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The McCarthy Chronicles: Episode 1

by Calin Leafshade

(Click image to zoom)

Zoomed screenshot of The McCarthy Chronicles: Episode 1

Left click image or press up key to zoom in; right click image or press down key to zoom out.
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Download Options for The McCarthy Chronicles: Episode 1

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Windows version

File size: 39.4 MB
Downloaded: 12,511 times
Graphics: 320x200, 32-bit color

Operating System(s):

Windows

Game Genre:

Contemporary

Game Type:

Horror

Story Type:

Original

Release Date:

29 Nov 2009

AGS Panel Rating:

(help)

Player Rating:

Website:

Visit Game's Website

Play Length:

Medium Length Game

Short Game	Can be completed within 30 minutes
Medium Length Game	Takes at least 30 mins to finish
Full Length Game	As long as a Sierra / LucasArts classic
Non-Adventure Game	Using Adventure Game Studio for something else?!
Joke Game	You know when it fits this category ;)
Demo	Unfinished Games / Commercial Games
Training Game	Games made just to try out AGS
<Category Not Set>	Not yet categorised
	Close window

Content Advisory:

Occasional, mild
Sex

None

Strong

Language(s):

English

Public Opinion

If you've played this game, why not help out and give us your votes?

65 people have rated this game so far:

Visual:

85%

Immersion:

85%

Puzzles & Pacing:

74%

Overall Enjoyment:

82%

About this game

A film-noir inspired, supernatural detective story.

Rick McCarthy is a private detective marred by a secretive and destructive past.

He is pulled into a world of blood sacrifice and invocation.

Can he hide his past, solve the crime and get the girl?

Controls

----------

Left click to move,

Hold the left button to interact,

Move the mouse to the top of the screen to access the inventory.

Notes

-----------

The McCarthy Chronicles is quite processor intensive due to all the visual effects used. Do no run the game in a higher resolution than necessary. 320x200 is ideal though some LCD monitors may require 640x400 to avoid non 1:1 pixel mapping (Change it to 640x400 if the image appears blurry)

Ensure 'Enable Alternate Letterbox Resolution' is enabled.

The McCarthy Chronicles does not support Directx9 acceleration. Use Direct Draw mode

See the people who made this game and any other games they've worked on >>

Calin Leafshade

Writing, Scripting

13 other games: >>

Mordalles

Character Sprites and Animation

5 other games: >>

arj0n

Testing

72 other games: >>

Azure

Voice Acting

10 other games: >>

AGS Awards Wins

Won, Best Player Character 2009

Won, Best Animation 2009

Won, Best Sound Effects 2009

Won, Best Voice Work 2009

AGS Awards Nominations

Nominated, Best Game Created with AGS for 2009 2009

Nominated, Best Original Story 2009

Nominated, Best Dialogue Writing 2009

Nominated, Best Short Game 2009

Nominated, Best Programming in an Adventure 2009

AGS Panel Review

"This is a very dark, depressing and story driven game. Very well acted and production values are high, although the game lacks substance when you remove all the dialogue, which lowers its rating. This is a very impressive first game and a great start to a series. If you are looking for a very atmospheric, visual, story driven game then this perfect for you, if you are looking for a challenge then look elsewhere."

34 people commented on this game (newest first):

Best game that never got released

2021-10-31 13:25:07 by duu

great atmosphere, soundtrack and over the top macabre story.

2014-04-25 07:48:44 by xlynx

Really nice atmospheric game with huge story.

2014-03-31 11:07:45 by Mehrdad

Best game made with ags. Unlike me my friends didn't grew up playing point and clicks and i showed McCarthy to one of theses friends. He watched me playing it and at about 1/3 of the game he told me "ok this is it, let me play it!" He played it until the end then told me "This is one of the best games i have ever played, i can't believe how strong the immersion was." The guy is used to console action games and this was his first point and click experience.

2011-10-30 18:31:29 by Davostros

One of the better AGS games ever created.

