Lisssn Reviews

In the past, I've extolled Knut Müller's Rhem series while criticizing the sound/plot/graphics that nearly topple the games into the thumbs-down bin. Their world and puzzle designs are so strong, so inspired, that they overcome their numerous shortcomings. Unfortunately, Lisssn is not likewise redeemed. It focuses on primitive sound and music puzzles many of which are far more basic than you'd expect in a game that celebrates Classical music's masters. Nonetheless, most require multiple consecutive solves to prove that you've grokked that simplicity. So you're left with the same Knut faults, some even more explicit, without the same beauty of complicated puzzle exploration and discovery to pull the experience out of the abyss -- an abyss plagued by an unexplained race of cartoon guide aliens to truly muddle the tone. Nostalgia for Rhem and other Myst-clones prodded me reluctantly through the finish line, and there are, along the way, brief moments of fun even for those not in the target demographic: the music-unlearned and the Myst-inexperienced. The result is the worst game of Knut's I've played. At least it's short, so the Myst-obsessed with endless forgiveness for lack of modern polish (a population that includes me), still can milk those moments of fun out of an otherwise bland but mostly inoffensive experience.