Black Mirror

Story and atmosphere make the new Black Mirror worthwhile, but the reboot of the series lacks gameplay substance.

Black Mirror is a very traditional adventure game. It has some remarkable moments in its narration and puzzle parts, yet boring pace, terrible characterization, clumsy mission design, and tons of bugs have destroyed the experience of the game. But of course, considering we barely can see this kind of games nowadays, we still recommend you give it a try, if you are a big fan of AVGs.

With a wonderful story and a great voice cast Black Mirror tries to provide a fresh and original take on the adventure genre. Unfortunately, a myriad of technical and artistic problems keep it far away from its objectives.

Despite the gripping story and the intriguing mystery, Black Mirror has a lot of software issues that detract from the enjoyment of the gameplay experience. I can’t help but feel that if the game had been designed from the get-go with a more Book of Unwritten Tales type control scheme and gameplay experience, most of my gripes would be dealt with. If you play games for their story, then do play Black Mirror. Just beware that you will have to suffer through the gameplay to get to it.

Some great puzzles and interesting situations can't entirely make up for Black Mirror's shortcomings. [Issue#269, p.59]

Black Mirror is a difficult game to recommend. The story falls flat, characters are forgettable, and exploration is tedious because of poor environmental design and wonky camera angles. Despite a few clever puzzles, this emotionless journey into gothic horror left me with more questions than answers.

KING Art's take on the series was supposed to introduce it to a new generation of fans, but as things stand, it would be better for those interested in it to get the older Black Mirror games, as the reboot is marred by a variety of issues that prevent from being a memorable experience. There is a decent adventure game hidden somewhere beneath the mediocre writing, bland characters, and technical issues, but it would be better to look elsewhere to get a better experience.

It's scary. Unfortunately not in positive terms.

After The Book of Unwritten Tales series, Black Mirror feels like a clear step back for the developer King Art Games.

The original game was akin to an epic novel. The remaster feels like an abrupt, kitschy fanfic.

It is mind boggling how the team behind such a gem like the Book of Unwritten Tales, could take a great series like Black Mirror and release such a poorly designed game. Clunky controls, poor animation, short length, frustratingly many loading screens and an overall lack of polish make us wish the Black Mirror had remained buried underground were it belonged.