2011-10-17 22:48:33 by wisnoskij

This was an immersive little short story fantastically executed, thanks for sharing it!

2011-09-02 22:32:16 by Three-Headed Monkey

Good game.
Couldn't stop playing it but i got that feeling i missing something.

THE SEQUEL!!!!!

Keep up the good work.

2010-11-11 13:56:18 by Brakes

Fantastic game. The stylized visuals and brilliantly evocative music/sound design really make it stand out, despite a few overly ornate turns of phrase.
Really looking forward to part two.

2010-09-15 02:43:33 by PWCooper

People who liked the writing in this game also think that Stephen King is a good author. Really, have you read anything close to real literature in your life? Or do you have really low expectations for AGS games?

2010-08-25 16:46:33 by Anonymous (gorycat)

Absolutely outstanding game with very high quality in all aspects. I'm personally not a huge fan of monotone backgrounds (it's so hard to see stuff), but they served their purpose in this game. Particle effects and animations were very well done, and the voice acting was superb.

Couple of minor typos and inconsistencies, but nothing game-breaking. Dialogue overall was very well done - very poetic but a joy to read/hear. Very atmospheric overall, I was completely immersed.

Keep up the good work. Eagerly awaiting Episode 2=)

2010-06-23 14:50:59 by straydogstrut

There are 24 more comments that you can see >>>

I just finished it and I want to play the sequel.

2010-05-02 09:01:43 by Anagram-Daine

Forgot to praise what I liked most, and to complete my point on my just previous comment. Some may say that it feels like an overpoetic world. Some may say the graphics are okay and just look good because of the particles. Even if the world McCarthy is may seem ugly to some, you'll feel like you're totally in it. And that's where the game excels. Atmosphere.

2010-03-23 23:29:16 by Dualnames

A really nice attempt, but well, it makes me wonder really. When does the game start and when does the interactive movie end. The writing is really nice, but some may find it too much after a while. What actually wins everyone that plays the game is the ending. But to ask of something, what if not the ending?

2010-03-23 23:26:51 by Dualnames

Hi Harg. I thought my first paragraph was pretty positive: the atmosphere is great, and the graphic & sound effects that made for the atmosphere are very, very good. The sound quality of the recordings is better than I've ever heard before in an adventure game, with the sole exception of one voice being too soft in the mix (=the brother/owner of the house).

I definitely enjoyed exploring the creepy environment and uncovering the story piece by piece.

The voice intonation, the prose & the small gaps in the logic do keep me from rating the game as highly as I'd want - but overall, I certainly liked it.

2010-03-23 16:38:49 by Valentijn

Valentijn, so you liked the game but most of comments are negative. Can you write and the positive things?

2010-03-22 13:28:51 by Harg (kinanev)

Great atmosphere with some really creepy moments. Loved the water effect outdoors, also with the change in walking sound. The quality of the sound & the voices is very good (one of the voices is a bit too soft, though).

Some things are a bit illogical. "She died recently, it's very personal to me... here's the key to her room."

The poetic writing is sometimes overdone. The voice of the main character is clear and pleasant, but it's also disturbingly calm and void of emotion, and with the way he poetically describes the sinister things he comes across... I kept feeling that I was playing for a psychopath and everything only happens in his head!

2010-01-29 15:25:35 by Valentijn

My only complaint was that I would have liked it to be longer. I really hope there is a sequel. It's a very atmospheric game.

2010-01-20 21:29:30 by fairyhedgehog

Great Atmosphere. This is what all "Film Noir" inspired games should aspire to be.

Overall the game's mechanics and puzzles feel a bit light, but these take a backseat to the storytelling.

2010-01-13 15:00:13 by WQZarn

nice atmosphere

2010-01-08 11:43:47 by Anonymous (la_bouteille)

Solid game, I especially liked the dialogues and writing (baroque at times, but mostly enjoyable).
Gameplay-to-plot ratio is way low, hence this looks more like a short story than a game, but I feel it's fair for an introductory chapter one.
I have great expectations for the next releases, good luck!

