The evolution of game design in this day and age of CD-ROM, 32 bit technology seems to be moving along at a pace slower than it should be in too many respects. Witness the genre known as Full Motion Video games, or, as some tend to shamelessly call them, Interactive Movies. And on the 3DO, they aren't hard to find. From the classics of the genre like Dragon's Lair and Space Ace to American Laser Games' numerous gun games, Digital Pictures many attempts, and the recently released The Daedalus Encounter. And, of course, Panasonic's other FMV release, D, which is one of the most interesting attempts at the genre in a while.
D could be seen as a sort of stepping stone between the simplistic screen update system used in Myst and the free scrolling environment that made games like Doom all the rage. In actuality however, the game's engine is essentially the same as Myst, except that when you move to a new location D plays a pre-rendered movement sequence that gives you the impression that it's you lumbering through the game's horror-themed environment. The graphics in D are all computer rendered and look fantastic. The atmospheric sound effects and music were done equally well and combine with the game's visuals to give a very suspenseful and involving play experience.
And the only reason why D works at all is because the designers at WARP (the same folks in Japan who brought us Trip'd) had the intelligence, competence and visual style to make the full motion video that makes up the game so involvingly watchable. From a cinematic standpoint, D's visuals were done right--the camera angles, the viewpoints at any given time, the lighting, virtually everything in the game suggests a lot of planning and competence from someone who knows how to effectively utilize the skills of a true filmmaker. So, without a doubt, on a visual and stylistic level, D is a successful venture.
But there are trade-offs for choosing style over substance as consistently as D does. First off, as the intro in the manual tells us, the designers wanted D to be a movie-like experience, so they purposely didn't include either a save option, or even the ability to pause the game. The lack of just one of these very necessary options in a game would have been unfortunate, but both? D has no options of any sort and I would have really preferred a way to speed up the game's slow pace.
Since D must be completed in one sitting, be prepared to knock out at minimum a little less than an hour to complete it and probably well over an hour until you know how to negotiate all the puzzles. The game has a two hour time limit, though even when first playing I never had a problem beating the clock. The bottom line is that D just isn't a very challenging game--especially considering that you really can't die. The time limit is your only concern--that and the fate of your charge in the game, Laura.
D's storyline in conjuction with its very compelling, exquisite visuals are what will keep you involved. D opens with a brutal mass murder in an LA hospital. The murderer is one Dr. Richter Harris, the well respected director of the hospital. You play the role of his daughter, Laura, who enters the hospital to find out what could have possibly turned her father into such a monster. And as horror premises go, D starts out great and keeps its tension and mystery level very tight throughout. My main complaint with the story is the meaning of the "D" of the title. I know I couldn't help but groan when I found out and you probably will as well (it also makes the original title of game, D's Diner, unbelievably tasteless).
D is a game that works solely on its presentation and excellent sense of style and visual direction. The cinematic qualities of D make the weaknesses of the title as an actual game less noticeable for at least the first few times you play it and there is no doubt that the game is entertaining and involving to watch. Unfortunately, its slow pace, lack of save and pause options, simple puzzles, and inevitable lack of complete control make it less involving in the long run than it could have been. As with virtually every FMV game ever made, D is all eye candy that in the end still leaves you hungry. But, in its defense, D is some of the finest eye candy ever put onto a CD.
