The Blackwell Deception

It's seriously one of the best adventure games I've played in years that has words in it (I'm looking at you, Machinarium). It doesn't just tell a good story, it's tightly plotted too.

The Blackwell Deception presents a solid and satisfying mystery to solve, enjoyable and logical puzzles and loads of well-written, believable characters. The result is one of the best adventure games of recent years.

If gamers want a new point-and-click adventure to sink their teeth into, Blackwell Deception gives all the features that they are most likely looking for.

Blackwell Deception proves that adventure gaming is far from giving up the ghost. [Christmas 2011, p.70]

Blackwell Deception has some good ideas and it's refreshing for a game to deal with ghosts and psychics in a way that's not entirely shallow. The script is at its best when it's disarmingly sincere, as the attempts at humor are hit and miss. It's just a shame then that the story is as old-hat as Joey's fedora.

Weak intrigue is a traditional soft spot of the Blackwell adventure games. The investigation is predictable, and all of our burning questions are answered in such a dull, ridiculous manner that all build up flies out the window.

Blackwell Deception will appeal to point'n click lovers: the puzzles are solid without being frustrating, the characters duo and story are nice. If you didn't know about the game, don't hesitate to start from the beginning of the series. The only shortcoming: it lacks a good artistic direction and some ambition to give it a real touch.

Excellent continuation of the series. But the walk-cycle animation is pretty bad. RECOMMEND.

Good value and enjoyable. This series always pleases. The designers clearly love and are inspired by the classics. Will continue to look for games in this series.

Effective voice acting and a gripping story in a unique milieu makes for an above average game for those willing to tolerate it's 'classic' graphics and sometimes regrettable puzzles. The fourth installment (the ending makes clear there will be more) in the Blackwell series has the most comprehensive and well-plotted story so far. The biggest downfall is the sometimes obtuse puzzles that require to you to possess constructive knowledge of certain items technological capabilities from out-of-game sources. The puzzles have always been one of the weaker aspects of the series but in Deception they can real roadblocks. A walk-through is handy simply because it helps keep the pacing of the story alive. But the hallmarks of the series remain: good voice acting, unique characters, and an unconventional story make for genuine immersion and entertainment. If you haven't played the series, I suggest you start at the beginning with the Blackwell Legacy.

The score refers to the entire serie, single games score would be one point lower, but all together they gain value. Classic point and click games with very little innovation. The pixel graphic is nice, the story is good and the setting is fascinating. Gameplay is very simple, a few puzzles are a bit obscure and you don't receive many hints about them. Starting from the second game you can also use the second character, and while what you can do is limited, it's a nice addition. The games last few hours (except maybe for the last one) after which there is no replayability. You'll be entertained by them but it only makes sense to play them in a row since the plot is connected. Suggested only to the fan of the genre, play the first one and decide if you want to know what happens next.