Phantasmagoria: A Puzzle of Flesh (PC) Playthrough
131A playthrough of Sierra On-line's 1996 horror FMV adventure game for PC, Phantasmagoria: A Puzzle of Flesh.
This video shows the original game running without any third-party patches under Windows 95 in 16-bit color. (It can also be played in Dos, but doing so limits it to 8-bit color, heavily degrading the video quality.) I've also included the alternate ending, which can be seen at 4:44:05.
Phantasmagoria: A Puzzle of Flesh is the follow-up to Roberta Williams's hit 1995 game Phantasmagoria ( • Phantasmagoria (PC) Playthrough ), but they're only connected by how they're both big-budget, multi-CD, horror-themed FMV point-and-click games from the same company.
A Puzzle of Flesh features a brand new setting, cast of characters, and plot with heavy sci-fi influences. You play as Curtis Craig, an introverted but likable twenty-something working for a small Seattle-based software developer. He has a bit of a dark streak running through him, as you'll come to see over the course of the next few days.
The creators were willing to wade into waters that make the original Phantasmagoria seem almost quaint in comparison. The story regularly addresses things like child abuse, mental illness, and divergent sexual proclivities, and it doesn't hold back on graphic spectacle. The RSAC Advisory rating on the front of the box isn't just there for show. This is absolutely not a game meant for children, but it doesn't veer too far into the cheap and gross. It stays firmly within the limits of an R rating, but it doesn't let the fact that it's a game stop it from exploring those limits. If you love straight-to-VHS horror flicks, it'll be an entertaining ride. If you're squeamish, this might not be the game for you.
Discussing the story and the shock sequences here would ruin the fun, but it does take you on a wild ride, and though it's not as successful as the first game was at creating suspense through a constant sense of dread, it has an oppressive vibe that's all its own.
Its production values are a big step up from Phantasmagoria's. The acting, special effects, sets, and the technology driving it have all seen major improvements. The leap in video quality is especially impressive. There's a lot more FMV packed on to these five discs than Phantasmagoria's seven, all running at a higher resolution, framerate, and color depth with fewer visible compression artifacts, and the soundtrack is all digital.
As long as you can forgive the absurdity of the final act (which comes out of left field and makes little sense, as if a large chunk of content had to be scrapped at the last minute), the sometimes hammy writing, and the low level of difficulty, Phantasmagoria: A Puzzle of Flesh makes for a gratuitous and fun bit of 90s horror gaming.
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