"I Have No Mouth And I Must Scream" is one of Harlan Ellison's best and most re-printed short-stories, and arguably one of the best short-stories ever written. However, is the game as good as the short-story? Plot: The Allied Mastercomputer (or AM, for short) loses his mind, after being given limitless creativity and sequestered to a massive underground labyrinth. In his fury, he destroys all of humanity, except 5 people. After torturing them for over a century, AM becomes bored, and decides to give them a gift they've never received before: The chance to either kill themselves, or escape. However, they must relive some of the darkest days in their lives in order to do it.
Acting: The acting is very believable, and Harlan Ellison--as the voice of AM--is perfectly over-the-top.
Game-play: It's one of those point-and-click adventure games, only with a focus on ethics (and the human condition) that many similar games lack. AM throws many puzzles at the player, and most of them are not very easy (not as hard as, say, "Myst III: Exile", but far from too easy). To my knowledge, however, there is no multi-player; unlike most games these days, this isn't a down-side to the game (or most adventure games, for that matter).
Graphics: Considering that the game was made and released in 1995 (on CD-ROM), the graphics are pretty good. I've heard of many complaints, stemming from bugs and glitches, but I've never seen any.
Music: The music is pretty good; it's definitely above average for a non-"Myst" adventure game. It's also certainly above average, considering the mature-content. Speaking of which...
The Mature-Content: Naziism is the primary aspect of one part of the single-player campaign; it's as sad and terrible as one can imagine. Human sacrifice is also depicted, although, not in a very graphic manner. Rape is implied, but--fortunately--never seen (although, I've never lost during Ellen's campaign; it could be one of the potential "bad endings"). There is also some sexual content, although--if it were on television in America--it would probably only be rated "TV-14 S"; the sexual content is also by-passable, and is something you can choose to pursue or not pursue.
Differences Between The Game And The Original Short-Story: Bennys' character's back-story is somewhat different from the short-story; AM communicates with the other characters much more often; the original ending from the short-story can only be seen if the player loses towards the end of the game; there are some other things, but none of these differences interferes with the entertainment value of the game.
Overall: "I Have No Mouth" is a very unique game for its time, in that there's no clean, "scot-free" way to win the game. Mr. Ellison always stressed when making this game that it shouldn't be about winning, but rather about losing in varying ways with varying consequences. It's all about ethics, human dignity, and perseverance. It's excellently written, wonderfully acted, and very engaging. I give it a 10 out of 10!
Acting: The acting is very believable, and Harlan Ellison--as the voice of AM--is perfectly over-the-top.
Game-play: It's one of those point-and-click adventure games, only with a focus on ethics (and the human condition) that many similar games lack. AM throws many puzzles at the player, and most of them are not very easy (not as hard as, say, "Myst III: Exile", but far from too easy). To my knowledge, however, there is no multi-player; unlike most games these days, this isn't a down-side to the game (or most adventure games, for that matter).
Graphics: Considering that the game was made and released in 1995 (on CD-ROM), the graphics are pretty good. I've heard of many complaints, stemming from bugs and glitches, but I've never seen any.
Music: The music is pretty good; it's definitely above average for a non-"Myst" adventure game. It's also certainly above average, considering the mature-content. Speaking of which...
The Mature-Content: Naziism is the primary aspect of one part of the single-player campaign; it's as sad and terrible as one can imagine. Human sacrifice is also depicted, although, not in a very graphic manner. Rape is implied, but--fortunately--never seen (although, I've never lost during Ellen's campaign; it could be one of the potential "bad endings"). There is also some sexual content, although--if it were on television in America--it would probably only be rated "TV-14 S"; the sexual content is also by-passable, and is something you can choose to pursue or not pursue.
Differences Between The Game And The Original Short-Story: Bennys' character's back-story is somewhat different from the short-story; AM communicates with the other characters much more often; the original ending from the short-story can only be seen if the player loses towards the end of the game; there are some other things, but none of these differences interferes with the entertainment value of the game.
Overall: "I Have No Mouth" is a very unique game for its time, in that there's no clean, "scot-free" way to win the game. Mr. Ellison always stressed when making this game that it shouldn't be about winning, but rather about losing in varying ways with varying consequences. It's all about ethics, human dignity, and perseverance. It's excellently written, wonderfully acted, and very engaging. I give it a 10 out of 10!