The Blackwell Legacy

The Blackwell Legacy
80
Metacritic
89
Steam
85.515
xDR
Our rating is calculated based on the reviews and popularity of the game.
Price
$1.49
Release date
13 January 2012
Developers
Publishers
Steam reviews score
Total
89 (1 143 votes)

When 3 NYU students kill themselves, nobody thinks that a sinister force is at work. Nobody but fledgling medium Rosa Blackwell & her new spirit guide Joey Mallone.

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The Blackwell Legacy system requirements

  • OS:Windows ME or higher
  • Processor:Pentium or higher
  • Memory:64 MB RAM
  • Graphics:640x400, 32-bit colour: 700 Mhz system minimum
  • DirectX®:5.0
  • Hard Drive:200 MB HD space
  • Sound:All DirectX-compatible sound cards

Recommended:

Recommended requirements are not yet specified.
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yearlybears
yearlybears

I liked it, I am a little dumb and very much had to look up how to do a few things (the ghost power thing in the room was a bit annoying), but that didn't really take away too much luckily. It's not my favorite game ever, but it's interesting, I liked the characters. I had a decent time.

ジェイ・シー
ジェイ・シー

Episodic point and click, meaning the game's very short and you're going to end on cliffhanger after cliffhanger as you go through the episodes. I'm not a fan of the episodic format. But the game isn't bad. It's clearly an older title, but it's consistently above average. The story is interesting, there's good mystery solving and the dialog is great. Voice acting is slightly above average, could have been better but it's not bad by any means.

If you like point and clicks this is a good choice, but you're going to need the other episodes because this title just by itself is way too short.

⇋⇋⇋
⇋⇋⇋

Rosangela: "This is gonna take a long time to get used to."
Joey: "We got the rest of your life, doll."

Sooo... The Blackwell series of adventure games... What about it? At least, what do I feel that I have to say about the first game, The Blackwell Legacy?

I actually played and finished this one once before, almost exactly 10 years ago now. I remember thinking it was well written, but I really didn't like the graphics back then and, I don't know, I just never got around to sit myself down and play the follow-up games afterward. As a person, I do like a good story, but I had also never been much of an adventure gamer while growing up. And the fact that I followed a guide so often that I did was also bothering me a lot, because it meant that I wasn't really playing the game.

I am older now, and I don't any longer mind the old fashioned graphics. I rather welcome them. My mindset is also different, as is my outlook on life. And I must say that I really enjoyed this second playthrough. It was a blast. The game has its quirks and flaws, but I am able to understand that it was a first commercial game for its author. Considering this fact, the result is a success. The positives far outweigh the negatives, here. Though I will just say that the whole "diuretic pills puzzle" was a bit weird, okay? Hah.

The real winner here is the writing. The characters feel real. They are not stereotypes, nor are they always pleasant: what they are is relatable. And the voice acting comes in second place.

I already know that the second game takes a step back from Rosa and explores what happened with Lauren, and I don't mind that at all. On the contrary, I am rather eager to meet Rosa's aunt and learn about whatever happened with her.

This is just a wonderful little story I have gotten myself into, a great source of escapism and of, yes, adventure, and for this I am grateful. Well done, Wadjet Eye.

This is a relatively short game, though the current asking (full) price of 4,50€ seems fair. Now, excuse me, I am off to eventually finish this series, proper. And I intend to leave reviews behind me, like breadcrumbs, as I go along on this journey.

Leonardo Trapovich
Leonardo Trapovich

It's an okay adventure game. But it has problems. Problems often seen in the genre but i've seen some more modern adventure games doing it better.
Cons:
*Lots of backtracking - you go to one place, then another for a quick conversation, then back again to the first one. Annoying, and there's no skip button for animation(think of a "left click twice to skip animation" kind of thing)
*Lots of repetition - literally going back to the person you just talked with can yield new dialogue. Sometimes you have to press the same topic several times.
*"Adventure Game Protagonist Mentality" - you are nosey, annoying, feel kinda psychotic to people around you... and you poison a dog with pee medicine once. For a puzzle! I know i know - i just got kinda mad i had to poison a doggie. And second hand embarassment for all the crazy talk.
Pros:
*A good story
*Very cheap
*Most puzzles make sense and no pixel hunting
*Joey

matt.
matt.

it's a delight and short play. Looking forward for next epoísodes.

Katosepe
Katosepe

Short and sweet adventure game. It may not be a ton by itself but get it on sale with the whole Blackwell series and the five games together make up a very solid adventure game. Definitely recommended for point and click fans.

art.vandelay
art.vandelay

I like the Blackwell point & click games. Each title has that old school adventure vibe and interconnecting plotline, plus character development, thoughtout the series.

jakew42
jakew42

I gave up on Point and Click adventure back in the 90s. I remember one of my good friends absolutely loving Sam and Max and Day of the Tentacle growing up. I felt frustrated pretty quickly by the walking back and forth, trying to figure out what I was expected to do.

The Blackwell Legacy didn't really change my opinion, to be honest. It has good character writing, barring a couple of small moments, and an interesting enough supernatural noir-ish story. It had a couple of solutions that felt a bit out of left field to me, but nothing too terrible. On its own, I'd say it's a 3/5, decent way to spend an afternoon.

Taken with the rest of the series, however, it's the start of one of my all-time favorite video game experiences. The Blackwell series DID manage to change my feelings toward the Point and Click genre. I still don't entirely love the process of Point and Click, but as a means of giving you a bit more ownership in a well-written narrative, it's actually pretty great.

Trappski
Trappski

I started on the wrong end of the series with The Blackwell Deception that i got from somewhere i can't remember anymore. Played through that and decided to play everything from the beginning and got the rest of the bundle. While this game is not as fleshed out in it's gameplay it's still a competent and good adventure game.
Getting to know the characters more deeply to figure out what and why things happened as they happened is engaging. It's not very challenging for anyone well versed in the point and click adventure games genre. But i did stumble upon a few puzzles before that "aha"-moment came and i eventually reached the conclusion of this episode.

In short. Play it, enjoyt it!

zoonzox
zoonzox

A great point and click to start off a really engaging series.

Hem
Hem

[Reviewed by my wife] This is a short point and click game with an easy set of puzzles. Most of them involve asking the right question to the right person and combining the right elements in your notebook. It has a classic feel. Detective stories always work well in point and click and the supernatural element is fun. The main character, Rose Angella is an odd geeky loner, but her personality fits very well with her history. While it doesn't make her the most compelling person to follow, it creates cute situations like the one where she doesn't want to talk to her neighbour because there’s too many people around. An intriguing introduction, though I do which it had been longer.

