Dark Fall: Ghost Vigil

What can I say? Another amazing Darkling Room horror-adventure game. Like all those prior, it has its ups and downs, things that could have been better, but also amazing moments and puzzles that you actually enjoy figuring out and feel really smart once you have. I totally recommend it, especially if you've played the previous Dark Fall games (this is an enormous improvement with respect to Dark Fall 3), the Lost Crown (many easter eggs here), and Barrow Hill games (not from Darkling, but close enough, some easter eggs in here too).
This one leans much more into the ghost hunting business, which makes it stand out, but can also get tiring eventually (too many gadgets to use in too many places, especially if you don't follow a walkthrough and try to find all secrets on your own). You have way less pixel hunting than previous Dark Fall games, but also less well made in-game clues. which can lead you to check a walkthrough every now and again. It's a shame, because very small in-game hints would have made a huge difference, and while this was perfectly done in Dark Fall 1, they seem to have missed the mark in all the subsequent Dark Fall games, including this one. However, story-wise, this is probably the best one, going way deeper into the Dark Fall lore, with a story-line that links various past events (from different times) and ties them together perfectly. It also heavily connects with the Lost Crown, and when the sequel finally comes out (eventually, someday, hopefully xD), its bound to make it all the more rewarding, Puzzles are mostly great, although, like I said, some tiny hints would have gone a long way. Another thing which I feel was better in Dark Fall 1 is the non-linearity: while there's some of it here, it's a lot more linear than its predecessor, making it a little bit more run-of-the-mill. However, the atmosphere and scripted events are astoundingly good. Graphics-wise, it's by far the best one. If future DF-TLC games are like this one, then wow, we're in for a treat (again, someday, hopefully).
It took me a long time to get around to playing this one, because I didn't want these games to be over. They have finally released another game last year, Incubus, and so now I have one more to look forward to. I'll likely play that one soon, and run out of games, but I'm definitely satisfied after playing this one, and can now wait a few years until another one is released :D

This is my second Dark Fall game. I skipped 2 because of the hassle of getting a game that old to run, though I might go back to it. Both games have similar problems, but also similar charms.
The good part about both games is the atmosphere, which is top notch. This is a rare horror game where the locale, though not particularly large, actually gets creepier as you traipse back and forth to solve the puzzles. The sound design is mostly excellent, though sometimes the sound effects overwhelm the voices to the point of making them unintelligible, and there are no volume controls. But it's still fun to roam around the mansion, poking into library books and finding clues in every nook and cranny. This isn't a game with big expanses of nothing, you need to look EVERYWHERE and there's plenty to see.
The clues, though! Often times it would be clear what a puzzle was asking for, but fuzzy on how to solve it. I quit trying at the girls' dormitory and did the rest of the game with a guide. The puzzle is clearly laid out by a ghost recording: "rank games from fave to least." There are some score sheets and some games lying around, and you can match the kids' drawings to the games and the games to the sheets. For each game, each girl has a score made up of tally marks, asterisks, or X's. So...are they ratings of how fun the game is, or scores, as they first appeared? How can I use a bunch of random markings to rank four games for five kids? I still don't know. The boys' dorm puzzle was almost as bad. I hope these kids all grew up and became cryptographers for MI6. Or maybe I'm just dumber than a fifth grader.
The other ding I would give the gameplay is that the entire premise is built around recording ghost activity. You have a video camera, a tape recorder, and a tablet with a camera. But you can't take pictures with the tablet, even though it would be extremely helpful as you collect your clues. Many audio clues don't repeat or are inaudible, but you can't use your audio parser (an otherwise fun minigame) on them. You can't record or review any scenes you saw with the camera. When the final puzzle of the game involves putting together runes inscribed on the exterior windows of the house in an order dictated by paintings scattered around the interior, just let me take some damn pictures already!
The little ghost-hunting minigames were fun, and I loved exploring the mansion. The puzzles were frustrating, but that wasn't enough to make me dislike or even not recommend the game. It's still a spooky night in a very haunted house.

My first introduction to Darkling Room point-and-clicks was with The Lost Crown, and that quickly became my favorite game, and it's actually a comfort game I go back to every year (I'll have to write a review for that one too - I rarely write reviews but I feel this lot of games definitely deserve it).
I came upon this game a week ago and was really excited to play it. Upon hopping in, I was excited to hear familiar voices and was intrigued with the location. I also noticed the gameplay has changed a bit in a positive way adding something cool and new - gadgets! It reminded me of Phasmophobia with using the EMF, night-vision camera, Spiritbox and so on - loved it.
The story is engaging and keeps you wondering about what's going on and wanting to keep going to learn more. The puzzles are a good challenge - there were some moments where I was utterly stumped though of where I was supposed to go next and then looking a bit about the part I'm at I go "Oooooh, I honestly would of never of thought to go back there again" - but hey, that's all good.
I love the amount of detail that went into everything and especially loved all the little nods at previous games - some of them my face lit up right away in recognition.
Overall, I loved the game and appreciate all the hard work the dev's and everyone involved has put into it all. Looking forward to future releases!

Cannot play as mouse icon keeps moving from left to right and will not stay still. Can anyone tell me how to sort problem out, have deleted and reinstalled game. Which did not sort problem

I enjoy these games very much. I'm not into shooting and hunting and freaking out kind of games. Dark Fall and all involved are for my taste in games. JUST WONDERING WHEN BLACKENROCK IS EVER GOING TO BE RELEASED. I'VE BEEN WAITING FOR SEVERAL YEARS.....WHAT THE HELL GUYS.