Paolo Garelli
Today we will explore a different story from the ones about I have written a review so far, inspired by the works of Edgar Allan Poe and I thank Officina Meningi for sending us all the Edgar Allan Poe the horror gamebook material so we could write this review.
This gamebook was written by Valentino Sergi and illustrated by Francesco Corli and Moreno Paissan. It transports us into a nightmare in which doubt and fear are in constant pursuit. We find ourselves hunted by relentless pursuers, unable to understand who or what we are or where we are – at least at first. We have to rely on our intuition as we make decisions, as we make our way through the ruins of a forgotten place where death reigns supreme.
Edgar Allan Poe the horror gamebook was funded through a Kickstarter in just a few hours, unlocking several stretch goals in the following days. Additional chapters, a color map, and a cleverly designed soundtrack help the reader navigate this corrupt and sick city. The gamebook can be pre-ordered on the Officina Meningi website at cost of € 15, in addition to the hard copy signed by the author, the digital pack containing the files in ePub, Mobi and Pdf format and all the stretch goals unlocked during the Kickstarter are also included.
A Brief Introduction
want to give you a small glimpse to help you understand this world that we are going to explore:
<<I recognize you, even if i don’t remember you. I don’t know who invited you here, if my creator and executioner did or his even more terrible creation, the red Death, but it doesn’t really matter, they are two sides of the same nightmare>>. The crow flutters at those words and spreads its wings, <<to implore you … wait! Answer my question! … when will I leave the horror of this deserted, enchanted land?>>. The bird has already vanished into the darkness of a starless sky, but its answer echoes through the walls with a croaking voice: <<Never more!>>
From the first page, the work transports us into this atmosphere of doubts and fears. We wake up in an unknown place, covered only by a few rags, and to different creatures intent on finding out whether or not we are … appetizing. Open your eyes wide! We will drown in the despair of the darkness that surrounds us, while our pleas for help find no answer. You don’t know who you are, where you are, nor the reason that brought you here. Armed only with your intellect you still have to move forward.
Edgar Allan Poe the Horror Gamebook Review Content
The first question that came to my mind when I started reading this book is, “how will death be handled?” In the gamebook, a wrong choice leads to a premature departure but, by following the memory, you can go back and start over, even if this breaks the flow of the game. The author found an interesting loophole called Avatar. When you die, the story has no end; but for a particular reason that is explained gradually, you are reborn not too far from your corpse.
You regenerate in a pool of dark liquid next to thYou regenerate in a pool of dark liquid next to the barrel where your corpse floats; The Plague King bends down until his nose is level with your eyes, then slaps his open hands on both knees and bursts into a long laugh: << It’s a blast every time! Don’t worry about the body we’ll put it to good use, as always >> your gaze falls on the rib cage used as a brazier and you feel a deep sense of nausea
You realize the avatar is a prisoner, stuck in an infinite cycle of resurrections, forced to relive his own death and observe his own remains.
We walk in a ruined city corrupted by disease and suspicion. Behind every door, souls in pain await us, protagonists of the stories of Edgar Allan Poe. Imagine my astonishment when behind a door I came across the figure of the Plague King intent on toasting with his court. The gamebook is full of quotes from Poe’s works, entire paragraphs taken from his best known works. The Plague King, the Raven, and the Mask of the Red Death are just a few of them, and all are expertly blended into a compelling story..
Playing Edgar Allan Poe the Horror Gamebook
Playing this gamebook is simple, as it requires nothing but a pencil and a eraser. Unlike other gamebooks, your avatar doesn’t have statistics, but real feeling. Depending on your choice, he or she may trust you or not trust you, or be traumatized or suicidal. This makes you a real puppeteer. The avatar breaks the ‘fourth wall’ a few times, speaking directly to you, sharing his desires and despair with you. The gamebook is full of mini games and riddles, some perfectly linked to the setting, others breaking away a bit from the atmosphere so wisely created, instead. Since there are no classic character statistics, the author has substituted puzzles to reveal obstacles or dangers.
For those who have problems with puzzles, the solutions are included in the last pages of the book. Personally, I advise you to spend a few minutes; don’t do what I did, who instantly and dramatically threw in the towel ….
Final Considerations
Personally, I recommend buying this gamebook. It’s the first time I approached a horror work and i was very satisfied by the atmosphere it managed to create, thanks also to the many images present. I immersed myself in this story by reading it all in one day. I greatly appreciated the quotes of Poe’s works and the tricks used to unite the different stories. There are several possible endings, and I invite you to replay this title several times so as to try all of them.
And always remember the house rule: as long as you don’t take your finger off the page you just passed. You can always go back or, in this case, pile up your corpses!
