The Curse of Rabenstein

Only the brave may enter...

Stefan Vogt, of Hibernated 1, has done it once again and released another brand new adventure game: The Curse Of Rabenstein. This story has us travelling through the Black Forest on a cold and eerie night! Somehow we managed to get ourselves lost and the coachman looks very worried so stops to rest the horses whilst trying to figure out his map. We get out to stretch our legs and notice faint lights shining from a distant village. Oddly, that place isn't on our map - or any map! Hmm, very strange, but I wonder if there's somebody there who might be willing to help?

I've spent a few hours over the weekend exploring the village of Rabenstein which has a captivating storyline and is easy to get into. Unlike Hibernated, this is a graphical/text adventure with gorgeous retro artwork to help represent the current location. This adds another level to the creepy atmosphere and I'm having a great weekend!

First, let's take a look at some early screenshots from my first attempts...

Has that coachman ever watched a movie? Look, I'll stay here and YOU go to the village!

The village actually appears very nice with a pub, church, and stables. What more do you need?

Lovely, so let's go and explore a little more...

Erm, I don't think it's a good idea to wander around a cemetery at night - esp naked!! ;-)

Hay, Hay we made it to the stables which are just what we needed...

Explore the horror!

Heavily inspired by the Level 9 games, playing is familiar using a two-word parser that keeps things simple to look, examine, search, use, and so on. For example, "examine bed", "search hay", "get shovel", etc/etc. Also, shortcuts can be used, so X will examine something, N will walk you North, and so on. Yep, all easy and obviously very intuitive.

There is something uniquely riveting about Rabenstein's spooky theme which captivates the imagination. In fact, I even had a pen and paper at the ready - but never used them which is very odd for me!! Why? Well, the locations are few but crammed with information and details to help you out so I feel novices (like me) will find Rabenstein a fantastic doorway into the genre. Stefan describes his game as more of a short novella, which I feel is not a bad thing whatsoever.

This is an exciting adventure to get stuck into. Don't believe me? Then check out these screenshots...

It's great to see that humour isn't lost amongst the "horror" theme of Rabenstein!

I knew it was a terrible idea to go into a cemetery at night!! What was I thinking?

Like an old Hammer House Of Horror!!

So far, my journey is currently going very well: I have figured out how to stable my horses (yeah, I know), booked a room at the Inn and chatted to the local villagers - they seem nice but spooked! Later, I heard a terrifying scream coming from the graveyard - so I ran back to my room at the Inn only to hide under the bed covers all night! Yep, that's me!

However, things were very different the next morning: the village simply wasn't the same anymore - many years had passed, all the people had gone and the forest was taking back the land. A tree had crushed the church but it wasn't long before I started digging up a grave and fondling a dead corpse - not something I had ever thought about doing before. Hang on, I can see a Manor on the hill so let's hope things get better after a good night's sleep? Hmm, I bet!

I'm a bit scared so should I dare give you a glimpse of the Silent Hill horror...

Hmm, that InnKeeper was too good to be true. All I wanted was a good night's sleep!

What?!! Everything changed when I woke up!

The CryptO'pinion?

I think this adventure will appeal to both noobs and hardcore adventures alike. The atmosphere is brilliant and I love how things can change so swiftly - very Silent Hill 'ish. Sure, the locations are few but they are stuffed with clues that make you sit back and think. However, nothing is perfect and I have quibbles: interaction with the villagers felt limited and I also wish the idea of an alternate village would have been used a lot more because it was brilliantly done.

I am really enjoying this adventure far more than I would have ever expected. It's like a Hammer House Of Horror in both style and stereotypical content plus the graphics are a massive bonus (I hope Stefan continues down this path in the future). A wonderful adventure and now I am excited to see what freakish horrors await me in the Manor!!

[My current progress] I finally made it into the Manor and there's a trail of blood. Oh, great!!

The Curse of Rabenstein is free to download!
* However, there is an option to donate a few quid *

I opted to purchase the boxed version with the goodies!!
I'm just like a (big) kid at Christmas :-)

Download | Donate | Buy the boxed release

Gaming like it's 1990 with a box stuffed full of quality goodies!