FRANKENSTEIN: THROUGH THE EYES OF THE MONSTER

Between Life and Death, Man and Monster, Lies the True Test of the Human Heart.

With a crash of lightning, you are reborn to a world of haunted memories and science is pushed beyond the bounds of nature. Your thoughts come slowly, like distant echoes and the mystery of your existence pulls at your mind. An ancient castle of dark secrets and hidden terrors. A strange crystal that glows with life itself. The burning memory of a child long thought dead and a discovery that crosses the boundaries between life and death.

Tim Curry of Rocky Horror Picture Show™ and Congo™ fame, stars in this classic monster tale reborn with a wicked twist...you are the monster. From your first waking thoughts, to the crazed ranting of your creator, you will see, hear and experience an adventure like nothing before. Move freely through an amazingly realistic world. Search books and notes for clues to your past. Explore the secrets and science of Frankenstein's lab and experience the dark temptations that lie within the power of creation.

• Tim Curry delivers a wondrously complex and richly constructed role as Dr. Frankenstein that will leave you in stitches.
• Adventure gaming combines with character interaction and puzzle solving to create a challenging and emotionally driven experience.
• An easy-to-use interface that will have gamers of all levels playing in minutes.
• The game is state-of-the-art stunning, featuring live actors, digitized speech and extremely realistic 3-D environments. Digitized sound effects are accompanied by stirring music that reflects both situation and setting.

~ from the back of the box

Can you imagine a more perfect casting than Tim Curry as a crazed Dr. Frankenstein? I can't and neither could Amazing Media, the developers of Frankenstein: Through the Eyes of the Monster. Curry's snarky remarks and villainous gait sporadically pop up throughout this Myst-style adventure game. His grainy FMV form is placed in the pre-rendered backdrops giving them more life and character than it would have had otherwise. In fact, the game as a whole suffers from his absence whenever he isn't on screen. 

It's hard to pinpoint why this is. The game itself is competent and the motivation of Frankenstein's creature whose eyes you're seeing through throughout is a compelling one. Visually, it's very impressive for a 1995 game and while the puzzles are hit and miss, many of them do re-animate the old grey matter quite nicely. A few do feel out of place in the gothic locale of Frankenstein's castle, but more often than not, they fit in seamlessly. One moment you'll be hoisting a cannon ball into a Rube Goldberg machine to down a stone gargoyle, then next you'll be animating a turkey leg before eating it and vomiting it back up again.

Unlike Myst, Frankenstein does have an inventory, though you'd be forgiven for thinking otherwise if you've only played the opening. At first, you can only carry one item at a time, which is visually represented on-screen; you're hand icon will appear to carry it. You can pick up several items to use at the right spot, whether it be a plank of wood to get down a broken stair case or a battery to melt the ice keeping you from the makeshift morgue. Until you find a suitable bag you can only carry one item at a time, dropping it again whenever you leave the room from which you found it.

I found the game to be rather average in difficulty. There's little in the way of individual brain benders like Myst which is what it was compared to at the time. I did get stuck a few times, but these weren't about how to solve a puzzle, but where to find one. Oftentimes the way forward won't be triggered until you've stumbled upon a cutscene. Othertimes it's hidden in plane sight, obscured by the shadows of a dark colour palette or behind the throws of a torn rug. I wouldn't say it necessitates keeping a walkthrough at hand though.

Frankenstein: Through the Eyes of the Monster does have its flaws, but I still greatly enjoyed my time with it. If you like cheesy full-motion video, first-person adventure games or Mary Shelley's monstrous myth, be sure to check it out!

To download the game, follow the link below. This custom installer exclusive to The Collection Chamber uses DOSBox running Microsoft Windows 3.1 to get the game working on modern systems. Manual included. Tested on Windows 10.

File Size: 463 Mb.  Install Size: 661 Mb.  Need help? Consult the Collection Chamber FAQ

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Frankenstein: Through the Eyes of the Monster is © Amazing Media, Inc
Review, Cover Design and Installer created by me

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