Foolish Mortals is a point-and-click game developed and published by the independent studio Inklingwood Studios. The game was created following a successful Kickstarter campaign, which achieved its main goal in just 24 hours and raised over £48,600 in total.
The game is now finally available on Steam. We had the chance to play this engaging adventure in advance.
Foolish Mortals: in search of hidden treasure
In Foolish Mortals, we play the role of Murphy McCallan, an auditor who has travelled to an island called Devil’s Rock to investigate a cash shortage linked to the Bellmore Company. Murphy soon begins to delve into the ghost stories surrounding Bellmore Manor.
Rumours on the island say that the house is still haunted and that it all started during Abigail Bellmore’s wedding when, suddenly, all the wedding guests disappeared.
In order to shed light on the affair, we must interact with all the island’s inhabitants, from the intrusive yet attentive journalist to the jeweller with secrets to tell, not to mention several individuals well-versed in voodoo and the supernatural.
The entire Foolish Mortals adventure is set on Devil’s Rock Island in Louisiana and its surroundings. One act is set entirely in the location where the mysterious events occurred: Bellmore Manor.
By talking to the island’s inhabitants and making use of our “contacts with the afterlife”, we will be able to piece together the events of that fateful day.
It will be a long journey. In our case, we immersed ourselves completely and completed the game in about 12 hours. It will be essential to pay close attention to every detail of the conversations we have, but ultimately, this will allow us to put all the pieces together.
In terms of plot and character development, Foolish Mortals is a very well-crafted adventure game. The story draws you in from the outset with a mysterious disappearance that conceals an intricate tale of greed, love and witchcraft.
All of the characters are well-developed and likeable. The whole story is full of suspense and irony, making it a real joy to play. Once you start playing, it’s hard to put the game down because you’re driven by curiosity to find out how the story will unfold.
An instant classic
Foolish Mortals is a point-and-click game that brings to mind the classics, but with some modern improvements. As with all such games, its gameplay revolves around dialogue, exploration and collecting items to solve puzzles.
As in modern adventures, there is a function to highlight hotspots, a map to speed up movement and two hint systems. If we are unable to progress after a while, a dynamic system activates to help us (it is really well done and non-invasive). Alternatively, if we need help, we can consult Murphy’s diary for step-by-step hints that guide us in the right direction without revealing the solution completely (if we don’t want it to). This excellent hint system allows us to avoid getting stuck on a puzzle.
Now let’s talk about the puzzles. In the first part of the game, the puzzles are fairly simple but stimulating anyway. As you progress, the puzzles become more interconnected, making it more challenging to proceed. However, it is very satisfying to solve them. As is often the case in point-and-click games, it is important to pay close attention to the dialogue in Foolish Mortals because it helps us to understand the plot and the next steps to take.
The only shortcoming we found in Foolish Mortals is the absence of a system for repeating dialogue or accessing a dialogue log. It would be useful if the developers could introduce such a feature, especially since the dialogue is automatic and you don’t have to click to move forward, so it’s possible to miss something.
Some of the puzzles will really test you, as we found with the staircase room puzzle in particular, but completing them is really satisfying. The puzzles are well designed, with no moon logic solutions or repeated trial and error. We also appreciated that the game clearly indicates there are no dead ends or ‘game over’ possibilities (yes, Sierra, that’s a dig at you).
A delight for the eyes
Foolish Mortals is a feast for the eyes. The hand-drawn settings are rich in dynamic detail, and there are quite a few of them. The game has been meticulously crafted down to the finest detail, from the characters’ expressions to the animations.
Every object that is collected, used, or exchanged between two characters has its own specific animation. The soundtrack accompanies us on this enjoyable adventure and reaches its climax with the beautiful original song performed by the band inside Bellmore Manor. The game is fully voiced in English and also currently features German subtitles.
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