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shogoz
shogoz

If you enjoy point and click adventure games then buy this. I'm glad I only just heard about this series now - I'm so engrossed that I'm playing one after another and loving every minute. So much fun!

hamburguinho
hamburguinho

Ahort but very competent point & click got me intrigued for the sequels

Pochikpo
Pochikpo

It's interesting, but extremely short, only worth purchasing at an extremely low price or bundle. But it's fun and makes you want to try the rest of the games.

Zorba lo Zoppo
Zorba lo Zoppo

Nice Old School Point and Click Game, the first of a successful series.
It's kind of bit rusty but if you're fan of the genre you'll gonna like it.

damith_oa
damith_oa

this has a nice story, can't wait to play the rest

emzyyy
emzyyy

I daresay I'm kind of evangelical about this series. I feel like I'm always recommending it to friends and strangers on the internet. I've noticed some people think this game to be the weakest in the series, and while I may agree with that, I still find it very enjoyable. Getting to know the characters the first time around is super fun, and the initial mystery is deceptively heartbreaking. If I have any complaint about this game, it's probably with the music. It's just not my personal taste, and after Thomas Regin was brought on as the series' regular composer, this one sticks out thematically like a sore thumb. But mark my words, this game pays off in the long run.

Medesha
Medesha

Recommended with caveats. This is the game that launched the Blackwell series by Wadjet Eye games. As an older game, it falls victim to a lot of annoying genre conventions. Be prepared to click on every item and put puzzles together in unique ways.

The characters of Rosa and Joey, who grow and change throughout the series, are established in THE BLACKWELL LEGACY, and it's a lot of fun to see their origins. If you like classic point-and-click adventure games, you might enjoy this one. The story is short (~2 hours gameplay) and the puzzles a little crude in places, but the setup for the series is great. It's a journey you (probably) won't regret.

The developer commentary is a lot of fun, too. Dave Gilbert talks a lot--mostly about the mistakes he made! But it's great to see behind the scenes and understand how the game was developed and kicked off the series.

Elbin
Elbin

Buyer's beware: This is an episodic game!! Disappointed when the game abruptly ended because I did not know. That said, this is a quality point and click and I really liked the setup in this episode. Graphics are a little dated, but the artstyle is so on-point that it didn't bother me. Puzzles were a bit too easy, but I am sure later episodes are more difficult.

Marthipan
Marthipan

It's a good game for what it is. It's just incredibly short. 3 hours maximum and I could easily see someone more competent than myself with puzzles completing it in under 2, maybe even 1 honestly. Right when it feels like the game is about to start it just ends... Almost felt like a demo. For its price it's pretty justifiable I suppose but I'd recommend buying all the games in a bundle on sale and playing them in a binge.

ForgMan
ForgMan

Remember how great the first Frog Detective was, and how Frog Detective 2 was even better? Well imagine having Frog Detectives 1-5 and how great it must get by the end. This is a decent start to the series and if you enjoy the story at all I can guarantee you it stays strong throughout. The actual puzzles, however, don't reach peak quality until the third entry. For my fellow fans of Frog Detective this entire series is a must buy.

Ionneh
Ionneh

The origin story for the Blackwell series, you could call it episode one. It's a point&click adventure, and doesn't have hard puzzles, the supernatural detective story is enjoyable and the characters have chemistry. The music, however, is waaaaay better than it has any right to be & I found myself just pausing to listen.

You can 100% achievements in ~4hrs or less if you hurry and know the achievements description.
Unavowed, a more recent Wadjet Eye adventure game, brought me here - seems there are common elements/same universe.

The series supposedly goes uphill from here, and this is already a good start. Advancing to Blackwell Unbound.

Recommended!

The Greater Sphinx
The Greater Sphinx

The Blackwell Legacy is a point and click adventure game where you play as Rosangela Blackwell, a young woman who is just starting to become a medium. With the help of her spirit guide, Joey, she helps the unquiet dead move on. I played this game once a few years ago, but I'm reviewing it now that I've played it a second time and listened to the commentary.

The game begins with Rosa mourning the loss of her last remaining relative, her Aunt Lauren. Later in the day, she's given a special assignment for her job with the newspaper, which leads her to meet Joey, her spirit guide. She learns that, with her Aunt Lauren's passing, she has become the next in a line of mediums, and, with Joey's help, is quickly thrown into her first case. The rest of the game follows her first case and the beginning of Rosa and Joey getting to know each other. While the game is short, I found the story to be very engaging. The plot is straightforward and the characterization and atmosphere are woven in very neatly. The game doesn't waste any time, but it isn't rushed either.

This is a pretty typical point and click adventure game. The puzzles mostly involve talking to people, learning information, and combining clues. For a point and click, there was a relatively small amount of inventory object puzzles. Most of the puzzles involve combining clues in the notebook. This was an interesting way to set up puzzles, and was very suitable for a game that involves solving a mystery. Overall, I thought the puzzles were mostly pretty fair, but there were a few that were not especially intuitive. The notebook, in particular, involved a few combination puzzles that didn't make a lot of sense to me, even after I had solved them.

What really makes this game, and the series as a whole, stand out for me are the characters and the atmosphere. The slightly dark, slightly spooky, ghost detective vibe really works for me. The soundtrack is really nice and adds to the atmosphere. Rosa and Joey are both great characters. Rosa starts off as a quiet loner who keeps to herself. She's bookish and writes reviews for a living (wouldn't that be a dream). As she settles into her new role, she starts to be more outgoing. Joey gives off the vibe of an old-school smooth-talking tough guy, but from the beginning you get the sense that there's a hidden depth to him as well. Rosa and Joey are both witty characters and their dynamic is really enjoyable. It's a lot of fun seeing them interact and getting to know them better.

There were a few negatives to be had with this game as well. The game was originally released in 2006, and while it has had a few updates over the years to keep it compatible with newer systems, there were still some technical issues. While I was able to play it fullscreen with no issues, it did look a little weird given the resolution of my monitor. It wasn't too bad once I got used to it. I had one issue with a crash, and one issue where I had to reload the game because the next scene wouldn't load. One of the puzzles was a little bugged, where it would display the wrong text and/or play the wrong voice clip if you did a certain action before inspecting something else. There were a number of places where the audio was missing or didn't quite match the text on the screen. Those problems were all more annoying than game-breaking, though, and I was able to complete the game just fine.

