I just finished Episode 1 after downloading it last night, and let me start by saying "Thank you!".
I thoroughly enjoyed the experience, and even if there might be one or two small "buts" on my list I still found it to be quite refreshing on the whole. First off, the narrative is very solid. And the fantastic backgrounds and somber, yet beautiful, soundtrack helped in creating a game that I very much want to continue playing and see where the story gets me. It might just be the point-and-click adventure game geek in me, fueled by a sense of wonderful nostalgia towards the scene, but it actually felt so good to get a story-driven game like this in front of me for a change. Granted, there have been similar games produced every now and then, like Gray Matter, but this was probably the first in a long time to give me that "authentic" feeling of The Good Ol' Days as we nostalgic bastards probably like to call it. So on the whole, thank you very much indeed!
Then on to some brief pointers;
-loading times: Yes, they might have been on the longer side of the spectrum (probably cause I played it on my laptop that is about to go to the Great Component Pile in the Sky any day now, and barely has what it takes to run this game), but they were by no means as frustrating as they have been in some other games. And sometimes taking it slow is not only not gonna kill you, but might actually add to the atmosphere. A slower paced game (even if it to some extent is caused by time taken to enter/exit menus and scenes in the game) can be rewarding and even help you get into a sort of calm that helps you come up with the solutions you need for a puzzle. At the very least it didn't get me all riled up.
-the puzzles: I have seen it argued that the puzzles were both too hard and too easy. Personally I guess I'm lucky enough to hang out in the middle of the ground; Some of them were very easy indeed, especially I guess if you're familiar with the genre. Some on the other hand gave me more of a challenge, but I think they were all logical and there were no "give that monkey a brick and a bottle of ketchup so that he breaks into a musical number that's needed to open the door you didn't realize was behind the cupboard" type of puzzles you sometimes see. One of my favourite puzzles in the game was probably the interrogation room scene. I also think the use of Reed's powers opens up for some very interesting puzzles, and I was a bit disappointed that it wasn't used more. But perhaps in the coming episodes there will be more?
-the interface: on the whole I liked the use of the mouse, even though I might agree with the people who got frustrated over the amount of clicks needed to do certain actions. Also, with later generation games in this genre, like this, the cursor/mousey-interface/whatever sometimes reveals too much. Or well, perhaps not "too much" but it gives vital clues, even when you don't want them. For instance, after a certain point in the game when you talk to the forensics guy, you don't have the option to use/give items. Therefore, you know that if you find a clue somewhere, you're not supposed to bring it to him. It's a bit of a shame, since it might make some of the puzzles too easy, even. Not sure if I can explain what I mean clearer than that.
-bugs/glitches: I think I managed to avoid all the known major bugs, so no complaining about that for me. Sometimes the walking animation bugged and hopped around a little, notably in Rose's store, but that might have mostly been caused by Ol' Lappy, as mentioned earlier.
-other: The game did feel a bit short. Yes, it's only the first episode, but it still felt like there should have been a little more to play. It sort of felt like you got cut short just when you started to fully get into the atmosphere. And after Longmore's apartment and the Meeting House puzzle, the end felt a bit abrupt. On the other hand, I guess that's a good way to ensure that we get the next episode(s) too. =)
-for the future: I will definitely get the next episode, but like someone mentioned earlier I was also curious if there might be something like an "upgrade" season pass for those of us who got the first episode? The interface could maybe do with some light tweaking too. And for the love of all that is holy, don't under any circumstance feel obligated to put one of those "impossible maze" puzzles that makers of adventure games have loved to torment gamers with. Nobody likes those. Nobody. Not a single soul on this planet has enjoyed one of those puzzles. I'm looking at you, The Legend of Kyrandia.
Aaaanyway, that was my 2 cents in the form of a novel. Keep up the good work, and I'm looking forward to the next episode!
