F.A.C.E.S.
Game Review

F.A.C.E.S. is developed by Vogat, the minds behind other great hidden object games such as the Shades of Death and Reincarnations series. It contains the same great quality and gameplay you would expect from Vogat, but it has a much darker story and setting. It features ideas such as human experimentation, torture and coercion to commit crimes. In that sense, it is more similar in theme to darker games such as Haunted Halls: Green Hills Sanitarium or the Redrum series.

F.A.C.E.S. - short for the Find And Combine Extraordinary Strengths project - is a project that sought to identify people with paranormal powers, and eventually extract and use those powers to create a superhuman. You are one of these special people, with the ability to travel into a photograph and bringing objects back into the real world. The scientists who tortured and experimented on you have also forced you to use your ability to commit crimes, stealing priceless artifacts. As you fade off to sleep after one such crime, you hear the scientists saying that the next experiment on you would be your last. Taking matters into your own hands, your adventure begins as you try to escape the asylum.

The game revolves around the multi-storey asylum and your attempt to escape it and rescue other test subjects at the same time. The feel of the place is pretty dark and decrepit, with hints of torture and experimentation. You will encounter other prisoners and learn of more who died at the hands of these scientists. You are not alone in this adventure though. You have a guide in the form of a ghostly straight-jacketed wild woman with wings, keeping you sane (or not.)

Since your ability is to travel into photos, you will also use it to venture into various other locations, allowing you to explore your past as well as those of the other characters in the game. Since you have the ability to retrieve objects from these photos as well, there will be tools and items hidden in these photo-worlds that you need to find in order for you to overcome obstacles in the real world. These photo-hopping sessions also provide a very welcome change in scenery, allowing you to experience other atmospheres that aren't as morbid as the asylum.

The gameplay is pretty much like the standard hidden object adventure. You explore the asylum, encountering obstacles which you overcome either by manipulating the obstacles or using items that you pick up along the way. There is also a fair bit of travel in the game, frequently requiring you to move from one floor of the asylum to another as you collect items or activate objects.

There are heaps of hidden object scenes in the game, as well as the occasional puzzle minigames. The hidden object games are the standard list of items that you need to find. They are fairly challenging, with items that are very well hidden. The puzzle minigames are new takes on the standard puzzle types you'd expect from this game genre. In order to maintain the gloomy asylum feel of the game, these puzzles also have creepy things such as eyeballs, x-rays and glass shards incorporated in them.

The graphics in the game are pretty good, but aren't eye-popping. This is probably due to the fact that most of it has that dark, dirty and rusty feel. The part of the game that is really good though is the storytelling. The many cutscenes, animations and flashbacks drive the story very well, and the story itself is also engaging and exciting. This is a solid game, and is definitely recommended if you liked similar dark and creepy games such as Haunted Halls: Green Hills Sanitarium or the Redrum series.

You can get the basic version of the PC game, or you can get the Collector's Edition which includes exclusive extras such as bonus gameplay, an integrated strategy guide and other bonuses such as wallpapers and concept art. Or get the basic version or Collector's Edition of the Mac game.

Related PC Games at Big Fish Games:

F.A.C.E.S. Collector's Edition

Haunted Halls: Green Hills Sanitarium

Redrum: Time Lies

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