Nosferatu: The Wrath of Malachi tells the story of the noble Patterson family who arrive at Castle Malachi in 1912 for the wedding of their eldest daughter. However, the groom is missing and, trapped in their rooms for the night, the Pattersons soon discover several unsavory secrets about their host, a wealthy Romanian Count.
Players take control of the Count's son -- Rebecca's husband-to-be -- and face off against hordes of vampires. Weapons include classic vampire-killers like holy water, stakes, and crucifixes, but the arsenal also incorporates the more conventional flintlock guns and muskets. The Castle of Malachi is huge, with hundreds of gothic-style rooms, real-time lighting, and a nonlinear plot that allows players to explore the castle however they choose.
This game captures all the elements of a classic horror flick straight to your computer screen and scared the living bejesus out of me more times than I could ever hope to count. Nosferatu: Wrath of Malachi, a product of Idol FX and iGames' warped minds, presents gamers with a first person shooter that quenches everyone's survival horror thirst.
Gameplay
As I said before, bring out some extra underwear, because this could get messy. This game scared me, I'm not going to lie. Sure - I'm a wuss, but I still enjoyed the game. Combining the key elements of survival horror in a first person shooter would seem an easy enough task, and a rather boring game, but add; random level generation, a huge level, and "smart" enemies and you have a rather potent combination for one hell a hell of a FPS.
The first thing that shocked me was the random level generation. The rooms move, damn! Similar to games like Diablo and other dungeon roamers, the levels obviously change and make for an interesting game when a room that you remembered in one part of the castle is now in another. Needless to say, I loved it and want to see more of it. Along with moving rooms, the castle itself is HUGE. Broken up into different wings and sections that can be unlocked with keys spread through the castle, beating this game isn't a piece of cake.
The enemies I think make the game - well I should say - the way the enemies come at you from anywhere makes the game. After clearing a room and going to another part of the castle, you would think it would be clear in the room again, boy was I screaming for a change of clothes when a vampire/monster thing jumped from the stairs and came lunging at me. Nothing is safe from monster generation points in this game; floors, ceilings, windows, caskets. ANYTHING is a potential breeding ground for a fanged beast of death.
Sound
WOW! The game doesn't lack in the audio department at all. In fact, I found myself wanting to turn the speakers off just so I wouldn't jump out of my seat like a little sissy. Using the tried and true formula of dropping a creepy music line in the background before something might happen, Nosferatu sucks you into its world in only a matter of minutes. From the beginning where you here someone scream and crash through a church window then fall to the ground below, the audio already got its teeth into you. The music in the game never seems to get annoying only because you were too concerned with something possibly jumping out of the floor/ceiling/window/casket/etc... to be overly concentrated on it. That and the fact the music changed every time you actually found an enemy, or they found you.
Graphics
The game graphically, is decent looking. Some of the objects are little blocky and it lacks graphical detail on say, the hole in the floor, the monsters, and other objects that could use a little "graphical cleaning up". Some of the gritty textures however, are needed and do add to game play. It's just that there is a fine line between gritty and just plain dirty, and at times the line is crossed a little more then necessary. Lighting in the game was right on target and created quite an atmosphere. Of course it made it even scarier for my pansy ass, but it added to the game play and the ever increasing load in my pants. So they get a thumbs up in that department at least. Overall, the graphics didn't really take away from game play, but they could have been better if a newer engine was used.
Conclusion
This one is a keeper. I loved its originality and thought process. Sure the graphics weren't the greatest, but with dead on audio and an amazing premise for a game, it just can't be beat. Idol FX and iGames presented a great piece of artwork in this game, and with some fine tuning it could have easily been a masterpiece. The lack of a multiplayer killed me, especially in a FPS, but I forgave them... this time.
People who downloaded Nosferatu: The Wrath of Malachi have also downloaded:
Nightmare Creatures, Metal Gear Solid 2: Substance, Postal 2: Share the Pain, Nocturne, Painkiller, Devastation, Max Payne 2: The Fall of Max Payne, BloodRayne
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