Play With Vidal: Murder Most Taxing in "Within"

Vidal Tripsa plays some of Second Life's most promising games

Title of Game: Within
Rating: **** (out of 5)
Genre: RPG
Summary: Solve fiendish puzzles the Grid over, in order to peel back mysteries surrounding a notorious serial killer.
Price to Play: L$0
Estimated Play Time: 4 hours +
Where to Play: The Last Smile (Direct SLURL teleport)
Developers: MadPea Productions (contact Kiana Writer)

The second installment in MadPea's "point-and-click" scavenger series, Within plunges us into a bizarre and puzzling world of murder most foul. Newcomers to the game will learn of the first chapter's exploits at its start, finding that its debut Zodiac Killer met a gruesome end at the hands of someone far higher up the food chain. A trail of bodies had led the first round investigators to the killer's severed hand, and now we are set new puzzles to find out more about a shadowy organisation of killers known only as Within.

Once suitably introduced to the plot, I was invited through to a murky waiting room and the scavenging began in earnest. It is jarring to see a room like this inside our world of tooltips, flashing signs and notecard dispensers. We have in our inventories a seemingly endless collection of landmarks, documents and toys, but Within forces us to relearn the use of these inventories and to innovate, in a manner I've not seen so subtly employed before. Certainly, it brought to mind the likes of Myst and Crimson Room, games outside our native platform, more than other scavenger games I've seen yet on the Grid. I quickly began to forget the world outside; as I left the waiting room behind to scour the Grid at large, it wasn't just the HUD radar that had me imagining darker things. Was there more than the clues I sought that would be waiting for me in each hunt?

The task before us is simple; follow the clues, solve the puzzles, retrieve the keys. Once all Within's keys are in hand, the game will reveal a next location to you. It felt like quite a solitary experience to me, perhaps because exploring is at the core of the game, and so it can be a tricky experience to share with others. With puzzles as mysterious as these however, it is a pleasure to crack them with a solo effort.

As is common with many other of the Grid's fiendish offerings, those same puzzles will sometimes leave you with little choice other than to reach out for help, lest you tug your hair to shreds solving them. Add to that a HUD map which provides you with only very bare instructions on how to find the beacons you're looking for, and your hunt for Within's killer may start to turn sour. It is fortunate, then, that MadPea has a dedicated fan-base, many of whom are happy to swap spoiler-free hints. If you find yourself truly stuck, the MadPeas staff will also help out where they can, and it is this blend of tricky missions and a welcoming support base at MadPea's premises that had me feeling most upbeat about Within.

The quest to complete the puzzles can be taken in at leisure, perhaps one location a night, or you can attempt to complete them through solid graft. Don't be looking for an easy ride in Within, though. These killers want you to chase them, but they don't want to be easy sport for you.

Vidal is the Extropian author of Vidal's Dolly Realm, and is keen to explore games out on the Second Life Grid. If you have a suggested game for her, please feel free to send an SLURL and brief outline of the game to [email protected].

Comments

[dandellion Kimban]

this sounds interesting. I know where I'll be tonight.

[emptysea]

Kiana and her team make the best sl games ever...if anyone hasn't tried them yet then do yourselve's a favour and join the hunt :-))

[Mystery]

It took me quite a lot of time, and quite a lot of assistance, but I finally became an Assassin and was SO proud.
Kiana's games are a wonderful addition and distraction in Second Life.

[Lizzie Scaggs]

This sounds amazing, shame i will miss the launch, cant wait to get back and start the game!