The first two chapters of Decay introduced a twisted world illuminated by stark, neon lights, and featured a slowly unraveling, brooding story centered around an amnesiac suicide victim, ghosts, a serial killer and that unforgettable decrepit doll. It should come as no shock to anyone that Part 3 is a lot like the previous two, which means it has more of everything that made the first two parts so enjoyable, along with a bit of what made them occasionally gratingly frustrating.
For those unfamiliar with the series, Decay is essentially a point-and-click adventure game from the mid-90s that was somehow buried in a time capsule, exhumed, and is being released in episodic format. Being the third entry in a series, this would make a horrendously awful entry-point, so definitely investigate the the first part (which was recently reduced to a modest $1).
There really isn’t all that much to say about Part 3 that hasn’t already been said about the first two parts. If you enjoyed their mixture of creepy-as-all-hell atmosphere and puzzle solving, then you should already be downloading this chapter. It’s a direct continuation of the story, and the puzzle-based gameplay remains unaltered. The puzzles are logical and satisfying for the most part, although one two seemed a bit too cryptic and will undoubtedly elevate your blood pressure.
Although Part 3 is similar to the first two parts, there are a handful of minor tweaks and improvements. The game opens with a rather strange segment where the player has direct control over the protagonist for the first time in the series. It’s a very scripted sequence, but it’s interesting to see the gorgeously detailed environment actually moving fluidly as opposed to merely in stills, and the laborious breathing of the protagonist does a great job of setting the tone for the game.
There are also a few graphical improvements that make the desolate, dreary rooms feel a bit more animated. Ropes sway, shadows shift and gurgle, and a handful of other minor touches really bring the whole environment to life. The game continues to be oppressively bleak and does a fantastic job of creating atmosphere through its dramatic pacing, flickering lighting and the always-superb soundtrack, but it does have a few random shock moments where something suddenly pops up to shock the player. The random scripted jump scenes kind of feel a bit cheesy and unnecessary, but they definitely add to the tension and I did rather embarrassingly yelp when one caught me off guard, much to the delight of my girlfriend.
What ultimately makes Decay- Part 3 so satisfying is that it finally sheds a bit of light on the story that has remained eerily mysterious over the first two parts. I don’t want to give anything away, but by the end of the this chapter most of the mysteries that have been building are finally woven together into a satisfyingly coherent narrative. The game peaks right as it concludes and leads into what will hopefully be the final chapter of this delightful foray into this nostalgic nightmare.
Visit the Xbox Marketplace to add a free demo of Decay – Part 3 to your Xbox 360 download queue.
Decay – Part 3 was provided for review by Shining Gate Software. It is available for 240 MS points ($3).
Please do not post spoilers or solutions to puzzles on this page. If you want to discuss spoilers and puzzles about Decay – Part 3, please visit Gamefaqs, or the developer’s site.
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