Redrum: Time Lies brings us back to the creepy psychological thriller format that made the original Redrum hidden object adventure game famous. The demented Dr. Fraud has been released from the mental asylum and is once again experimenting with the dreams and nightmares of his unfortunate victims. Help Rose and her uncle defeat the evil doctor at his own game and put an end to the twisted experiments once and for all!
The first Redrum game featured the evil Dr. Fraud experimenting on the mind of helpless little girl Rose as she experiences vivid dreams and nightmares. The game was so creepy and intense that it came with a warning that it was an intense psychological experience and was only suitable for mature audiences. The sequel Redrum: Time Lies comes with the same warning, so be prepared for more events and graphics that will challenge your sensibilities.
At the end of the previous game, the evil Dr. Fraud was arrested and placed in the asylum to be rehabilitated. In Redrum: Time Lies, he is declared to be "cured" and released, much to the dismay of Rose's uncle Detective Ravenwood. Determined to prevent the doctor from hurting more innocent victims, Ravenwood quits his job and makes his way to Dr. Fraud's laboratory to deal with the doctor once and for all.
With the help of Rose and her psychic power, the detective ventures into the lab only to find that the doctor has indeed gone back to his old tricks and is experimenting on more unlucky victims. It appears that the doctor has been able to harness the dreams and spirits of his victims and is using them to give himself incredible powers. Rose will need to use her abilities to navigate the dreams and nightmares of the victims and help release them from the doctor's grasp.
The gameplay in Redrum: Time Lies is admittedly pretty rudimentary, featuring the more traditional hidden object game elements. It instead focuses on the creepy and psychological experience of the premise, forcing you to interact with the various murder victims and transporting you into their nightmares. You will have to come face-to-face with all sorts of demented settings and explore them in detail to find the items and clues you need to proceed.
As expected in a game that aims to shock its players, the artwork and music has to be top-notch. Expectations are also high since the original Redrum game contained such great and creepy art. Fortunately, the sequel doesn't disappoint one bit. The art in Time Lies lives up to this standard, delivering images that are able to capture the psychological essence with sharp and bright unearthly colors. Hopefully you aren't too squeamish about seeing bodies in various states of death and decay! The music also supports the setting very well, creating a surreal atmosphere.
As was mentioned earlier, the gameplay in Redrum: Time Lies is quite straightforward. You have the traditional hidden object scenes where you are required to find various objects either listed by name or by silhouette. The objects are quite clear and aren't very small, and the majority can be found without too much eye strain. The puzzles are also quite similar to the first Redrum game. There are the jigsaws and logic puzzles among others.
There is the addition of the interactive or adventure style puzzles. You will come across scenes and puzzles which require objects that can't be found in the immediate area. You will have to look out for them in your travels throughout the lab. Once you collect them, it's back to the scene that needs them (hopefully you'll remember which scene), and that's one more puzzle solved! As you can imagine, this will require a bit of moving back and forth between scenes, and adds to the adventure feel of the game.
This is a game for those who aren't afraid of exploring the various ways the doctor murders and tortures his victims; and how their deaths, dreams and nightmares are portrayed on screen. All the warnings aside, Redrum: Time Lies is a fitting sequel in the Redrum game series and will be a game to remember.
Rating: 4.5/5.0
You can read more about Redrum: Time Lies at
http://www.hidden-puzzles.com/redrum-time-lies.html