I've been a fan of point-and-click adventure titles and escape room games ever since I was old enough to sit at a PC and start playing. While I have plenty of memories of playing the Disney titles and the educational games my grandparents would buy me—we didn't have a PC at home; it was theirs—I don't think it was until I was in middle school that I really began to appreciate the genre. That's thanks to my friend Keith.
Back then, we had a study hall together, and our teacher was kind enough to let us use the few computers located at the back of the room. As long as we didn't do anything too crazy, she was fine with us playing games, which is when Keith introduced me to a little game called The Mystery of Time and Space.
Credited as one of the earliest "escape rooms" that served as an influence for many future titles and even real-life rooms, it was a decently sized adventure game that took you through a variety of scenarios. Although both of us would come to memorize the solutions to the puzzles, we still loved it and would race to see how far we could get before the class period ended. Even years later, the game would be something I'd return to often, right up until the end of Flash Player. However, in its absence, I discovered quite a few similar games that I loved as well. My number-one go-to is none other than the Zero Escape series, but recently I was given the opportunity to try out something new: a little game titled The Dream of a Cockspur.
A Surreal Cosmic Horror:
The Dream of a Cockspur is a point-and-click adventure game with some escape room elements mixed in. Players take on the role of a researcher by the name of Ben—which threw me off, as I've never played a game where I shared a name with the main character—who has been stranded on an island following an incident. This incident is related to the discovery of a strange type of metal that can shape-shift and is seemingly alive. While Ben is guided by his "Mother," the other crew members are off doing their own jobs as they go through the motions of living on this island. Rather than seeing the other characters as their human selves, Ben instead converses with disembodied voices and strangely shaped objects that are difficult to explain. Shockingly, these normal people are not the horrors that await on this island, despite their looks, with the true terrors revealing themselves as they attempt to progress.
When it comes to the story, there are quite a few moving parts at play, and a lot of it cannot be taken at face value. Simple tasks like planting the strange seeds in the ground or making a simple sandwich might have more meaning than you'll initially realize, making replays necessary if you want to fully grasp the situation. Of course, as an adventure game, most of this tale is told through the environment and in-game text that can be read when investigating objects, but there's a bit more to it as well. The visuals themselves are unique and provide further hints regarding the events that transpire, with the audio complementing the art direction quite well. Ear-piercing ringing, the dead, monotone-sounding voice that says "no" when you attempt something that is impossible to do, and the general music really go a long way to set the tone of the story. While the game itself isn't a full-on horror game, the sound design does a great job of making it unsettling, and that's before anything truly grotesque is seen.
Throughout the entire game, you will honestly never know what to expect. The art style and general visuals change quite often, characters come and go throughout the story, and there are even a few perspective shifts that provide additional context to the truth. Again, there are multiple moving pieces at play here, and players shouldn't expect to fully grasp all of the answers their first time through. Thankfully, the game can be finished in a few hours, so it isn't too daunting to replay.
Gameplay:
The gameplay in The Dream of a Cockspur is very much like other point-and-click adventure games with escape room-style puzzles. Everything takes place from a first-person point of view where you use your mouse cursor, represented by a hand, to click on things and interact with them. Dialogue will display when specific objects are selected, clicking on doors or passageways will lead into new areas, and clicking on the edges of the screen will often let you face a different direction. While some areas can get confusing, thankfully a map can be brought up to display exactly where you are, with the entire island eventually becoming accessible at the same time.
To progress through the game, puzzles must be solved, and that is typically done by finding specific items and using them in the correct location. Some of these are straightforward, with hints available if you get stuck, while others require you to think outside the box to advance. Additionally, choosing wrong options can lead to your death, with a handful of jump scares mixed in. These events are usually accompanied by minigames where you must hide or struggle to get away from your attacker, which is done by moving your hand into safe spaces or clicking specific parts of the screen to escape. Not having the correct item during these moments can also lead to your death, however, so it is best to always be prepared—though that isn't always possible the first time you encounter such a situation.
While the puzzles themselves are pretty standard for the genre, the way the entire game is presented is what makes it extremely unique. Again, your hand is basically the real you and is used to interact with the world in ways you wouldn't typically expect. The screen effects and other strange things that happen across the game while playing are also quite unique and help make the experience much more memorable. The game itself is pretty short, but it definitely leaves a lasting impression.
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