Reviews

• gamedeal user

  Jun 15, 2022

  Old FMV Point and Click from the 90s. If that's your style, great, but if it isn't, don't let that dissuade you from getting this. The narrative alone is enough to keep you captivated, intrigued, and yearning to play more. Husband and wife move into a big mansion whose interior design resembles something out of a fever dream. In fact, at moments, it does feel as if you are playing through a dream, or rather a nightmare. Spooky things begin to happen and you slowly begin to unravel what exactly makes this place so unnerving and the history behind the Carnovasch estate. One of the better horror experiences I've greatly enjoyed. Wholeheartedly recommended to any fans of the horror genre, FMV games, or point and clicks in general.
• gamedeal user

  Sep 3, 2022

  Alright kiddies, not to disclose my age (let's just say the Thriller album and I share the same birth year), but I have a fondness for the mid '90s FMV era of gaming. I know computer graphics have advanced to the point in which you don't need live actors anymore; I also realize the confined nature of FMV games usually meant nothing more than pointing and clicking your way through an adventure; still, that was part of the charm. Phantasmagoria was a huge project at the time and the reception...let's just say it wasn't exactly hailed as a classic. Nostalgia is a powerful thing but I have such fond memories of controlling Adrian (your quite attractive avatar) as you explore Carno's mansion, uncovering its many dark secrets. The haunted house scenario is full of cliches (and not exactly subtle references to The Shining) but I love the atmosphere and quite stirring moments. Do yourself a favor and embrace the camp, enjoy the journey and eat a little Halloween candy along the way :)
• lawrencegrafton

  Nov 28, 2022

  Great call back to when computer graphics and motion-capture were just coming together. If you can forgive the near 30 year old graphics, than you are in for an engaging story with lots of interesting twists and turns.
• allisonsands1224

  Jan 23, 2023

  Started playing this with CD-ROM in the early 2000s, but my PC was too janky to handle the final scene. Trying again.
• QueenNemma

  Jan 23, 2023

  Chapter 7 is riddled with bugs and I was unable to complete it due to the black screen following multiple deaths. I suppose a flawless playthrough would be the only way to beat it, but this is beyond frustrating given that I was at the very final altar puzzle and had to restart from scratch multiple times. As for the game itself, I vastly prefer the sequel--it plays better, is more interesting & goofy, with a much better soundtrack.
• gamedeal user

  Aug 30, 2016

  I took a chance on this one and I'm glad that this worked for me as I'm running it on my Win 10 x64 Enterprise/I7-6700K/32gb RAM/GTX 1080 PC. I never did have a chance to play this growing up but its an FMV game like the 7th Guest without the 7th Guest type puzzles. You're playing as the female protagonist, basically exploring and picking up items and clues to uncover the mystery behind the mansions previous inhabitants and the supernatural ongoings of your environment. It's reminiscent of the game Scratches or the Crown series but with dated full motion cinematics. The music composition definitely complements it's horror themed atmosphere. Overall, it's a nostalgia invoking story-driven point and click FMV game that may or may not be worth the asking price of $9.99. I like it so far.
• gamedeal user

  Sep 4, 2016

  This is one of the BEST computer games ever made! Yes, it's from the 1990's, very dated by games of todays standards, to but to this day it's one of my all time favourite computer games! You take on the role of a young lady as you start to settle into your new life with your husband in your new home. But the new house you have moved into is full of mystery and also houses an evil that will really shake things up! I originally bought this game on it's first release. It came on seven discs! But when I sat down to play it, I just couldn't stop!! I am delighted to see it on Steam and will be playing it for many more years to come. If you a very intriguing, very compelling, very scary interactive horror story, Phantasmagoria is the game you want!!
• gamedeal user

  Sep 15, 2016

  i love this game so much i played it all the time too when i was alot younger and im 31 now and still love it alot, such beautiful graphics and etc and its so much fun to play and never gets old its the best old sierra classic game ever made, roberta williams did an amazin job.
• gamedeal user

  Dec 5, 2016

  Impressive, still. I played this game back when it first came out, beat it, and have not played it since. This game left such an impression on me as a child/teen that I would think about it randomly as the years passed by. I found this game here and knew I had to get it. Still has its charm and is very playable today. Great game, do yourself a favor and get it, you wont be dissapointed.
• gamedeal user

  May 10, 2017

  I bought and re-played this because I played it when I was much younger and wanted the feeling of nostalgia (and to properly finish the game). When I was a kid, the game was more difficult and much scarier - it's also become more clear that I should not have been playing this at the silly age of 10. Phantasmagoria marks an interesting time for Sierra and Roberta Williams. They ramped up the gore and horror, especially when considering it's basically watching a 'film'. Implied non-consensual sex is not something that is prominent for games in the 90s (heck, not even for today), but Phantasmagoria has it, and that's... well, that's saying something, I guess. I did enjoy replaying it. It was, of course, much easier. And the game wasn't nearly as scary as I remember it being. That being said, it's a worthwhile experience if you can get it on sale. The horror is cheesy, the acting isn't very good, and the puzzles are fairly weak (in all honesty, this game doesn't actually have any puzzles - it's very easy to progress). The interface is fun, the music is overly dramatic but works very well, and the gore special effects are surprisingly effective; particularly the failure scenes during the finale of the plot. All in all, I recommend it if you want to have a small bit of cheap fun, but don't expect too much. The good: - Cheesy, B-grade horror (if that's your thing) - Funny acting (if that's your thing) - Silly, but fun plot (if that's your thing) - Good gore effects - Fun interface, with a cool 'hint-master' - Cool soundtrack - Decent sense of narrative progression throughout the game The bad: - Cheesy, B-grade horror (if that's not your thing) - Funny acting (if that's not your thing) - Silly, but fun plot (if that's not your thing) - Dated FMV that can take time to get used to - No real puzzles, which makes it fairly easy