In my opinion, the key to a good mystery is narrative engagement. When the rules of a mystery – what investigators can and cannot do, who and what was where and when – are clearly presented to an audience, work within those limits to solve the problem. decided the case (a la any book by Agatha Christie, the queen ai-dun-it) became irresistible.
Conway: Disappearing in Dahlia View know exactly what its story, and specifically its protagonist, can and cannot do. Robert Conway could use his decades of experience as a private investigator to find the missing child Charlotte May Morgan, but what he can’t do is leave Dahlia View or get caught by the police. From his wheelchair, Conway watched his neighbors from the window of his second-floor apartment, occasionally descending into the quiet courtyard below to infiltrate his neighbors’ homes. Although due to his declining age or sheer arrogance, he is not as refined as he would like to think.
Within these parameters, Conway presents a classic locked room mystery, only the “room” is the vicinity of Dahlia View and Conway is unaware but already known to the audience, this happened before.
Conway’s neighbors know they’re under investigation – both by a nosy pensioner and police officer Catherine Conway, who is also Robert’s daughter. They also knew that Charlotte May’s kidnapper must have been among them, and at least no one seemed particularly worried about being arrested… for kidnapping.
Due to Conway’s limited mobility, he is unable to participate in daily search groups, but instead engages himself in a series of investigations divided into three parts: Observation, Search and Evidence. The first stage, Observation, is perhaps the most intriguing, as it involves some sort of classic spying on his neighbors from the bay window of his apartment. This is done through an engaging photographer, where a golden viewfinder identifies activity to watch out for on the street and adjoining apartments. Photographing a couple across the street arguing or an elderly widow sneaking into her own home is amusing, naturally contributing to the suspicion that a small fraction of Conway is grateful for Charlotte May’s disappearance, if only to give him something to do.
Next is Search, in which Conway uses a combination of stealth and charm to infiltrate his neighbors’ homes, with or without their permission. Once again, players are rewarded with an opportunity to explore the private lives of others and solve some rather simple yet satisfying puzzles. These range from cracking computers to setting up a beer keg and draining the basement, in addition to probably my favorite lock game ever (a combination of maze and Twister). manual based).
While things get a little more complicated as the game goes on, these puzzles usually keep the seas going – giving it just enough challenge to make you feel like you’ve accomplished something without a hitch. not too upset. It quickly becomes clear that whatever you can pick up, you should pick up, which keeps the game moving forward without having to go back and forth for the necessary items.
The last but most important stage of the investigation is Evidence. At this point, Conway presents each of its findings on a questionnaire, and it’s up to you to figure out how they all connect to reveal something your neighbors don’t want you to know.
All successfully combined. While the mystery of what happened to Charlotte May isn’t the greatest mind ever, in this genre I take it as a compliment. Instead of trying to throw the audience in the head with a turn that no one can see is coming (I’m still looking at you Heavy rain), Conway’s story makes sense. So if you pay attention, you can tell where it’s going before it gets there. Gameplay aside, the story stands on its own and could easily function like a novel or TV show without relying on delusional choice to draw you in.
That said, Conway makes the most of the medium while sticking to a linear plot. The voice acting was first class all round. Each character has a distinctive and memorable way of speaking, while maintaining a light yet serious tone throughout. Likewise, the art style has a semi-drawn, semi-realistic quality to it having an almost dreamlike quality. Each scene is presented from a fixed point of view, allowing for purposeful, cinematic shots. While this sometimes creates some navigation problems – especially in the later part of the game when the devs clearly want you to take Conway down a specific but not necessarily intuitive path. no need for a fully automatic cutscene – the overall effect is amazing.
All of that is interspersed with countless stretching shots of London’s distant skyline – out of reach, but just present enough to suggest that there’s a big world out there we’re gazing at. see only a small part. In that little snowball, there was Conway, constantly reminding anyone who would hear about his past life as a private detective. The game is well aware of the fine line between his past and the possibility that Conway is just a bored retiree and can do no better than eavesdrop on his neighbors. It’s never entirely clear, until the very end, if he digs up admitting guilt or petty private life scandals that he can easily blow away his enthusiasm for reliving the past. glorious day.
Conway has a sharp mind, but his neighbors are just as quick, and everyone has a secret. Even so, Conway manages to push through the weary surface of the more cynical roles of human nature often seen in today’s gritty crime movies. The inhabitants of Dahlia View may be selfish and short-sighted, but all mean well, or at least don’t actively seek to hurt anyone as long as they understand their ways.
All were collateral damage in pursuing their own narrow goals, and Conway’s motives were no different. He wants to find Charlotte May for her own good, yes, but, more than anything, Conway is racing against time, his body, and the police (with whom he refuses to collaborate for many years). case, despite the numerous opportunities to do so) from a desperate, almost obsessive desire to prove to himself that he is still the detective that can solve cases.
As Catherine suggests, you can try to pretend your actions don’t affect others, but there’s always a price to pay, and I wholeheartedly recommend that any lover of murder mystery seek understand exactly those costs for Dahlia View.