Overall, The Blackwell Legacy is a really enjoyable point and click and a great start to a series I really enjoy. Despite a few minor annoyances, the gameplay, story, and characters are really enjoyable and I was really interested in the world this game presents. The game's biggest flaw is that it's very short, and if you're interested in it I'd recommend just buying the series bundle all at once, since if you enjoy this one you'll probably enjoy the rest of the series. 9/10

lucky.devil
lucky.devil

Just finished "Blackwell Epiphany", the last game in the series, and came all the way back here since if you get to that point you already know you're in for a great ride.

But you?
You who doesn't know anything about the series?
You still need to be convinced.
Buy the bundle. Enjoy the ride, it only gets better the longer you go and you definitely won't regret it.

Come for the well crafted and engaging point and click mystery adventure in gorgeous sprite graphics with excellent voice acting.
Stay for the feels at the end of what becomes a fantastic arc.

aliengeometries
aliengeometries

I just couldn't get into this one. I like a lot of Wadjet's content, but between the unlikable protagonist, the awkward art style in still images, and its tendency towards the less enjoyable foibles of point-and-clicks, it didn't do it for me. Interesting premise, in my opinion poorly executed.

spider.jerusalem
spider.jerusalem

A good "oldschool" pixel adventuer.
If this genre is for you buy the complete series.

pavakah
pavakah

so far it's a decent point and click

Android's Dungeon
Android's Dungeon

Maybe I am getting old, but like a music producer who receives thousands of prospects each day, I am unwilling to invest further time in a product which begins poorly.

For example, the protagonist is incredibly unlikable.
She is whiny, entitled, rude and cowardly.
I cringed at the idea of following her around for the duration of the game.
I also do not care about someone's supposed mental issues which makes them unpleasant, and I especially find it ridiculous a nut has lived in NYC, one of the most expensive real estate markets in the world for this long...oh, but wait, she is WRITER! so she earns an ambiguous amount of money - but enough for them to wander around all day at all hours and not actually work.

As so many others, my brain turned off by the initial puzzle getting past the punk kid guarding the entrance to your home, and then I simply did not care enough to solve the one in the park so that my flute-tooting neighbor would let me in.
(Again, the protagonist is so anti-social they are unfamiliar with their neighbor even though they have lived next to each other for YEARS!)

This game is like the worst of these games back in the nineties - when we had fewer from which to select and had to suffer through them until something actually good came along.

bored222
bored222

The whole Blackwell series are worth playing.

Not too difficult, I got stuck on the first and last puzzle of the entire series (sometimes you just miss a thing which should be obvious).

Interesting, fun and sad story, well written, mostly well acted.

Tech tip : Play in windowed mode if can stand it, as full screen distorts the graphics on wide screen monitors.

damnedkingdom
damnedkingdom

I don't think there's a single aspect of this game that I like; not the characters, not the graphics, not the voice acting, not the plot, not the puzzles; none of it.

lex luthor apologist
lex luthor apologist

A fun, short game with a really interesting concept and excellent execution. I absolutely loved both of the protagonists and their dynamic/banter. This is my first game of the series but I'm greatly looking forward to playing the next one.

kalienator
kalienator

This series starts off slow, but the story builds and becomes more intriguing with each instalment. These are now some of my favourite point and click adventure games.

drowningstarfish
drowningstarfish

This series is the best. My personal favorite point and click story.

sjdswanlund
sjdswanlund

The Blackwell Legacy really showcases what you can get out of a limited engine for an classic point and click adventure game when you know your foundations, what makes the genre work: storytelling, dialogue, and puzzles. The plot and writing in the game, as well as the voice acting, is definitely it's strongest point. It's not afraid to touch upon some serious subject matter, get dark and emotional, but also have some humor in there to balance it out; all the dialogue is fully voiced too. The puzzles aren't as good and inventive, but they still work in the context of the character's profession and her supernatural ability, which is the most important part. The most prominent mechanic in the game is the notebook, since prior to her discovery of her Medium abilities, she was simply a journalist for a small paper. You find clues through dialogue, mix and match to get others, etc, use those in dialogue, and so forth. There are a few puzzles, like in all games of it's kind, that simply suck; get over it, it's not enough to stop you from experiencing the first of a brilliant legacy.

A Duck Of Peace
A Duck Of Peace

I've always loved point and click adventure games, so it was a must get when I saw that the Blackwell series was on sale on steam.

The first game in the series is a solid enough story. Though I did think that it was much shorter than it could have been. This is a issue I have with parts of the this series is that they could have amalgamated elements of the games and made three longer games instead. The plotline serves well enough for the inexperience Rosa to pursue her first case and start of the series. As for character development there isn't a whole lot going on in this game outside of the main storyline, which I suppose is for the later games to sort out.

That said, solid gameplay, solid music, and a decent narrative, makes it a fine first game in the series.

Tyson RRS
Tyson RRS

This is a short adventure game about two of my favourite elements- Paranormal and detective parts.
All this is accompanied by a very good soundtrack, with good dialogues and a nice little story.
This is the first title of a series, and from what I've heard all the subsequent games just keep on improving.
I really liked this game and I'm excited to play the sequels!
A big pro is that there aren't any obnoxious puzzles- I absolutely hate them in many 2D point and click games and this has fairly simple puzzles.
Anyways, I had a very fun time with this game and considering it's price- I can easily recommend this to any adventure game enthusiast.

Deodorant
Deodorant

Truly an amazing and captivating story, experience, and game play. Played from start to finish in one sitting, highly recommended!

Laurent
Laurent

Just a few things about this game:

- It made me laugh
- It almost made me cry sometimes

To be fair it is kinda lacking on the technical aspect (bad screen scrolling, noise in voice lines) and a little short but still I liked it and left me wanting more, lucky for me there's 4 more games of the series waiting in my library.
Totally worth it, absolutely recommended.

famcomom22
famcomom22

This whole series is incredibly packed with characters and feelings.

Anonymous
Anonymous

A wonderful game, great story and easy controls. You can't get much better than that!

blightonuniverse
blightonuniverse

I am changing my former negative review to a positive one because the developer was more than willing to work with me on fixing the bug that was keeping me from completing the game. This demonstrates a significant level of dedication for the work, pride in the finished product and desire to make their users happy, which is not normally seen from most developers. I did enjoy playing this game and the story, and I look forward to playing the rest of the games in the Blackwell series.

