Morningstar: Descent to Deadrock

Developer: Red Herring Labs | Publisher: Phoenix Online Publishing | Release Date: 2015 | Genre: Indie / Point & Click Adventure | Website: Official Website | Format: Digital Download

The merchant vessel, Morningstar, was supposed to be doing just another routine job, but instead, it is caught in the gravity well emanating from a nearby planet. After a crash landing that gravely injures the captain and kills a fellow crew member, it is up to you to patch up the ship and stop whatever is causing the gravity well. The good news is that there are other crashed ships on the planet, so getting replacement parts might not be too hard. The bad news is that nobody has ever returned from Deadrock, and the planet doesn’t appear to be as uninhabited as everyone thought.

If the name sounds familiar, then you probably played the original Flash version of the game, which was released in 2009. Descent to Deadrock is actually a remake of the original, made by the same team who decided to inject a bit more polish and release it as a commercial title. While this means that previous players won’t find much new content regarding the story here, newcomers can now enjoy the experience with vastly updated visuals.

Playing as Powell, the only crew member in any condition to do anything about the predicament, you must use your wits to escape the deadly planet. As the game is a point-and-click adventure, this involves collecting whatever items you can find and then using them to solve puzzles. What we really enjoyed about Morningstar is that all the puzzles are very logical and never descend into the obscure depths so often plunged by games in this genre. While this means the game is easier than a typical point-and-click adventure, it also reduces the frustration. It is very satisfying to figure out the puzzle solutions, and we never stumbled across any situations where we had to resort to the old “use everything on everything” approach that was sometimes required to make progress in these types of games. Hints are also available in the form of radioing the captain, but these are rarely needed.

Morningstar is played completely in first person, but instead of free movement, you are restricted to mostly static screens. This reduces the need to wander around everywhere and enables you to focus on the puzzles. The fact that all of the scenes are pre-rendered and lacking in animation does make it feel a little too static at times.

There are not that many scenes either, but each of the locations is quite interesting and very detailed. Compared to the original Flash version of the game, this version features new high-definition visuals as well as a couple of HD cutscenes. From what we can tell, there are also a couple of new locations along with some new puzzles.

The game also received some audio improvements and features a re-mastered soundtrack with about thirty minutes of music. The text-based conversations, with character headshots, have also been replaced with full speech. While the audio and sound effects are good, the voice acting leaves a lot to be desired. Neither Powell nor Novak, the captain, injects a lot of emotion into their speech, and considering the gravity of their situation, it does hamper the immersion. Interaction with the game is limited to pointing and clicking only, and the interface has been streamlined compared to the Flash version. Since Powell is wearing a suit, his helmet visor acts like an overlay, and interactive elements on the screen remain highlighted after you have moved your mouse cursor over them. This is very useful and ensures that there is no need for pixel-hunting. Your inventory is permanently displayed on the right side of the screen, and combining or using objects is a breeze. Moving between scenes is instantaneous and your handy map allows for fast travelling between previously visited locations. The game also saves automatically, but thanks to its short duration, most fans of the genre can complete it in one sitting.

The story might be a little clichéd, but we enjoyed it and would have loved to see more. Although slightly extended compared to the original, the story still leaves many questions unanswered and almost feels like it ends just when things start to become really interesting. Since the game is fairly linear, it also means that there is no replay value once you have finished it. We definitely had fun playing the game, though, and would love to see the developers do more with the setting or story in the future. Although the visual improvements are great, it might not be enough to justify a purchase for players who have already beaten the free Flash version of the game.