I Have No Mouth, and I Must Scream is a unique gem of a point-and-click adventure game. As an adaptation of the short story of the same name it uses the genre’s characteristic features - puzzle solving, slow paced gameplay and rich atmosphere - to tell a psychological horror story where the player must guide five characters through their own personal hell-like scenarios.
What makes it different gameplay-wise from other adventures is the fact that it was meant to be 'unwinnable'. In each character’s chapter you can fail at saving them from their mental torture, indicated by their psychological 'profile picture' on screen. Certain actions might worsen their condition, which makes the omni-present control of the antagonist that more terrifying. (You can re-try each chapter, though, and already completed ones stay that way.)
As someone who loves it when video games use the unique strengths of the medium to tell a story, I Have No Mouth, and I Must Scream does this in a really immersive way that connects the player with the characters to share their horror.
What makes it different gameplay-wise from other adventures is the fact that it was meant to be 'unwinnable'. In each character’s chapter you can fail at saving them from their mental torture, indicated by their psychological 'profile picture' on screen. Certain actions might worsen their condition, which makes the omni-present control of the antagonist that more terrifying. (You can re-try each chapter, though, and already completed ones stay that way.)
As someone who loves it when video games use the unique strengths of the medium to tell a story, I Have No Mouth, and I Must Scream does this in a really immersive way that connects the player with the characters to share their horror.