Oblic
Oblic

What a great throwback to the early days of oldschool point-and-click adventure games. While definitely a fun and short game, it certainly shows its age.

When this game was first released (2006), I'm sure the fact that it had voice acting was mind blowing. Games like this typically just had word bubbles that you had to read fast enough or you would miss important bits of dialogue. Being a slow reader, this was a nice change of pace! With that being said, the quality of the voice acting is... well, not great in a lot of parts. To be fair, the acting itself is done well enough. The issue is more with the recording quality. There are several moments where popping sounds and "s" sounds that cause weird feedback, taking the player our of the moment. But, again, considering the age, it is fairly standard for that time.

The story is pretty short and sweet, and seems to set the stage nicely for the sequels. You play as Rosa, a young women whose aunt recently died and shortly after learns that she is a medium (someone that can communicate with ghosts). With this newly discovered ability, she helps these spirits come to terms with their deaths and ultimately puts them to rest. The finer points, I'll leave to you to find out...

Overall, I would say this is a pretty good point-and-click adventure game! Some of the puzzle solutions were... a bit of a stretch, but with a small amount of brute forcing, they can all be figured out easily enough. It was certainly a bit short, but it does set up the next game fairly nicely. Looking forward to seeing what comes next!

ADDENDUM:

When I originally wrote this review, I did so after my initial playthrough and hadn't yet gotten all of the achievements. Like I've said in other reviews, I know not a lot of people care about achievements, but if they are there, I consider them to be part of the game. For the most part, they are all very reasonable: doing a puzzle on your first try, getting a special ending if you figure out a final puzzle, stuff like that. The only one I take issue with is the one that requires you to leave the commentary on while playing through the whole game. While I did (mostly) enjoy the commentary, as I like to see what the developer was thinking about while making the game, I take issue with a few different things...

First, there are several places where the commentary is bugged and almost makes the game unplayable. The two that immediately come to mind are 1.) When Moti gets a treat while you are in your neighbor's house. The commentary on "Cooper" will play EVERY DAMN TIME Moti gets a treat. And 2.) When you need to mess with the fuse box, again, the same commentary plays over and over again each time you fail the puzzle. The bigger issue with this one is it resets the normal dialogue, which, if not skipped in time, makes the puzzle impossible. At the very least, these need to be fixed.

Second, while I (again, mostly) enjoyed learning about the game, this is clearly something a lot of people aren't interested in, evidenced by the low clear rate (less than 10% as of writing). The commentary can easily double the time of a single playthrough, making it feel more punishing than rewarding, especially with the bugs mentioned above. I have also read through some of the discussion posts, and it seems that the achievement has a chance to not unlock if you miss certain keys pieces of commentary that are optional (ie. getting the history from Joey). This is a similar flaw I've mentioned before: achievements should feel good or satisfying when you get them. There should be a challenge to overcome. They shouldn't be a way to pad out playtime.

Finally, (and this is a bit nit-picky) forcing people to listen to your commentary for an achievement feels so... vain. While I think it's pretty cool to put it in the game for people to listen at their leisure, dangling a prize in front of people in order to get them to do it feels oddly dirty. Why are you so desperate to have people listen to it? Shouldn't you just want people to listen to it because they're interested in learning more about the game? Maybe I'm reading a bit too much into it, but with the other two issues mentioned above, it made this part stand out more and more in my mind.

In the end, this doesn't really change my opinion on the game itself. I just wanted to make note of it for the achievement hunters out there, and possibly for the developer if he still reads these reviews.

chainmatrix
chainmatrix

This series is a classic for a good reason. Even the bit weaker aspects of this first installment -- graphics and puzzles/clue system -- still serve their purpose and did in no way hinder my enjoyment. The story, characters, voice acting and music are all top-notch, creating a very atmospheric and enjoyable old school point-and-click experience.

Jed "GunBun" Rango
Jed "GunB…

It's an interesting concept and i am not unhappy with the story. I am just not interested in the protagonist, and I don't want to talk to Joey because I just can't stand him. Some clues I only come by because I've decided to just click on everything a hundred times until something unlocks rather than because it actually makes sense to do.

Larry
Larry

I've played this game a hundred times before, and I'll play it again a hundred times more

Johan Erickson
Johan Erickson

Blackwell Legacy is where the vision behind the more popular Wadget Eye games really starts to take shape.

While The Shivah was completely rough everywhere, Blackwell Legacy is a lot less rough around the edges. I say 'less rough' because this is still an unpolished game. The very first puzzle in the game requires using the walking mechanic akin to the infamous goat puzzle in a certain other adventure game I'm sure fans of the genre are familiar with. Besides that, the rest of the puzzles were fairly standard to the genre. The notebook system is pretty easy to follow as long as you keep careful track of the names thrown around. There are item puzzles but the inability to use objects makes it a little one-dimensional. This can especially get cumbersome if you don't familiarise yourself with the game's controls some of which it doesn't teach you (I didn't know how to examine objects till the last act of the game). There's also one UI bug that crashes the game which was never fixed but nothing game-breaking for me because you could just workaround it.

The main draw of this game however is the intriguing premise of the story which involves sending ghosts on their way to a peaceful afterlife using the main character's medium powers. The characters are generally well voiced and writing is solid. These reasons are mainly why I recommend the game more than its puzzle elements.

I will definitely check out the rest of the Blackwell series.

Final verdict: 7/10 by the standards of the time it was released in.

Putt
Putt

I'd say it's worth $5. If it goes above $5 no. If it's on sale get then definitely get it.

Feyron af Digerdød
Feyron af Digerdød

An amazing game! Great story, good characters (though Joeys dialogue could def use an update as in not to use objectifying talk), good voice acting and neat graphics. However Way too short. I hope the follow-up games has a bit more content. Still totally worth it.
_____________________________

Play this game if:
- You are in love with classic point-click adventures
- You want to solve tricky riddles and help souls find their way home
- You want to find alternative solutions
- You intend to play the following games of the series - a lot of questions you Want to get answered, too curious am I!

