Phantasmagoria 2: A Puzzle of Flesh (PC)

GameSpot editors' review

• CNET editors' rating: 1.5 stars Poor
  Detailed editors' rating
  Overall score: 3.7 (1.5 stars)

• Reviewed by:
  Ron Dulin
• Reviewed on: 12/10/1996
• Updated on: 05/02/2000
• Released on: 11/30/1996
• Originally published on GameSpot: Phantasmagoria 2: A Puzzle of Flesh (PC) Review

Sierra's Phantasmagoria, the company's first foray into the world of full-motion video adventure games, met with mixed reactions. While it was a big hit commercially, reviews - both from magazines and from players - were incredibly divided. Sierra's second attempt at combining their classic game formula with film sequences was The Beast Within: A Gabriel Knight Mystery, which fared much better and was among the best adventure games of 1996. With its extraordinary story creating a truly suspenseful and frightening experience, The Beast Within made up for the mediocrity of Phantasmagoria.

Unfortunately, The Beast Within didn't mark the beginning of a positive trend. Phantasmagoria: A Puzzle of Flesh takes giant steps back, both as a game and as an interactive experience. The film quality is far superior to either of its predecessors, but technical achievements don't amount to much when it seems like the story was written for the Halloween issue of a junior high school newspaper.

First, the game - or at least what semblance of one there is. Classic Sierra puzzles are few and far between here, and the few that do exist are far beyond the realms of reasonable disbelief. I can only explain by example, so here goes: At the very start of the game, you must find your wallet. Okay, easy enough - it's under the couch. The couch looks like it weighs about 12 pounds, so what's the logical thing to do? If you guessed "have your pet rat crawl under the couch, then tempt her out with a granola bar," you were right on the money. The puzzles continue on at this clip, feeling tacked on and without purpose. What's worse, the game follows Sierra's traditional chapter-by-chapter structure, but the tasks you must complete each day rarely move the story in any direction. You must do things like show a picture of your family to a co-worker, who in turn makes some very general comment that does little to further the silly story and nothing whatsoever to further the game.

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