Black Mirror III
Continuing on with the story in this award-winning series, Black Mirror III will be the final installment in this mysterious adventure for fans to enjoy. If you’ve been waiting not-so-patiently for this sequel that was suppose to release in February 2011, you won’t have to wait too much longer because it is promised to hit the shelves in April. Black Mirror III will be one of the top PC games for 2011, without a doubt! It has everything you want in a role-playing adventure including an actual storyline and wicked graphics.
Storyline
Being a direct sequel, Black Mirror III picks up exactly where its predecessor ended and Darren Michaels is still your main character. The Black Mirror Castle is going up in flames and Darren is spotted by the police running from the fiery mess with a burning torch. He is thrown in jail and psychiatric treatment is ordered.
Black Mirror III for PC skips ahead three weeks, Darren is in a therapy session and unveils some important points regarding the plot of the game such as how he determined that Adrian Gordon is his real name. He’s also learned that his biological family has been cursed so of course, he is determined to investigate this.
He is free to leave after a couple weeks and gameplay begins with your priority being to find out about this curse, his history and his family.
Gameplay
Black Mirror III features 62 very distinct locations to explore so you already know this is going to be a fulfilling game. You have a journal that will help lead you to your answers and you should know that there are hidden mysteries and clues everywhere so don’t take anything for granted. Oh, and when you see the ghost of a woman in a cabin after you flee the wolf-like monsters, don’t ignore her. She’s actually important to your plot and progress so look at everything and everyone as a possible link to your history.
Gameplay in Black Mirror III is pretty straight forward. The main environments are operated by a single context cursor while a right-click will supply you with important information that you need regarding inventory items. It is also easy to keep track of your inventory because everything is stored at the bottom of the screen.
Black Mirror III delivers a deeper storyline, more puzzles and hidden adventures than both of the first two installments put together. You’ll have to defeat your madness, fight your enemies and prove your innocence, all while searching for the answers to the Gordon family curse.
Graphics
The graphics are everything you would expect and more. It appears as though every detail in each environment has been carefully addressed, not just the up-close elements. The monsters and ghosts are real enough to have you looking over your shoulder and Studio Periscope had their hands all over the music and sound design so you pretty much know what to expect there.
To fully appreciate the graphics, you should be running a Pentium IV 1.5 GHz or at least something equivalent with 512 MB and a 3D-graphics adapter that’s 256 MB compatible. Direct 9.0c is the recommended sound card.
Conclusion
Gamers already familiar with the Black Mirror III series will certainly have no complaints aesthetically or with gameplay. Newcomers will be wondering why they didn’t play the first two installments. This is one of those rare games that is expected to keep you satisfied every minute. You’re always doing, learning or watching something worthwhile so this is going to be one of those ones that you get wrapped up in and go without sleep for a couple of nights.