Do Not play this game if:
- You are not a fan of pixel graphics
- You are not a fan of a lot of dialogue (thankfully you can skip)

Verdict: 7.5/10

timmytime
timmytime

Spoiler free-tips;
*Remember to right click on things as well - sometimes the 'look' option is different to the standard left-click use
*If an 'obvious solution' isn't working, try combining things in your notebook.
*If you're still not getting it, don't be ashamed to peek at a walkthrough for a hint... the game is never quite 'Moon Logic' but there are certain things which could have been better sign-posted or less fiddling with interface. It smells of "early in a designer's career"

With those caveats... I liked this. I played because I enjoyed Unavowed and thought I'd dive into this series. I've heard the later ones are better. There is a fairly compelling story with some neat twists and surprises. I'll give the later ones a go too.

piraterie
piraterie

This game is broken. Looks like it has been for some time. Really should not be available for sale in this condition.

https://steamcommunity.com/app/80330/discussions/0/522730701182904772/

Don't recommend that you buy this until the developer does something about it.

may
may

Wonderful click and point adventure of classic style. It´s a pity that it´s quite short (now I see that this is one episode, I will definitely check out the others). I enjoyed the game very much so I highly recommend it to fans of the genre. The story is well written, and the voices well performed. I usually get bored when there are many dialogues, or notes to read, but not here.

hassanyawar
hassanyawar

This game is a tribute to early '90s adventure game. The vibes, soundtrack and characters give off a nostalgic feeling. Gameplay wise its much simpler than those retro games but the narration and dialogue delivery between characters is really interesting.

I would say anyone who is a fan of such genre should definitely give this game a try.

tyler with a t
tyler with a t

Very solid game. Fun characters, decent plot, solid execution. A little tedious to go back and forth in limited locations, but I probably could have been more efficient. Still really enjoyed it, especially our poor sod of a ghost.

markomanolios
markomanolios

"The Blackwell Legacy" is a cute point and click adventure game with nice pixelated visuals, great sense of humor, awesome music, adorable characters and a lovely concept. Rosa teams up with a ghost named Joey to solve some weird cases of paranormal activity. It has small duration and the puzzles are a little bit simplistic but you will certainly have a good time playing it.

Manometer: 7/10

The good
- Nice pixelated, colorful graphics. Some internal spaces are detailed and nicely designed.
- Unique characters. Adorable NPCs. Rosa and Joey are so loveable.
- Great, discreet humor. Well written dialogues.
- There are only few and relatively easy puzzles, but they are well built. The notebook is an interesting addition.
- Responsive control mechanics.
- Smooth, cute animations.
- The concept is simple but the story is full of emotions.
- Awesome music.
- Good, convincing voice acting performances.
- Well designed spaces to avoid pixel haunting.

The bad
- Small duration. Not very challenging. The whole game unfolds in only six or seven screens and you have to solve just three or four simplistic puzzles.
- Slow walking can be annoying some times and there is no double click for running or instantly moving to the next screen.
- I experienced a lot of crashes on desktop that almost ruined the vibe I was into.

Prophet
Prophet

An amazing point n' click game with lovely pixelated visuals, fitting voice-acting and logical puzzles. Does take some patience in the beginning due to how slowly the narrative unfolds, but it's worth staying till the end. Shame it's a bit too short but hey, it's just the first game out of five in the series!

Warrick
Warrick

Very rough around the edges and short (~3 hours). The puzzles aren't absurd, they just miss the mark sometimes. Especially the very first one at the beginning. Still, I say take it in stride and stay for the charm.

The way the game portrays New York is adorable. You don't go to Central Park, but to a dog park near your apartment building. The story doesn't has you chasing cars along Fifth Avenue, but talking to your next door neighbour. You're introduced to the everyday lives of real people. Anybody living in a big city could relate.

Overall it's hard to recommend as a standalone game. At the same time, it's worth it as the first game in the Blackwell series. If like me, you learned about this one because of Unavowed, you should play it.

TripleLSupreme
TripleLSupreme

The Blackwell series consists of five games released over 8 years between 2006 and 2014. Each of them expand on the previous one and expand the story of Rosa and Joey.

This is the first in the series and sets a good foundation for the games to follow. You must help ghosts move on to the after life by finding out why they died and what keeps them from leaving. For the most part making inventory puzzles fairly straight forward and nothing too cryptic.

If you like point and click adventures, this series is a must play.

ETPC
ETPC

a fantastic start to a sublime adventure gaming series. rosa and joey's debut is a strong one that instantly sucks you in to an extremely (and very well-researched!) new york full of spirits who can't let go. from day one, the blackwell games nailed the mood and aesthetic, and it only got better from here. the puzzles were mostly pretty straightfoward but i couple times i had to look at a guide, which didn't impact my enjoyment of the games one iota. highly, highly recommend!

LaraLinkLee
LaraLinkLee

This game was pretty short. I completed it in about 3 hours. I really liked Rosangela (the main character). She was really cool and relatable. I can't say the same for Joey (the ghost), he was very unlikable in my eyes. Just a general jerk. The story was good and I liked the side characters as well. The gameplay was pretty typical of a point and click. Overall not a bad game. I heard the other games in the series improved a lot. I look forward to playing the rest.

GhoulScouts
GhoulScouts

This game is simple, but the story is great! I love the pixilated game design. The story is very creative, and I found a moment or two really trying to figure out one or two puzzles. I went through the game a whole second time with the commentaries on to have all the achievements. And it was fun to hear moments the creator was like "F making this part" or fun facts about the game and people he worked with.

Highly reccomend, and will move onto the rest of the series!

shino1
shino1

This is a very good, and very accessible adventure game. Easily worth the money. It has some rough edges and it's a bit janky, but I still recommend it without thinking for a simple reason - creator Dave Gilbert got way, way better at making adventure games later on... including in this very series, the Blackwell games. This game is good, but it's sequels are easily amazing and some of the best adventure game in history. And I still think it's worth to play the series from the beginning.

DJ Pashtet
DJ Pashtet

Even though this particular game can feel rough around the edges, it certainly has its charm. More importantly, it's just an opening chapter to an excellent series of games that will take you to all manner of places — spiritual, emotional or otherwise.

The game is quite short, one evening should be more than enough to cover it. And I rather like it that way, honestly! As games in this series progress, they become both better and longer, which is nice. :-)

All in all, I enjoyed this game. Main characters are appealing, dialog is well written, and the music is decent, if a bit overwhelming at times. Puzzles are on the easier side, especially in comparison to the LucasArts stuff. However, some of them could definitely feel a bit sluggish! If you get stuck, I would suggest using the same strategy that applies to classic quests — click on everything, try to combine stuff, talk through available dialogue options, visit all possible places. It will work out eventually. ;-)

[BYU]Vegetable
[BYU]Vegetable

Typically with a point & click title, you either rely on puzzles, story, or a combination of both to drive the player towards the end of your game. The puzzles in this game unfortunately amount to little more than exhausting dialogue options and trial-and-error combining of notebook elements to advance to the next area. Therefore the onus is on the story to entertain the player.

