I Saw Black Clouds

Ultimately, how much you enjoy I Saw Black Clouds is going to hinge on your appreciation level for schlocky horror and low-budget psychological thrillers. It's an amusing enough diversion, but the story may leave you unsatisfied depending on your route through the game, and there's nothing here that you haven't already seen in a dozen straight to DVD clangers starring Stephen Baldwin or Tara Reid.

I Saw Black Clouds is one of the most gripping live-action, cinematic interactive psychological thriller I’ve had the opportunity to enjoy. The story is really fun and interesting; it’s the type of “game” where you’ll want to view in one sitting because you want to see what’s next. Sure, the montage could’ve been a bit better, but once the awkward part is done, you’ll be back in. I definitely recommend I Saw Black Clouds.

I Saw Black Clouds is a good idea with a terrible implementation, where a good cast plays at the level of a school play.

It wants to be a choose-your-own-adventure movie template while consistently disrespecting player choice. This poisons player investment in a story that rarely elevates to fun B-movie shlock, despite some acting & musical talent.

I Saw Black Clouds is awful. The story is stupid and confusing. Halfway through the game, you’ll be treated with this bizarre twist completely negating the first half of the story, and then the final half is a rushed mess that ruins anything the first half of the story had built up. The filming is brutally amateurish. I can’t help but think this mess could have been saved by a director who had a better understanding of camera angles, movement and so on. The only redeeming quality is that when you replay the game, you can skip any scenes you’ve previously watched – this will allow you to experience alternative scenes faster. Ultimately, there really is nothing here worth recommending. I Saw Black Clouds so you don’t have to. You’re welcome.

Unfortunately, the shotty editing and hap-hazard final act leave something to be desired. It's a benefit to know that it can be completed in a single sitting, which might make for a fun, suspense-filled evening activity. Be prepared, though: it's going to be a bumpy ride.

Bringing together all the main techniques of the FMV genre, I Saw Black Clouds is a title that focuses on sensitive topics in a perspective of terror and tension that offers an acceptable gaming experience within its own limitations. Allowing the plot decisions to be made by the player, the main objective is to tell a story of friendship and personal overcoming that can be understood from different points of view causing impacts and emotions at specific moments, but that do not take the game to another level.

I Saw Black Clouds has very little to redeem it. The characters are unrealistic and the plot twists and turns in an incoherent manner that introduces continuity issues. Player choices occasionally make a difference but are often ignored and sometimes even dubbed incorrect. Endings are mixed up and player relationships are pointless, plus the game can be buggy too. The irony is that Shropshire has its fair share of ghost stories and it even claims to be the most haunted county in the UK. Maybe the game would have been better telling one of those stories instead.

Though technically something of a wreck, I still enjoyed I Saw Black Clouds' narrative audacity. The choices the game makes aren't necessarily good, but they are often bold. Even through the rough editing and sound issues, the game still delivers some surprises and suspense. Holler at the screen and throw popcorn with your buddies, and you just might enjoy this one.

I Saw Black Clouds has some bold ideas, but the execution on a structural and technical level is a total failure. Even if the writing, acting, and scene editing were immaculate - which they are not - it would not forgive how all of the decisions the player makes carry no weight. Decisions only have consequences in vague, indirect, unpredictable ways, and it's extremely unsatisfying to have so little control over a story that isn't overly engaging in the first place. The best decision you can make is to just not play I Saw Black Clouds.