A Torturous Trip Through a Bleak Future
I Have No Mouth, and I Must Scream is a remake of a 1996 point-and-click adventure game based on a short story by the acclaimed sci-fi novelist Harlan Ellison. Ellison is an author who worked on episodes of Star Trek and The Man from Uncle in the 1960s and whose body of work is enjoyed and admired by sci-fi fans everywhere.
He also co-authored the 1996 point-and-click version of this game and now we can experience an updated version, 30 years later.
So let’s examine how it holds up and enjoy I Have No Mouth, and I Must Scream.
Controlled Suffering
The narrative found here is based on the short story, taking place in a bleak future where the world is controlled by an AI entity called ‘AM’. Humankind has been wiped out, apart from five individuals who the entity has been torturing for the last 109 years. Like a version of hell, it devises scenes and stories based on each of the character’s fundamental flaws and fears.
At the start of the game ‘AM’ has devised a new story for each of the five survivors and it’s up to you to choose which one you want to experience first.
Five Souls in Torment
There is Gorrister who is racked with guilt for having committed his wife to a mental institute and has no heart. Benny is an army type who got his whole squad killed. Ellen is facing the dark trauma of her past. Nimdok is an ex nazi doctor and finally, Ted is a charming con artist who is terrified of being discovered as a fraud.
Each of these characters’ journeys takes you to different environments where parts of their story will be revealed, as are their neurosis and fears. It’s an interesting and horrific take on the world in moments and there isn’t a laugh or a bit of light to be found in any of the stories.
But that’s not to say they are not fascinating. They are, but you’ll want to prepare yourself for some hugely depressing moments. It’s good to remember how games like this in the 90s came out, taking gambles with the source material and stories, unafraid to take a risk.
Point-and-Click into the Abyss
I Have No Mouth, and I Must Scream is an old-fashioned point-and-click adventure. Situated in a top box on the screen is the action, where you see the environment and the character walking along, interacting with things. In a lower box, is a list of commands to instruct the character, with the likes of “look” “use” or “swallow. In another box next to it is an inventory of items that you collect along the way.
What it all means is that you need to go picking the right combination of commands with the action, or use the inventory with each other and other items on the screen.
It’s very much a 90’s UI, quite similar to games like Monkey Island and other LucasArts games from that era. It is strange getting used to those controls again and not the easiest to put your mind into gear with. And there’s no doubt that the puzzles and solutions themselves can be tricky to work out at times, quite obtuse. But the nature of the experience outweighs the troubles I had with the gameplay.
Retro Horror
The visuals come with a definite retro look, especially in terms of how the game is presented on screen. It fills the whole TV screen, separated into boxes as discussed above. But I like the feel of the game as it reminds of the older days of gaming. On the flip side, it can be annoying when trying to find the smaller details.
Alongside those visuals is a good soundtrack, full of dystopian vibes that run throughout. The game is fully voiced too, and the actors do a decent job, even if that does still feel like something ripped from decades gone by.
A Bleak but Bold Journey into the Mind of Madness
I was surprised by the depth of story found in I Have No Mouth, and I Must Scream, and how adventurous it feels for a game to take it on. A bleak tale, sometimes a bit depressing, there is still something very unique about it. The gameplay and visuals are nothing but old school, but that will appeal to fans; especially those in love with retro gaming worlds.
Your Links
A Sick Game Awaits in I Have No Mouth, and I Must Scream on Xbox, PlayStation and Switch – https://www.thexboxhub.com/a-sick-game-awaits-in-i-have-no-mouth-and-i-must-scream-on-xbox-playstation-and-switch/
Buy the game from the Xbox Store – https://www.xbox.com/en-gb/games/store/i-have-no-mouth-and-i-must-scream/9nnjpb2phcj4
I love the bleakness of this game. Like system shock it’s something I was dying to play for years.
I am not disappointed even decades after its release. Although, as Gareth, the controls have aged… and so have the game mechanics. Making it almost impossible to finish it without a walk-through (how are you ever going to find doors that are in a blind spot, a fork that’s 3 pixels wide, etc.).
Nevertheless, I miss all the old games that were about fun over performances. Luckily Night Dive delivers (can’t wait for Outlaw and Blood to hit the console!). If they could bring us one of the old FMV (Toonstruck, Phantasmagoria…) that would be good too!