Framing itself as a murder-mystery detective story, it's the player's job to find out why a local college student has jumped to her death. Sadly the plot is one of the most banal and unmemorable stories I've ever seen in a murder mystery... ever. Every character met in this game reveals the entirety of their nature within the first couple lines of dialogue. There are no unique personalities to be found. No hidden intentions revealed through investigation. In fact, I can't recall a single line of memorable dialogue, humorous or thought-provoking, in this entire game. The plot fails on all accounts as a murder mystery and comes together as a a mere sum-of-its-parts story by the time the credits roll.

If you're looking for a puzzle game, look elsewhere. If you're looking for an intriguing story of betrayal and subverted expectations, look elsewhere. If you absolutely have to experience it for yourself, buy it on sale (at the time of writing, 70% off at $2.25AUD.) Otherwise give this one a miss.

Heartsalchemy
Heartsalchemy

I think that this game is great if you can tolerate that some of the puzzles are... not puzzles. Some solutions are very opaque. However the story was enjoyable and the entire game is very quick. I look forward to playing the other Blackwell games.

WOPR
WOPR

This game was great. I really enjoyed the atmosphere, voice acting, and story. Reminded me of the old point and click adventures I played in the 80's and 90's.

GOKU HARAM
GOKU HARAM

I bought this game based on a list of games for people who liked Syberia. It was a mistake. This game's puzzles were incredibly obtuse, often requiring you to randomly smash things together with barely-explained mechanics you use only once.

To boot, the sidekick you get is an annoying prick who treats every female character like an emotional idiot. Finally, the game's way to short. You get to the end of what feels like the prologue of a game only to discover that was the actual ending. This game isn't worth any amount of money, it's less complete and playable than many student projects.

bhaimovich
bhaimovich

A good but very short game (took me about 2.5 hours to finish). You might want to buy and play the rest of the games in the series for the full experience.

VK_Lethal
VK_Lethal

I hate to be the lone dissenting voice here, but I wasn't blown away by these. Don't get me wrong, the writing and voice acting is very good, and I DID finish the series. I just got sort of bored after a while.

The problem is that these are more interactive stories than adventure games. There aren't a lot of puzzles, and some of the puzzles that do occur don't make a lot of sense. There's a whole lot of clicking on dialog and listening to responses, especially in the first 3 games, and not a whole lot else. It is a matter of taste of course, but I'm not rushing out to get another game like this.

So, while these are very good for what they are, if you are fond of actual puzzles, you may be disappointed.

-=DVF=-De-Guvnor
-=DVF=-De-Guvnor

This is the first of the "Blackwell" series.

The series order is:
Legacy
Unbound
Convergence
Deception
Epiphany

I'm new to it - but a middle aged gamer who played Sierra back in the day. I'd rate this as "LucasArts" difficult, not Sierra.

For those that are new to point and click adventures, they involve elaborate puzzles, usually tied to inventory or dialogue. The downside of them is some puzzles only made sense in the developers mind. Back then, you needed to call a premium rate phone number and pay for answers to puzzles! No looking it up.

Sierra made most of their money from obtuse puzzles , and phone calls from a small minority of owners (sound familiar, free to play?)

To get around this, without having to pay - no puzzle is too "obtuse" , I'll put the game down and then come back a day later and click on every object in every room, combine every inventory item etc.

Anyway, you didn't ask for a history lesson! Is it a good game - YES
How difficult are the puzzles? 7/10 (with 1 being telltale games and 10 being Sierra)
Multiple endings - YES
Playtime - 5 hours ish for first playthrough.

Game as a whole, 7/10 - I've heard it's the worst in the series, so that's promising!

Would annoy Kelly again.

Mr.Android
Mr.Android

A pretty nice diamond. I finished the game in round about 3 hours. Every minute was worth it,

There are no illogical puzzles like many old Point&Click-adventures got them.

I am already excited about the other Blackwell-games. :-)

Mossy
Mossy

A fun point and click pixel adventure with a good story and charming characters. I look forward to playing the other games in this series.

Recommend!

greenraven22
greenraven22

A point & click adventure about a socially awkward girl who finds out she comes from a family of psychics and it's her job to solve ghost crimes.

A few of the puzzles can be frustrating and baffling but given that this was originally an indie project in the early 2000's I can let a few things slide. Overall it's a great narrative adventure and I'm looking forward to playing the other games in the series.

https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=2747330030

laudal
laudal

A great and short game. The characters is varied and good enough. Liked the two leads alot. The puzzle motly makes sense and is simple enough. The story is also good enough. Recommened if you want a good, and short puzzle/ detective type of game.

GeorgeBroussard
GeorgeBroussard

Late to the party but I really enjoyed The Blackwell Legacy. I read some of the complaints here on Steam and honestly, I don't get it. It's a narrative driven PnC game that's light on actual inventory puzzles. That's fine as it's a good enough story and short enough to be enjoyable. Just know that it leans more toward story and dialog and talking to people vs inventory puzzles. I definitely skew towards enjoying item/puzzle heavy PnC games and I enjoyed this game.

Combining notebook clues is seemingly what trips people up. You must combine notebook entries to create new entries and that will unlock progress in the game via more discussion topics or events with other people. So when you are stuck, start combining notebook entries, as you would inventory items.

I was surprised how well this game held up, being from 2012! Impressive and shows that in general a good story and voice acting supersedes most other issues. I thought the game was over a couple of times and it impressed me how there was a little bit more. So it ended very well and on a high note and exceeded expectations.

I would think that anyone who likes PnC games, has an attention span greater than 20 minutes and enjoys good writing and voice and who isn't averse to games that don't revolve about deep puzzles with inventory items, would enjoy this game. For $5 it's a steal and I think under priced.

