Downfall

About Downfall

Downfall is a horror adventure by Harvester Games, the creator of The Cat Lady, published by Screen 7 and released on Steam in February 2016. It is a new version of Harvester Games' 2009 point-and-click game of the same name, and that original is included with it in English.

There is nothing Joe would not do for his wife. To save their marriage he takes her on a romantic getaway to a hotel, and from there things go from bad to worse, and from worse to insanity. The store calls it a tale of love, madness and murder, and that is as far as it is worth knowing before you play.

You walk Joe through the hotel's lobby, corridors and rooms, examine what you find, talk to the people there and use the items in your inventory to move on. Along the way you decide how Joe responds: as a loving husband, a cold realist or a bitter sceptic. The game has simple controls, autosave and quicksave, and full English voice acting with Jesse Gunn, Isa And and David Firth.

It is drawn in the same stark, mostly black-and-white style as The Cat Lady, with red blood and colour breaking through, and the store lists it in the same series as The Cat Lady and Lorelai. The original soundtrack is by micAmic with featured artists. The developers stress that it is not recommended for players under 18, and the store warns of occasional graphic violence and strong language.

It suits players who finished The Cat Lady and want more of its world, and anyone who likes slow, story-first adventure horror about people coming apart.

How to play Downfall

1. Start a new game and follow Joe and his wife into the hotel.
2. Walk Joe through each scene and look for the things you can examine, call or use.
3. Talk to the people you meet and choose how Joe answers them.
4. Pick up items and use them from your inventory to get past what blocks the way.
5. Quicksave before risky moments; the game also saves automatically.

Tips

• Use the quicksave before trying something you are unsure of.
• Check every room you can reach before deciding you are stuck; items are often in an earlier scene.
• Think about what kind of man you want Joe to be and answer consistently.
• If you want the 2009 version too, it is included with the game, in English only, and is not supported by the developers.

Questions