Waxworks

Warning! This game contains lots of scenes of explicit gore and violence so don't play it unless you are ok with that kind of stuff.

After getting a letter in the mail you find out that your uncle has passed away and he has left you his waxworks museum. You set out to visit the museum and when you arrive you are greeted by an odd looking fellow who asks you some questions to make sure you are who you say you are. Looking around you quickly realize all the sets are of horrible events in history. All these involve an evil person who was later defeated by his twin. You quickly find out that once you step into the scene you are transported to that particular area and you have to defeat the evil twin

Each level is played like a seperate quest and any experience points and items you find will be lost once you complete that level. The stories are played out like they are written on the information boards in the waxworks and you will have to face the evils descibed in there. The four levels are in ancient egypt, Victorian England with Jack the Ripper, an underground mine and a cemetary filled with undead. These can be played in any order you like but once you complete one you are 'advised' by Boris the doorman to make haste and he keeps pushing you until you enter one of the remaining drawings.

Because each level is completely separated the first thing you have to do when you arrive is to find a weapon as you won't stand a chance with only your fists. Luckily usually near the entrance there will be some sort of object lying around that you can use. Whenever you encounter an enemy you will have to battle it out with them and once you defeat them you will gain a certain amount of experience points which is need to gain a level. Experience can also be gained by simply walking around and whenever you visit a square of the map that you haven't been to before you will gain a small amount of experience. This makes the levels more balanced as you'll automatically gain experience when you explore.

Combat is fairly simple and if you equipped a weapon before you are attacked you can simply press the button where you want to hit the enemy and you will strike at them. If you make a hit you will be shown the amount of damage you did and the same goes when you are hit by an enemy. There is some strategy involved in combat as well because some enemies can be hit in certain vulnerable places and if they lose limbs they can no longer attack you. There are plenty of other ways to die though and you will have to be careful when walking around the levels as there are plenty of traps scattered throughout them. Many of these will kill you instantly if you trigger them so be on the lookout for any clues to disable a trap.

The only thing you bring between the levels is an orb given to you and with it you can communicate with your uncle in the afterlife. He is a great source of information and whenever you first visit a level you should ask him about what to expect and what you should do. Not only that but he can also occasionally heal you as well if you are able to provide him with the proper ingredients.

Waxworks is a fairly enjoyable game and even though most of the time the game isn't really scary some of the graphics can be too much for people which is why I put up a warning at the beginning of the review. The graphics themselves are pretty good and the music and sound are ok. Other than the horror theme the game doesn't stray too much from most other RPG's with a main screen showing the level in a 3d view and the side of the screen shows information and options. The fact that you can select any of the four levels is a big plus though and if you die you can always try one of the others to keep some variation in the game. After you finish them all you will be able to play the final level and end the curse of the evil twins. Anyone looking for a different RPG should check this game out.