| The Black Mirror | |
|---|---|
| Developer(s) | Future Games |
| Publisher(s) |
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| Engine | AGDS (Advanced Graphic Development System) |
| Platform(s) | Windows |
| Release date(s) |
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| Genre(s) | Adventure; horror |
| Mode(s) | Single player |
| Rating(s) | ESRB: Mature (17+) PEGI: 12+ |
| Media/distribution | CD (2) / DVD (1) |
| System requirements
Windows 98/ME/2000/XP |
|
The Black Mirror is a third-person point-and-click horror adventure game developed in 2003 by Future Games, a Czech company. Its original name is Posel Smrti (Death's Messenger). The game features 150 locations and 5 hours of spoken dialogoue. A sequel, Black Mirror II, was released in 2009.
Contents |
Black Mirror is the name of the ancestral manor of the Gordon family located in England. Samuel Gordon is forced to return there after 12 years absence following the death of his grandfather, William Gordon. Despite occurring under mysterious circumstances, William's death is considered a suicide by everyone except for Samuel. Plagued by sudden nightmares and excruciating headaches, Samuel is determined to find the true causes of his grandfather's death. The exact cause of the death was the fall out of a window. Soon, strange and unexpected deaths occur. Samuel's investigation reveals that his grandfather has interests in the "world of darkness". The quests of the game lead to "Dark Mirror", a portal to an unknown world. This portal teleports him to the top of the Gordon's castle from where he falls as his grandfather and dies. Elements of black magic are obvious at the final chapter. The "Dark Mirror" is depicted as a book on a pentagram. Samuel must use five keys on each of the five corners. He also sheds his skin with a knife, in order to open the portal, pouring some blood on the book.
The game is divided into 6 chapters:
The game's reception has been mixed. While most critics praised its dark atmosphere - created mostly by meticulously drawn backgrounds, music, ambiance and realistic animation and sound effects - the quality of the English voice-overs was unsatisfying to many. Other points of criticism include the game's rigid linear structure, pixel hunting elements and, most especially, the game's ending.
German-based Cranberry Production developed a sequel, Black Mirror II, in 2009. It takes place in the 1990s, twelve years after the original game. Solitary Darren meets the cute Angelina while he is working at the local photo shop of Biddeford, a small town in New England. Angelina also catches the eye of Darren's despotic, unpopular boss. To add to the mystery, there seems to be a third person interested in Angelina — Darren sees someone chasing her. He decides to investigate these incidents, and his research soon lead him to several locations, such as the small English village of Willow Creek that players will know from the first game.
A second and final sequel by Cranberry Production, Black Mirror III, was released in 2011.[1][2]