John Saul's Blackstone Chronicles
A horror adventure set in an asylum turned museum.
Released in 1998, this computer adventure game was created by Legend Entertainment and published under Red Orb Entertainment, a Mindscape label. It draws from John Saul's serial novels, the Blackstone Chronicles, and acts as a follow-up to them. Set years after the sixth book, the story continues with Oliver Metcalf, his relatives, and the town of Blackstone.
Quick Facts
- Developer
- Legend Entertainment
- Publisher
- Red Orb Entertainment
- Designer
- Bob Bates
- Released
- November 13, 1998 (NA); 1999 (EU)
- Genre
- Adventure
- Modes
- Single-player
- Platforms
- Microsoft Windows
Facts from the source article.
Plot
The game begins with Oliver Metcalf arriving at the Blackstone Asylum, which has been purchased and is being converted into a Museum of Psychiatric History. This activity disturbs the spirits of the asylum's former residents, including Malcolm Metcalf, Oliver's father and the last superintendent, who died some forty years earlier. Malcolm's spirit has taken Oliver's son, Joshua, and hidden him somewhere in the asylum, apparently to draw Oliver there. As Oliver explores the mansion, he encounters several patient spirits bound to the asylum by their possessions: a teenage girl with hysterical pregnancy, a schizophrenic who believes she is English royalty, and a depressed woman treated with steam baths and hydrotherapy. Oliver learns that his father psychologically tortured several patients to suicide or allowed them to be killed under the guise of accidents during treatment. The museum's equipment provides sterile, rose-tinted explanations for the same procedures, while the spirits reveal their true brutality. Disheartened by the failure of traditional medicine, Malcolm turned to extreme methods, including totally dismembering and vivisecting an 8-year-old boy. His treatments eventually became outright torture to punish undesirable behaviors. Over the course of the game, Oliver collects personal items that influence him, nearly causing him to kill himself through several psychiatric methods. Malcolm implies this is due to inherent evil in the items, though it is heavily implied that Oliver developed these traps himself under Malcolm's control through a long sequence of post-hypnotic suggestions.
Reception
The game received above-average reviews according to the review aggregation website GameRankings. Allen Greenberg of Computer Gaming World summarized it as a unique piece with a gripping storyline, wonderful graphics, and a talented cast. John Altman of Computer Games Strategy Plus found it recommendable but not rave-worthy, citing middling graphics and a heavy reliance on written text that bogged down the experience, though he noted good atmosphere, well-integrated puzzles, and occasional memorable scenes. T. Liam McDonald of PC Gamer US called it a narrative-driven, atmospheric adventure game seen too rarely, disliking its visuals and lack of character interaction but recommending it to adventure-starved gamers. Next Generation stated that despite the horror setting, the game may lack emotional charge for most players, and its mature subject matter rules out younger kids, but it remains a good story with enough spooky flavor for adventure fanatics. The game was a finalist for Computer Gaming World's 1998 Best Adventure award, which went to Grim Fandango and Sanitarium in a tie. In 2011, Adventure Gamers ranked it the 43rd-best adventure game ever released.
Frequently Asked Questions
What platforms is John Saul's Blackstone Chronicles available on?
John Saul's Blackstone Chronicles was released for Microsoft Windows.
Who designed John Saul's Blackstone Chronicles?
John Saul's Blackstone Chronicles was designed by Bob Bates.
More in Point-and-Click Adventure Games of the 1990s
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