D brings back fond memories of old school adventure games and then tosses in very creepy and macabre set pieces and plot points. It was certainly an enjoyable experience but clocking in at just under two hours, definitely disappointingly short.

The plot of D follows Laura (a sort of video game “actress” who also appears in Eno’s other games, Enemy Zero and D2) and the grotesque world of her father’s mind that she is unwilling thrown in to. Her father is an esteemed doctor who unexpectedly goes on a killing spree in the hospital he works in and, for whatever reason, the police give Laura two hours to solve the mystery before they will enter themselves. The surrounding hospital disappears and Laura is immediately transported to a dark, gothic world created from her father’s mind. While the initial story presented here in D is compelling, the series of puzzles, while good, that lead to the game’s conclusion feel more like filler than actually adding more to the story. This does not bode well for the quality of the story since the game is only two hours long. I feel that the game was made this length to be like an interactive movie but there are only about 20 to 30 minutes of actual plot in the 120 minutes (maximum) of game time.

While the story leaves more to be desired, the presentation is much more impressive. For a game released in 1995, the game boasts powerful 3D animations and a multitude of well-constructed cutscenes throughout. As with many old school adventure games, many portions of the surroundings are pre-rendered but the visuals are impressive and clean here as well. While there is little music to accompany the visuals, the low and desolate notes add to creepy factor, highlighting how alone Laura must feel in this place. Additionally, every item that can be interacted with has some characteristic and realistic sound making the world feel more alive.

In addition the graphics, the gameplay is another area where D shines, providing you are a fan of old school adventure games. Before getting into the gameplay details, remember that Laura only has two hours to contact her father. This aspect is directly incorporated in the game in that you only have two hours (real time) to finish the game and thankfully a watch is in your inventory to keep track of the time. The major downside that comes with this feature is the absence of pausing and saving the game, so D must be played in its entirety in one sitting. Back to the adventure, it is not a point-and-click adventure game but rather it plays similar to the original Myst: you can only turn or go forward and the game guides you to areas that you can explore rather than being able to freely explore the environments. This has its ups and downs in that it allows you to focus only on important objects in the environment but you can also easily miss a direction that you can travel in (even if it looks like you can’t move forward more, try it anyway). On top of that, the movement is very slow so getting to where you need to go can be tedious at times, especially if you accidentally make a wrong turn. Once you get where you need to go, items in the environment can be manipulated with an “action” button and also combined with items in the inventory to solve puzzles and progress through the story; thankfully the puzzles get progressively more challenging but never impossible. The controls for these gameplay mechanics are extremely simple and straightforward. Laura can move in predetermined directions, interact with/use items, and scroll through her inventory. There are no other controls beyond that.

D is a fairly linear adventure but even so it does have some limited replayability. There are multiple endings depending on a choice at the very end and also somewhat influenced by how thoroughly the environments were explored. It is possible to beat the game without exploring every room, especially on your first playthrough when you’re more crunched for time due to experiencing all of the puzzles for the first time.

Story 6/10 – Solid intro and ending but the plot is very weak for the bulk of the game

Presentation 8/10 – Stunning visuals for the time along with subdued yet very effective sounds

Gameplay/Controls 7/10 – Classic adventure game mechanics but the slow movement, easy to miss paths, and lack of a save feature certainly lower the overall quality of the game

Lasting appeal 4/10 – There are multiple endings but they aren’t drastically different. You might also miss a few things in your first playthrough but replaying will not add much to the story.

Final Score: 7/10