REVIEW: Dark Nights With Poe & Munro

Video games were considered the "big problem" in America in the 1990s. These were mindless, soulless, and gore-laden brainwashing devices that could turn your children into Charles Manson with bath salts.Mortal Kombat(1992) was the worst, and the 16-bit graphics made it REAL. Little Billy was no longer content to just toss a ball with his old man or do whatever they do there. Little Billy wanted to rip his old man's spine through his butthole, and use it for the desecration of the star-spangled banner. Or so your parents would have you believe.

It's easy to make fun of these "won’t somebody think about the children!" types. While it's easy to mock these "won't somebody think of the children?" types, it's important to remember that video games were completely unregulated at the time. These groups had been pushing for self-regulation for a while. As long-term observers of the videogame industry know, this industry is determined to avoid any responsibility. The US government eventually threatened to assume that responsibility. However, the games industry gave in and the ESRB was created. Mortal Kombat is the most well-known game, but it was not the only catalyst for the industry-wide shift.

EnterNight Trap(1992), Full Motion Video on Sega CD. It was also controversial. FMV seemed to be the future or at the very least the cornerstone of FMV. It was made up of real actors and video footage at a time 16-bit violence was making a stir. It's easy to see why so much was concerned. It is still quite recent that home video was a growing trend, with a subsequent flood of "Video Nasties" in Britain.Night TrapWas perceived: A video naughty in which Little Billy controlled all the violence. Although it isn't, it didn't seem that important.

This is not only false, but it's also a shameful statement.Night TrapIt is extremely manageable. It's not the Giallo-tinged misogynistic boobfest that its legend suggests, but more Benny Hill with trapdoors. FMV games are subject to the production realities of film and videogames. Making films is costly, and making video games is costly.

In terms of production value, it is obvious that the FMV video game will occupy the same space as the B movie. It was, actually. The FMV game is seeing a revival as filmmaking tools become more affordable, easier to use, and more readily available. Sam Barlow, a developer, is notable for his innovative approach to the FMV genre.Her Story(2015)Telling lies2019: Managing to avoid all the B-movie pitfalls. Wales Interactives'The ComplexThe recent (2020) game offered a much more polished and well-made experience that one would normally expect from a game this budget.

Dark Nights With Poe & MunroThe "season" is a series of short vignettes that are largely self-contained with a few threads in continuity. The duo host a radio program in August where they talk about dreams, nightmares and mysteries. For reasons that I have never been able to understand, they are also secretly lovers. Perhaps he is packing. Or holding her hostage. It's difficult to say.

Poe (Klemens Kehring), the impossibly wealthy, perpetually damp and more than a little creepy half of this duo, is "He". Poe is a constant nuisance for the duration. His sinister demeanour is less like his nameake and more "owns an mannequin legs and sniffs bicycle seats." After meeting him once at university, you decided to never see him again. It is beyond reproach to hear his "posh man voice". This is unlikely, and it's a shame because the game succeeds in its over-the-top, intentional campery.

Munro (Leah Cunard), is an eminently watchable character. Cunard is unquestionably the show's star. Although the performances aren't bad, at worst they seem a little sinister or inexplicably wet, Cunard is always great. Cunard is not only great in FMV games, but she's also great on TV. You will enjoy all six episodes with her big-eyed and breathless charm.

These episodes are varied in quality, but they all seem pretty solid and strike a peculiarly dissonant tone.Night Vale: WelcomeWith a healthy dose camp. It's very campy, and I love it. It capitalizes on the B-movie tropes that are associated with this genre and seems to embrace the history and limitations of this genre. And it works! It does. I had a stupid, big grin on my face for most of the playthrough. I had fun every moment, from receiving death threats by Justin McElroy, the internet's favorite big brother, to solving environmentalist murder mysteries to past life regression, and even getting death threats from Justin McElroy, the internet's favourite big sister. It was undeniably better than the previous experience.Night TrapIt's impossible to forget its horror-themed humor in any way.

Wales Interactive and Sam Barlow have both taken the genre to new heights in terms of gameplay and presentation.Dark Nights With Poe & MunroIt is an easy-to-understand affair, in the spirit of early FMV efforts. Scenes are played out and the player is given a variety of options for actions and responses. These events are usually short-term and the amount of time allocated depends on the context. These choices can alter the story's direction in many ways. There are hundreds of possible paths that could be taken throughout the game. There are only a few possible endings to each episode. However, it is difficult to get everything in one go. To fully understand each story, you will need to play through several times. The chapter skip option is available after the game is finished.

It's difficult to determine which choice you are making once you make it. There's no way to tell what each choice means. These icons can be arbitrary and make the choices feel less meaningful. You will see statistics about the choices made by others at the end of each episode. In titles likeTelltale's The Walking DeadThis was interesting because many of the choices were obvious moral dilemmas. However, it doesn't really add much other than discovering that most people didn’t actively attempt to kill Poe. He is the worst and I will not apologise.

It's a fun, but not ambitious title. It won't make you feel any differently if you aren't a fan of the FMV genre, but it will be a delight for anyone who is.