I look forward to playing the rest of the series.

gabriela
gabriela

Like I told Dave Gilbert on Twitter, the Blackwell series is timeless and unique. The puzzles, the aesthetic, the 'detective' work alongside your witty spirit guide Joey Mallone are priceless. It's a story, and an adventure. A treasure waiting to be found. Highly recommend if you're a fan of the classic point & click. Quick note: To get the most out of the whole experience, try playing the series in order. Personally, I always start with Blackwell Unbound just because you get to experience the prequel and the foundation of the series!

choobs
choobs

As part of the greater Blackwell series, this is a great opening game. It introduces Joey and Rosa and the backstory and it's mysteries very well. As it's own game, there are some rough edges, and no one is more up front about that than Dave Gilbert himself in the "updated 5 years later" Commentary. There are definite issues with story structure, pacing and puzzle design, but none of them ruin the game by any stretch.

For a mid-2000's ultra-indie, the artwork is really good, the backgrounds, the sprites, but especially the character portraits. Ian Schlaepfer work starts strong and improves greatly in the third and fifth games in the series. I am a sucker for that early-to-mid 90's style pixel art and I think everyone involved did a great job with it.

As the start of one of the best adventure game series of era, I highly recommend the game. But even on it's own, I think the game is well worth your time. As is the always interesting and insightful commentary Gilbert gives on his games! The 5 year later commentary is especially good.

Eleutheen
Eleutheen

Enjoyable game, with an interesting concept.
But it's a bit short on it's own: It feels more like a chapter than a complete game.

DrakeGamer85
DrakeGamer85

A very good adventure game by the developers and a nicely made story. It's certainly worthwhile to try this out, and this makes a good entry in the Blackwell series.

adamakos.e
adamakos.e

WHOEVER thought that it is a good idea to lock an achievement behind a commentary is... i have no words to describe. the creator of this game either thinks he made the equivalent of beethovens 9th symphony or he has a tremendous ego and thinks that the world cares that a dog ate his sandwich or something like that. its awful.commentary simply awful. the game is nice though really, but you can not stand the guy, no way. nightmare.

Claricestarling
Claricestarling

Solid point-and-click with somewhat of a difficulty. Played through the whole series, before you know it, the characters will really grow on you. Only annoying thing is that Dave Gilbert insists you listen to his commentary for achievements for whatever reason.

OXY TheCrimsonBlur
OXY TheCrimsonBlur

The Blackwell Legacy is the first of 5 highly praised adventure games, developed by one of the torchbearers of the modern adventure game: Dave Gilbert's Wadjet Eye Games. But honestly, that's exactly what I'll remember most about my experience with The Blackwell Legacy: it's the first in the series, and required to play the rest. Now I haven't played the rest of the Blackwell games yet to know if it's as worthwhile as people say, but as a standalone game it's much weaker than The Shivah (which was released just a few months before this by Wadjet Eye).

Thankfully, it's a pretty quick and painless romp using the same AGS (Adventure Game Studio) engine that many of these games use. I only got stuck once, and that was because I didn't know you could right-click to inspect things (there's only one time in the game where that's relevant, and you need it to move on). There are a handful of annoying moments where I can see someone getting stuck, but for the most part it's pretty straightforward if you just use trial-and-error. I tend to like these games being easier (I find the harder they get, the more nonsensical the solution has to be), so this was actually a good thing in my eyes.

The main 2 characters are charming, and leave you wanting to know more. None of the tertiary characters have any depth in particular, and are pretty bland and one-note. The story in general is pretty standard; the type that you could have written up in 30 minutes as a short story in your spare time if you wanted. Really basic stuff. There's just nothing that captures your attention here; it's all very bland.

Like The Shivah, the audio isn't well captured but it's a bit better in this title than in that one. Everything is voice acted though, and for the most part it's well done. There's also developer commentary, which I think is a brilliant touch and I appreciate greatly, though frankly I'll probably not want to sit through the game again just to hear it.

All in all, I'd only recommend this game to people who want to play the rest of the series. I want to try Wadjet Eye's entire library, so I can't say it was a waste of time for me, but if all you want is a good adventure game, I'd probably look elsewhere. There are many that are more memorable.

Kyrrelin
Kyrrelin

As Roseangela Blackwell scatters the ashes of her recently deceased aunt Lauren and says her last goodbye, her life loses one of the few certainties she has. She returns to her home, unrecognized by most of her neighbors, where just the broken television and plastic plant are waiting for her. Her mourning has a short duration as she gets commissioned by her chief editor to write an article about a young student who jumped to her death from a dormitory roof. Even though she tries to be strong, all the stressful events of the day resurface as a painful headache. Instead of a well deserved rest upon her home return she is greeted by a ghost. His name is Joey Mallone and he is a spiritual guide of her family.
As Joey isn't going anywhere and is deeply connected to Rosa, she has to quickly find solid ground and start cooperating with him, because there is maybe something more to the suicide of the young girl… and as a medium she has the ability, and duty, to help the lost souls to move on.

The Blackwell Legacy is an adventure game focusing on investigation and combination of clues more than on simple item using (there still is some). Rosa makes notes about important facts in the case and to proceed you have to correctly combine these notes which will then open new talking options. Sometimes you can get stuck, because you tried to combine them too soon and later you didn't think about it again. In the end it works the same way as in any other point-and-click adventure when you get stuck - talk with everyone and try everything on everything. ;)
If you want you can learn more about Rosa's family from Joey. He won't share much though, as he has some painful memories on them too.

Highlights of the game are the well written characters, especially our main duo. I love how Rosa is an introvert, unsocial and somewhat lost when dealing with others. Her little smile when trying to play it nicely is just precious. Joey is more complicated and shows us the many sides of his personality, even the unpleasant one and I have to say that in some moments he gets rather scary. The voice acting is perfect and brings the characters to life.

The game won't take you long to finish, for 100% you have to play it once more with a commentary though. Totally recommend playing it after, because you can spoil yourself (surprise, right?). The commentary was also great fun, especially how the author apologized for many things in the game that he would do now completely differently (long talking sequences without anything happening etc.). I didn't really mind any of it though. The only thing that bothered me a little was the loud music at some points where the voices got muffled by it. Sadly, you can’t change it. Anyway, the commentary offers a great insight into the author's mind and shows us what kind of decisions were made in the creation of the game.
I have enjoyed it very much and can't wait to see how the story develops for Rosa and Joey.

Kayt
Kayt

What can I say, I like me a good point-and-click. Unlike others I’ve played (Nancy Drew, ABC Murders), there weren’t a lot of puzzles in this one; it’s more focused on talking to characters, directing conversations, and connecting information. I liked the story, I liked how we got the history of Rosa and her family revealed, the characters were interesting, and the voice acting was all good.

