joins One to rescue his brother and other children. There are other characters and twists, especially toward the end, which I won’t reveal for the sake of not spoiling the experience. The game, released two years later, employs the dark framework of the film, in a “slice of life” (or nonlife!) fashion.

“Find the Child Where He Is—In His Dream”

Not being a film reviewer, let me just try to give an overview impression of this artistic work. First of all, it’s French, which, in and of itself, often suggests a European cinematic style not typically found in U.S. productions. COLC is enigmatic, existential, brooding, dark, frightening, thought-provoking. Essentially, it’s a Frankenstein story, yet it doesn’t take itself too seriously, with humor interspersed throughout. The bossy Siamese twin sisters, for example, smoke by having one inhale and the other exhale.  Indeed, the film ends with a loud burp from One’s lost little brother. No children die, at least on screen, and violence is minimal. Still, the visions are nightmarish and contrast sharply with the innocent dreams of the children. Cinematography and sets are outstanding; acting is excellent, especially from Krank and Miette; the musical score is haunting; the storyline initially seems disjointed, but it comes together at the end. All in all, if this seems your kind of movie, and you’re in the right mood, the experience is compelling, dark, unforgettable. Definitely a gold-star film, from my admittedly rather twisted perspective.

“C’mon, C’mon Little Boy; I’m Not Doing You Any Harm!”

The City of Lost Children, the game, released for PC (reviewed here) and Playstation, serves to complement the film. Employing 17 characters in 36 locations, I found this 1997 adventure much more interesting and absorbing than I had expected, having passed it by, along with most other adventurers, when it was first released.  Borrowing not only the perpetually dark world and visuals of the film, COLC the game also employs the brooding orchestral themes, making this one of those rare games where you’ll want to leave the music on. Eerie sound effects include howling winds, lapping waves, seagulls, rusty catwalks. With atmospheric lighting and shadows, as well as motion-captured animations, and wonderful SVGA graphics, this decrepit and nightmarish world of stolen dreams and bizarre characters is remarkably (for 1997) brought to your computer screen.

In terms of game mechanics, I was surprised to find this DOS-based effort installing and playing directly and easily on my powerful XP system, without even having to go to a compatibility mode.  There’s a choice of a 45 MB minimal or 500 MB full install.

You play as Miette, the 10-year-old orphan, thrust into the middle of the film’s setting. You’re required to perform some “fetch and carry” tasks for the Siamese sisters, under threat of being thrown into the cellar. Some of the tasks are timed, although not at an unreasonable level. You can’t die, even with the frequent opportunities to fall in the sea. Eventually, Miette finds herself in a position to rescue the children, rather differently than in the film, but with the help of One, and with the same general outcome. Most of the film’s villains are not present, but the overall threat is much the same.

The Brush Under the Stairs

Miette is controlled with arrow keys (no mouse work at all) and moves fairly fluidly. Interactions and conversations with others are sparse and typically brief. She (you) can wander at will, and transitions from scene to scene are quick and smooth, including frequent opportunities for user-controlled camera shifting. An inventory, with a limit of 10 items, accompanies Miette, sometimes necessitating dropping a superfluous item in favor of a needed new one. Much of your time is spent finding and accumulating those items, and here is where I have my largest criticism of the game.  Unlike many adventures that clearly flag an inventory item when approached and/or usually make them observationally clear, COLC really hides them! This is a major flaw in the game and can be really frustrating. Literally out of the blue (or black), you may see an item flit across the upper left corner of your screen, which means it’s something you can acquire. Yet precisely finding it can be a real chore. Perhaps my most mind-boggling experience was with finding a brush I knew I needed. Even being aware from a walkthrough (consulted only occasionally) as to its rough location, I had a devil of a time hitting the right spot on the screen, in this case near some boxes under the stairs.

“I Don’t Think I Can Manage It”

This plaintive plea from Miette, and the accompanying “I can’t do anything,” are expressions with which you’ll become all too familiar. Although puzzles are fairly logical, the inventory hunting is so tough as to make the overall game often frustrating.  Unfortunately, save game slots are limited to eight, without being able to wipe out previous and unneeded saves. This takes away some opportunities to repeat timed sequences, for example, if you get greedy with those saves early on (one of the advantages of playing the game in one or two sittings). Finally, COLC the game is short (approximately four hours), lacks an obvious narrative flow, and ends abruptly.

A Complement Is Not Always a Compliment

The City of Lost Children, the film, is on my “A” list. COLC the game, which complements the film, is a “C” level experience on its own, “B” level when viewed as an adjunct to the film. It’s short, tough, and has weak adventuring mechanics. It’s hard to understand the premise without the film experience. In that sense, the game on its own may not lead one to compliment the experience. Indeed, COLC the game had mixed reviews, at best, when released.

However, in spite of the interface and my nitpicking regarding game mechanics, The City of Lost Children earns a “thumb up” rating. Online store prices have risen to an almost collector’s game level, ranging from $25 to $60. It may not be worth that, particularly as contrasted with post-2000 productions, but I would recommend you avidly hunt for it as a trade or in a bargain bin.  It’s a game world worth visiting, in terms of setting, visuals and music alone, even with actual gameplay almost seeming of secondary concern. Then rent and watch the film before tackling the game.  If your mind is as open as mine to a foreboding, dark, twisted, mesmerizing theme, I’m sure you’ll come away from the film/game combination concluding this was an experience not soon to be forgotten. The End

The Verdict

The Lowdown

Developer: Psygnosis Publisher: Psygnosis Release Date: 1997

Available for: DOS PlayStation Windows

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Screenshots

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System Requirements

486 DX2, 66 MHz or higher MS-DOS 5.0 or Windows 95 16 MB memory 43 MB free hard disk space 1 MB SVGA video card

Where to Find It

CD Access (PC) 24.95Prices/links current as of 11/10/02Links 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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