Gray Matter - PC Reviews

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Like many other fans who have played the Gabriel Knight series, I was eagerly awaiting the latest adventure game from Jane Jensen. After many years and multiple production houses in development, Gray Matter is finally here, and it has been worth the wait.

Disclaimer: Being a fan of Jane Jensen's adventures I may have evalauated the game to her high-set standards.

The game has the trademark quality of a Jensen adventure with a great story, character depth, atmosphere and...challenging puzzles? Well, only the last feature has left me with some hesitancy in recommending the game just to any adventure games fan, especially ones that do not favor all of the above qualities over the level of challenge/brain-taxing. In this respect, Gray Matter is a lot like Dreamfall ( Longest Journey 2), i.e. a great piece of interactive fiction though somehwt lacking in the puzzle department. In fact, I found Gray Matter easier than Gabriel Knight 2. Also, certain puzzles that the female main character has to solve as her personal objective did not blend well with the main story arc. The puzzle-solving aspect is the only note-worthy low point of this title.

Graphics are well-drawn, with some imaginative backdrops and colors that are appropriately dreary for the most part. Before I played the game, I saw a lot of mention about the comic-book style cutscenes in the reviews. In many instances, they are adequate, but elsewhere, you wish the cutscenes had more clarity and animation, especially when there is more happening in the scene. Jane's hubby Robert Holmes has done a great job with the soundtrack, although it is less-varied than the GK2 music. There are quite a few tracks, though throughout most of the gameplay you hear only two or so. At certain points in the story, the music may even leave you emotionally moved. Voice acting is generally very good; the only aspect I couldn't help but notice is that Dr. Styles' character sounds older than the mid-thirties character potrayed.

Perhaps what sets this game of Jane Jensen apart from the GK series, apart from the obvious setting and characters, is the fact that the game leaves a lot to the interpretation of the players. If you get into the story as much as I did, you will definitely find yourself searching the web forums for explanation to certain events in the game and what other players thought about them. Some of the cutscenes are essential to revealing these. Most of this is I believe delibrate, though the end does seem a bit rushed, when compared to the general pace the story advances at.

All in all, the game is a must-play for fans of the GK series, and anyone who likes their adventure games with a good dose of intrigue, atmosphere, memorable characters and decent puzzles.

Update 4-15-12: Excited to see that a sequel is planned by Jane Jensen's newly found Pinkerton Road Studios and her community-supported funding project through Kickstarter!

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Let me start by saying I have played a lot of adventure games in the past, I grew up playing the classic Sierra games, Space Quest, Kings Quest, and Jane Jensen's other works Gabriel Knight to name a few. I was very excited to hear about this game, and I just finished it a few minutes ago.

For those who don't know what this is, the best way I can describe it is a interactive book/novel. divided into chapters, where you play the led character, and have to go though and find out what is going on, in order to move on with the story. With this can sometimes be hard to figure out, I believe it is well worth the effort. For people tired of the same old game, give it a shot you might be surprised.

For fans of Jensen's other titles I believe that you will enjoy this game, it has a feel of her other games, and it kept me hooked wanting to find out what was going to happen next.

I'll leave it on this, it was nice to find a game that made me use my brain a little, which is becoming uncommon in the world of video games today.

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The story drew me in completely, making me care about the characters and what happened to them. The game-play involved both action and the investigation of mysterious events, but was refreshingly different from the standard genres of hidden object, murder mystery, or monster fighting.

I realize that the computer game industry is mostly targeted at players in their teens or twenties, and this game should be well received by that audience. But it's nice to find a game like this one that can also entertain older players like me.

My game-play lasted well over twelve hours; I kept coming back for more whenever I had time. The ending was quite satisfying, but I was sorry when it was over and immediately wanted to buy another game like this one.

Unfortunately I'm not sure if there are any like it. Please tell me your suggestions if you have one.

Honest reviews on Gray Matter - PC

I took a chance and downloaded this game before any reviews or screenshots were posted. I had no problems with download or install, just to add a counterpoint to those reviewers who did have issues.

I'm basically happy with my investment.

Gray Matter has proven to be a respectable entry in the HOG genre of gaming, with excellent graphics and challenging (without being frustrating) puzzles. The game starts of with a clever and amusing prologue detailing your character's journey to the doctor's house -it's done in pseudo-animation, more like watching a powerpoint presentation. This is actually clever and amusing or low-budget depending on your mood, I think.

The plot is refreshing (see publisher's descript.), and the game is really a hybrid of adventure/HOG in that you are able to pilot your main character through the three dimensional space rather than just using the cursor alone.

The GOOD:

Excellent graphics. The game does require a fair amount of gaming power from your computer. The environments are convincing and your avatar is solidly grounded in them.

Clever game play, in that there are hidden object elements as well as exploratory ones.

The play environment is fully realized -your character walks around furniture in rooms and it is really great to see that kind of detail to game physics in an HOG.

The BAD:

Ugh -the main character moves so slowly. This is not a processor issue, it is due to the fact that she prances around with a very casual and fluid gate like she has all the time in the world.

The game could use more interactivity. There is a very nice feature that lets the player "highlight" all of the interactive objects in a room. Unfortunately, several of these so-called "interactive" objects are only interactive in that when you walk to them (slowly) they just tell you what they are. "Oh, a cigarette...I don't need that right now."

I found the manipulation of some objects in my inventory to be pretty cumbersome at times in terms of moving them into the play area for use. You *really* need to use a mouse with this game -my attempts at just using my laptop's built in mouse pad were met with frustration.

Basically, this is a nice and languidly-paced casual game that may not move quickly enough for hyperactive game players like me. This is not the fault of the game, but just a different style of play.

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Lets start with the pros and cons

Pros:

Original story, and a very good one.

Cool mini game.

Can run at 1920 x 1080 resolution (many other adventure games are locked at certain resolution).

Good voice over.

Attractive protagonist :)

The art is very pleasant

Good music

Cons:

The game is a little too short imo, I think I beat it under 10 hours, might be consider lengthy by some.

Some puzzles are fairly easy, the ending puzzles was hard and a bit confusing though.

Few hints on where to continue.

Some events were not explained.

Not much of a closure from the ending