Clowns get a little bit of a foul rap. What number of instances have we seen a clown looking victims by means of corridors in a survival horror recreation? Or showing in a movie, smiling away in make-up, full with a knife and a scary snort? So the identify Vlad Circus: Descend Into Insanity doesn’t come as a shock. However there may be far more to this retro level and clicker than meets the attention.
I’m fairly positive that the sheer variety of ‘retro’ factors and clickers on the Xbox would have surpassed the precise ones created again within the Nineties. But that does imply the standard and storylines are most likely stronger than ever.
With Vlad Circus: Descend Into Insanity you play the function of a clown who’s down on his luck. Oliver Mills, or his clown identify – Lazy Ollie – has been launched from a psychological well being establishment. In his earlier job on the well-known Vlad Circus, there was a horrible tragedy leading to a hearth and the destruction of the circus. Set within the Twenties we see Ollie getting an invitation from the unique wealthy proprietor, inviting him to a reunion together with all of the surviving members. Ollie units off, however issues aren’t fairly what they appear.
The writing and setup are extraordinarily good, enjoying out over an extended night time on the mansion as you meet up with outdated members of the circus and attempt to keep sane. It had me hooked from begin to end with its unusual story, amazingly bizarre characters and curious plot line. Some may discover the story to be unusual, however for me, it was a dream expertise that may very well be loved.
The gameplay is so simple as you may count on from video games of this ilk, however fulfilling and all working nice, as you work together with the environments and the rooms you enter. To start with, it’d appear to be a bit complicated as you might be in semi-darkness and attempting to work out methods to transfer and play the sport. However quickly you get into the rhythm of Vlad Circus: Descend Into Insanity. When you get entangled within the quests on provide, it does sink its enamel into you.
The puzzles and the quests themselves are an excellent wholesome bunch of issues, as you soak up a 4 to 5 hour operating time. However all through you’ll need to control your stress bar which threatens to refill, taking a knock to Ollie’s psychological wellbeing. To beat this concern you need to use prayer beads to destress. There are small parts of fight available too, however these aren’t essentially the most profitable a part of the sport; they simply don’t really feel proper. There may be additionally – as in most point-and-click adventures – lots of backtracking between rooms available, which is all the time a little bit of a ache.
All that stated, Vlad Circus: Descend Into Insanity is without doubt one of the finest examples of a pixel artwork recreation. There are some sensible lighting results, nice character design, and a surprising color palette on present. It has an actual sense of environment, constructing as you progress by means of the spooky mansion and attempt to uncover the reality behind issues.
The small variety of cutscenes on provide are additionally superbly introduced and designed; they’d not really feel misplaced in a high-end comedian e book. The sound that goes with all that is minimal, however what happens is efficient and enthralling.
From the second the primary cutscene arrives, you already know you’ll be in for a little bit of a golden time with Vlad Circus: Descend Into Insanity. The most effective examples of the style, with its compelling and unique story, pixel artwork visuals, and nice puzzles, that is one you have to be enjoying. Maybe the backtracking is annoying, however that’s onerous to keep away from in some extent and clicker, and I might personally have carried out with out the survival and fight mechanics. On the entire although, this can be a recreation that excels.
Seeing Lazy Ollie’s development into insanity hasn’t lessened the stigma of clowns, however possibly it has made me a bit extra sympathetic.
