Lifestream - A Haunting Text Adventure

I am surprised that there are so few reviews for this VG text hybrid adventure game (mostly visual novel). For achievement hunters it’s a really good game to get 100% on and in one playthrough! I am used to other type of VNs on steam which requires tons of playthroughs to get every weird combination for achievements, thankfully not here. If you look at the achievements first they are very easy to figure out in game, for a couple you do have to find in game clues first before triggering said activity to be able to get them. I haven’t played the original lifestream, but this ended up being really engaging with not only the story but with traditional aspects of point n click adventure gaming re using items in inventory and reading journal/items you pick up for clues. Also in remembering when you are moving to different places what is at each place, so you can go back to it later (there is a map which helps but it’s not a transporter map.) There are two different modes of play...

I wasn't completely sure what to expect when I picked up this game, having never really played a text adventure of any kind before. But, now that I've completed it, I can safely say that pciking it up was a very smart move. If you're not used to this type of game then it might take you a few moments to get used to the controls and especially the navigation, but after 10 minutes or so, you'll be whizzing around the place without any issue at all. It's very intuitive and very simple, and there is a map screen if you suddenly find yourself a little lost. Graphically, the game is beautiful. The interface, the icons, the in-game images, all look very nice and professional. In terms of sound, the game presents a perfect mix of peaceful, melancholic and dramatic background music, all inserted at just the right moments, as well as enough sound effects to make sure you're always satisfied that things are being selected correctly, and that things are generally getting done the way they should...

Wow. What can i say. I didn`t expect that much from the game, but it totally flashed me. This game is a text adventure where you have to solve puzzles in order to continue. The interface is great and i also enjoy the music in the background. The tutorial is short and there are no enerving long explanations. It`s all pretty simple. But i definitely like the mechanichs. Well, i haven`t played long now, but i`m already excited to continue.

I suck at completing games, it happens very rarely. I suck even worse at writing reviews (I write them even more rarely). However, this game's story was captivating enough to keep me interested enough to complete it in two days AND to write a review. The review may suck, but the game didn't.

Ah, the classic text adventure. At first, I wasn't sure what to make of this, but at under $3 I decided to take the plunge. Having played the original point-n-click LifeStream - which I loved - from over 10 years ago by the same developer, I kind of felt that the developer was taking a step backwards releasing it as a text adventure. Within a few minutes of playing, however, my concerns vanished. The interface is solid and no worries about trying to type in the correct actions because you don't have to worry about that since you click on the options you want to do. From a purist standpoint, I think it lacks some of the creativity that came with playing a classic text adventure because you only have the choices that are laid out before you. You can't try something weird to see if the parser comes back with a witty response, for example. That can be a blessing or a curse, but the benefit is that the game does move forward at a pretty good pace. No need to worry about being stuck...

[h1]GUI-driven text adventure starts slow but good value for the money[/h1] Positives: + GUI-driven text adventure like the mid 90's + Very nice artwork (it's not HD, but it's in a style more like the 90's adventures) + Detailed story + About 8 hours of game play + Cost only a few bucks, even less if on discount Negatives: - Takes an hour to start getting into the plot (I almost gave up), you do much day-to-day priestly stuff without a clear plot hook - Some aspects of the characters backgounds are confusing at start Neutrals: -/+ The GUI means that you can only chose from certain actions, unlike a true text adventure where you can type anything into the parser (this makes it less frustrating to play but you miss some of the fun) -/+ You play as either a (presumably Catholic) priest or his son (who his incognito and claims to be his nephew) -/+ Some of the storyline choices you have to do are a bit far-fetched (which is why this style of game works better for fantasy worlds than a r...

Like a well done paperback mystery novel. Very comfortable.

This is the second text-adventure I played on Steam (the other one from a different developer), but the plot in this one completely sucked me in. The game tells a supernatural story about a son investigating his father's disappearance, with each chapter switching between son and father, present and past perspectives. The story starts slow, but the mystery and suspense gradually build up, culminating in a completely unexpected ending. I definitely recommend this to anyone who enjoys reading and likes adventure/detective games. Now I am going to check out the other text-adventures of this developer, hoping they will be as good as this one.

It starts a little slow - kind of seems like a text Catholic Priest simulator at first - but then the story opens up and you're swept along with the intrigue. I didn't realize how much I've missed text adventures like this. I really hope this developer releases many more similar text adventures - hopefully some in the light fantasy vein of the original Infocom classics - like ZORK and the ENCHANTER series. It has a definite Gabriel Knight feel to it - which isn't bad - but I can definitely see this format is ripe for many different genres of storytelling; i.e. murder mysteries, science fiction, fantasy, time travel and so forth. I used to write dozens of games like this myself when I was a teenager in the 1980's and playing Lifestream really made me nostalgic for those days of thinking up unique locations and devising interesting puzzles. I like it and want many more.

With a semi cheesy story that never winks and nods about it, it manages to charm you even with its semi ugly 3D stills. Combine that with a solid interface and an actual ending with no sequel hook nonsense like a lot of recent indie titles, I can recommend this.