The Experiment Review

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The Experiment

Review by Old RoosterMarch 2008

“Someone Is There. Who’s Looking at Me?” —Lea

An initial, gorgeously done fly-over of an island beach leads us to a rusting hulk of a ship. Moving to a cabin in the bowels of this enormous vessel, we find a young lady, Lea, just waking up in a quite foggy state. You see her from a corner of the ceiling perspective, and as she looks up toward you, we surprisingly find that you, the game player, are viewing the scene through an observation camera! This point of view—player as camera, Lea as doer—is the primary distinction of an unusual adventure game.

Lexis Numerique, the French developer, has shown us creativity and innovation with previous adventure titles: In Memoriam (published later in North America as Missing) and Evidence: The Last Ritual. So it is not surprising they decided to present The Experiment (released as Experience 112 in Europe in October 2007) in a really unique fashion. I like to observe how the developer describes or sets up the game. Let’s see what Lexis Numerique has to say:

A dilapidated ship. A fully functioning control and surveillance system. A woman, Lea Nichols, the only surviving member of a team of scientists.

Monitor, control, search and explore. From behind your cameras you try to guide Lea Nichols towards freedom, but above all towards the truth. Be her eyes and ears as you help her accomplish her mission.

But beware! Remember that things are not always how they seem …

“Who Are You? Can I Trust You?” —Lea

You, the player, are also presumably on the ship, in a control room, able to perform limited tasks, such as turning on cameras and lights. Unfortunately, although you can hear Lea, you can’t speak directly to her. Nodding your camera up and down for “yes” is about the best you can do. Of course, she does need your management of ship devices and does enjoy ordering you about, sometimes impatiently.

Do you like to multitask? Very soon into this peculiar relationship with Lea, you’ll be presented with up to three windows on your screen. Fortunately, the young lady thinks you’re a bit of a dolt, and she uses your initial time together as an effective tutorial.

As a humorous sidebar, I was impressed when, after being away from the game for a couple of days and coming back to a save, Lea commented: “There you are! After two days with no news, I was starting to worry. I’ve found a bit of food and water.” Again, this peculiar relationship between camera controller and active doer is emphasized.

This is likely a good time to speak of some of the mundane specifics of The Experiment. Along with Lea’s in-game tutorial, we find an excellent manual, which includes comprehensive maps and even hints for the first half-hour or so. Further, once the game is installed (with no onerous copy protection scheme in evidence), you can play without the CD in the drive. All in all, packaging and presentation are very nicely done.

Indeed, “presentation” of the actual game itself is the primary distinction of The Experiment, and it can be either a bane or blessing, depending on your personal game preferences. In the darkened corridors and rooms of the ship, Lea is slowly led by and dependent on you.

Keys, Codes, Locks, Files, and Passwords

Using your nicely displayed map access, you’ll guide Lea by turning on lights and using special features of the cameras. You’ll work together to decipher codes, secure passwords, read files of the scientists and technicians who are no longer to be found in person. This process forms the heart of the game, imposing obstacles and puzzles not unfamiliar to adventure game players. The primary twist, once again, is the secondary control—you as camera, Lea as doer.

The desolate ship atmosphere is quite compelling, although not frightening in a haunted house kind of way. You won’t have creatures jumping at you, and you won’t have to shoot, hit, or stab anyone. The occasional corpse doesn’t typically bother you. Rather, we have a mystery to be unraveled and solved. Toward the last third of the game, we do have some sequences requiring timing and reflexes, but these are very doable and shouldn’t impose a major hurdle.

Although Lea is not the most appealing heroine I’ve ever worked with, voice acting is reasonably well done, with perhaps a few translation errors from the French. Ambient sounds and music contribute to the overall ghostly atmosphere.

Graphics seem a bit dated, but you’ll mostly be working with three screens at once and won’t think often about such precise details.

(I’m working hard here not to reveal content of the fine storyline. Let’s just say there are some interesting twists and turns. Unlike so many recent titles, The Experiment doesn’t let us down at the end but builds nicely to a satisfying conclusion.)

Secrets, Surveillance, Survival

The Experiment lives up to its name by offering a very different, shall we say, “experimental,” twist on how to play and progress in a game. Managing a primary character from a control room by turning on lights and flipping switches is unique. But is it effective and fun?

In short, my feelings are mixed. After the initial multitasking learning curve is accomplished and the novelty wears off, we are left with a good deal of awkwardness and delay created by this secondary camera control. It’s one step worse than the complaints we often hear about camera placement in third-person perspective games. In this case, we have the third-person but with the added complication of indirect, corner-of-the-room, camera management. Further, Lea often slowly responds to the newly lit or unlocked room.

So often during the game, I wished for direct control of Lea instead of being saddled with this novel but frequently frustrating secondary approach. Instead of cluttering the monitor with multiple screens, let Lea do it herself!

Having said that, The Experiment still comes as a recommended purchase and play. The “who and where am I (we)?” mystery and story is well-written and moves to resolution with logical, though often difficult, puzzles and tasks. I’d strongly encourage you to play the demo before getting the full game. Not only is it important to see if you can run the game, but it also sets up the camera system. This will give you a taste for that and also for the upcoming adventure. If you can’t run the demo and/or the novel camera approach befuddles you, then don’t get the full game. But I’m hoping that you, like me, will move past that potential hurdle to enjoy an involving and compelling science-fiction mystery.

The Experiment—Primary Likes

  • Secondary camera control of main character;
  • Excellent story;
  • Reasonable and logical puzzles;
  • Well-done ghost ship atmosphere;
  • Creative, even beyond the camera novelty;
  • Good length: up to 20 hours.

Primary Problems

  • Secondary camera control of main character;
  • Relatively weak graphics;
  • Control problems with some puzzles. The End

The Verdict

The Lowdown

Developer: Lexis Numerique Publisher: The Adventure Company Release Date: February 2008

Available for: Windows

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System Requirements

Windows XP/Vista 1.5 GHz Pentium 4 512 MB RAM 64 MB video card with 1.1 pixel shader 1.4 GB free hard drive space

Where to Find It

Links 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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