It can be finished in just a few hours, but I enjoyed the option to replay it with commentary enabled. I appreciate the warning in the game that turning it on would definitely spoil plot points, and I discovered when I enabled it that it also (understandably) interrupts the flow of the story, so doing a second go-round to get all the fun background information and commentary is definitely the way to go.

Bloodwit
Bloodwit

Absolutely. Good start to an even better series. Anyone with even a passing interest in narrative adventure games will find something to love here.

Mandrew
Mandrew

Great point & click adventure game.

th0ma5
th0ma5

A good point and click adventure mystery game with nice writing and voices. The game is fairly short and can be completed in about 5hrs but it's a good story and definitely worth playing if you're a fan of point and click games.

hardyzgirl
hardyzgirl

I found this a really enjoyable point and click game. I enjoyed the pixel graphics and I thought the puzzles were easy enough that you won't need a strategy guide. I really enjoyed the plot, and I'm looking forward to where the series goes from here.

Anonymous
Anonymous

I started playing it with high spectatives, knowing this series is very well regarded in the point'n click comunity, but, while I admire and want to support indie developers, I have to say I didn't particularly enjoyed this game.

I found the two protagonists unlikeable and couldn't really empathize with them.

Most of the the puzzles, though simple and maybe with a good idea behind them, felt weird and clumsily executed.

The voice acting was good, but the recording had quite a bit of technical errors (poping or maybe saturation?)

I wanted to hear the commentary, but the game became very difficult to play with it activated. It's not like in other games, where, if there is relevant commentary associated with a particular place, you have an icon appear at the top and you can choose to hear it. In this game, if you have the commentary ON, the game gets suddently and very frequently interrupted with a big box that covers most of the screen and you have to hear it.

The backgrounds and animations were the best part.

GreyhawkXY
GreyhawkXY

Good: Nice story with a solid background
Bad: Short, some mechanics are clumsy. Puzzles are not so complex, felt like a visual novel with a linear storyline
Verdict: 6 - Good start to a series, but definitely not in a "best point-and-click adventures" list

ArcanaForceXXI
ArcanaForceXXI

Classic. A memory of the beautiful 2000s. And the AGS games era.

Ryder
Ryder

I'm finally getting around to playing these after they've been in my backlog for a long time.

This is a solid start to the series. The mystery is intriguing. And the narrative branches a bit more than you would expect from Lucasarts style adventure games. The notebook mechanic is an interesting way to handle most of the puzzles as dialog puzzles rather than relying on inventory puzzles. Though I did run into the old adventure game issue of knowing what I needed to do but missing the one slightly-illogical step that I needed to take in order for the game to allow me to do it.

The protagonist Rosa is a bit unlikable at the start. I sympathized with her situation but she comes off as so aggressively anti-social that it takes a while to warm up to her, which feels like the point but you kinda have to push through the early stuff before the interesting ghost medium plot takes hold.

Pretty short 2-3 hour playtime, so you could finish this in one sitting. Appreciate the audio commentary options for replaying. I will definitely play through the other 4 games in the series.

terrance
terrance

If you like story-rich, character-driven adventure games like I do, you'll like this game. I even liked the commentary. I don't know why I let this game sit in my library so long before playing it. Perhaps I was put off by the low res graphics, but I'm glad I gave it a chance. The puzzles aren't impossible to figure out, and there's no part of the game that gets you impossibly stuck, like some games. It was very satisfying, because there was a balance between puzzles and story. (Admittedly, I'm more interested in story. Plus, I like games I can actually finish, rather than giving up in frustration.)

SlusheeWolf2 (That jRPG Wolfo)
SlusheeWolf2 (…

PLEASE BUY THIS GAME, it is the first one in the Blackwell series.

It took me about 3 hours to finish, but the story is amazing, and the game gives you a bunch of choices, and they do feel like they matter. One of the best stories in a video game, because the lead up to "Joey" was one of the best written ways to introduce a character. Play with a guide, because some of the puzzles are kinda cryptic. My biggest gripe with this game is that you cannot Alt+Tab, otherwise the game kinda draws over everything. In order to play this one with a guide, I reccommend a second device.

I can't believe this game, because it was that good.

Jaiph
Jaiph

Decent if short point n' click. Interesting story and characters, a few obtuse puzzle solutions though.

MrYourMum
MrYourMum

Not Quite There

The Blackwell Legacy is the second game ever published by Dave Gilbert’s personal game development studio Wadjet Eye Games and is a start to their arguably most recognised IP. It was warmly received by the critics and general audience alike when it was released back in 2006.

But frankly - it is not that great.

The whole shabang vibes a freeware game - not horrible but not quite there yet, especially if you are comparing this game with the studio’s later releases - both developed in-house and external productions.

The pixel art execution is mediocre - inconsistent pixel sizing, botched perspectives, uneven attention to details, colour palette irregularities, floating characters (one can notice it all right off the start - just compare the bridge foreground with the skyscrapers in the distance). This observation applies to the characters’ designs too - the art style varies greatly between the dialogue avatars, the NPC sprites, and the depictions in the photographs.

The sound design is lacking - there’s almost never any ambient sound and the OST quality is shockingly uneven: some tunes are an absolute delight (the main theme) and some do sound like they were made by a kid playing around with FL Studio 6. There is also no option to mute the music.

Main character’s (Rosangela) voice-over is poorly executed - not convinced for a bit, closest it sounds to is the modern automated text-to-speech applications: almost like a real human but the intonation is just a tad off, the passion is just a sliver less powerful than it ought to be.
Curiously, Joey’s cast did a marvellous job.

The graphics are very stretched and blurry on the modern Retina monitors - over the years, they could have implemented an option to change the in-game resolution, at least up to 720p. Obvious aesthetic issues aside, this makes the hand-written notes tedious to read.

The most important flaw, however, and that’s a critical one, considering that The Blackwell Legacy is an old-school point-and-click adventure game, the story is boring.
There are no memorable characters, save for the otherworldly detective lad; it is very short; the murder case is non-engaging; the interactions (bar Rosa - Joey) are bland.
Additionally, it did not feel like I was actually doing any detective work - there is not much to find, the notepad observation system is very simple and non-varied.

Finally, puzzles are non-existent and there are not many options for interacting with the surrounding world.

Verdict: grab it on sale if you absolutely must and are a huge fan of Wadjet Eye Games and, most importantly, Dave Gilbert himself. Otherwise, it is not worth the time - not particularly terrible, just average and dull all around.