Art and music generally go hand-in-hand when trying to evoke certain feelings and moods in the player’s subconscious and Morningstar is no exception. Paradoxically, while the planet of Deadrock is devoid of all life the sights and sounds are anything but dead. Both help to enhance the feeling of being alone on a barren hunk of rock floating around in an infinite cosmos.

As mentioned previously, the game is filled with static and mostly unmoving scenes as seen from the perspective of the player. However, these screens still manage to convey the near hopelessness of the situation that both Novak and Powell find themselves in. From the body-strewn wreckage of the Armstrong and nearby camp to the empty alien ruins the artwork manages to convey the feeling of impending doom should they not get off this planet they unfortunately found themselves on.

Adding to both the mystery and uneasiness of the possibility that someone or something might be watching them just off-screen are the presence of the several stone heads scattered throughout the game. The placement of these creepy idols serves to add even more nervous tension even though pretty much all they do is stand there keeping guard. Particularly when Powell spots several of them just outside the ruins as if keeping watch for intruders.

The music is strongly influenced by the art style. The composer had played the original game and used it and preliminary work on the updated release to create the ambient tonal atmosphere heard throughout Powell’s journey. The majority of the game is filled with sounds and musical tracks that convey the feeling of isolation. When you are alone with only your own thoughts it tends to play tricks on your mind. You start hearing voices and seeing things that aren’t there. The audio reflects this in haunting melodies and use of unconventional instruments.

These weird and unsettling tracks have been described as “less than music but more than noise”. The composer used his own voice, scratched the microphone with his beard, used whispers and breathing to help enhance this feeling of not being certain that you’re quite as alone on this planet as you might think. The intro and outro videos, on the other hand, follow a more music-based approach. They were created as actual harmonies or melodies, which is a huge contrast to the rest of the game.

Forced to crash land on an alien planet, the crew of the Morningstar find themselves trapped. With a damaged engine and drained stasis pods, it’s up to Powell to find a way off the deserted world. But not all is as it seems as he soon finds out after venturing from the wreck of the ship. As the only surviving crewmember that’s not injured and forced to stay aboard, it’s your job to explore the desert. Roam around the wreck of another unfortunate ship and the nearby ruins abandoned by its inhabitants in this first-person sci-fi point-and-click adventure game.

Serena Nelson
Social Media Intern