2010-01-07 02:24:19 by bicilotti

I was very peased with this game. I am excitedly looking forward to the next installment. I can tell due to his game thread comments that he took a lot of critiques to heart and will use that as fuel for a well-thoughtout and executed sequel.

2010-01-05 22:49:48 by ashmc2

One of the better AGS games I have played in this span of months. Well backed and well thought of storyline. Greatest Kudos I would say goes to the unbelievable voice-acting. A good game becomes perfect with good and accurately placed voice-acting.

This game, if the other episodes in the series live up to this episode, will be able to rank up to classics like the Chzo Mythos and King's Quest. Keep up the excellent job!

2010-01-02 11:26:21 by Taeyang

Good storyline, good voice-acting. Overall, enjoyable.

2010-01-02 11:22:37 by Taeyang

Still playing but this is the first game in a while that made me want to keep going.

Great visuals and voice acting.

Thanks!

2009-12-24 15:31:40 by JayBTV

This game has more atmosphere than anything else produced in AGS.

2009-12-14 19:38:00 by Cogliostro (cogliostro)

Enjoyable supernatural/horror detective mystery with nice graphics and good voice acting.

Biggest problem is the writing, which tends to get very flowery and over the top.

It's only the first episode, so game is very short and ends on a cliffhanger. Hope to see the story continue in future episodes.

2009-12-12 22:51:02 by Snarky

I really liked the dialog. The excellent writing helped to convey the wonderful noir atmosphere. I also thought the voice acting was very good. However, I did have a problem with the visuals. They looked pretty good - those I could see. I understand why a dark, shadowy atmosphere was important to the story but it was just too dark for me. Also, while the story was interesting I felt much of the story was left hanging. I wanted to know much more about the three female characters. I hope there will be a sequel.

2009-12-08 23:13:27 by AndyfromVA

It's a really good game. The use of grey scale is really immersive and the scenario is really promising. The only problem I found was the puzzles were really too easy. I hope the second episode will come out soon.

2009-12-06 22:52:28 by scythale

wow - one of the best games here on ags i´ve ever played. unbelievable atmosphere.

Alex from Germany

2009-12-06 13:55:22 by Ewianes

To the game's writer: You've got something here, keep it up! I definitely see (and like) what you're going for with the mood. I don't want to discourage you, but the prose seemed to just slightly miss the mark in some places, though it certainly improved as the game went on. If I understood this game correctly, it is meant to be very focused on the narrator's world-weary comments and descriptions of what he's experiencing, which I am fond of, reminds me very much of a gritty detective novel. With some more practice I think you will get this feeling exactly right. Please don't mind my criticism...I went to the trouble of registering just to post in hopes that you will continue this series. I like where it's going. Full voice acting is always a plus, the music is perfect, and the graphics definitely get the job done (A+ on the girl at the bar), but the writing is the strongest point here (key to a good adventure game). But, like I said, the writing does fail in some spots. You nailed it in other spots. Keep it coming and I know we will have a very enjoyable series on our hands.

2009-12-05 06:56:38 by misterspooky

Amazing game and storyline, it keep me hooked as soon as I started from the intro. The best bit was the window haha loved it ;)

WHEN IS THE NEXT ONE COMING OUT LOL ;)

10/10

2009-12-04 00:10:06 by Jake Jackson (Patternjake)

VOICE ACTING and immersion are amazing.
This is an amazing game, it's only flaw being you want more. Go play it.

2009-12-02 12:03:05 by Charles (ShonenAiGuy)

Very Good game with nice graphics, excellent voice acting and interesting story. I will give it 4.5 on 5 scale. There are some little errors like sometimes dialogues don't match subtitles. I especially like the atmosphere. Also controls are intuitive.

I hope you are releasing new game soon.

2009-12-01 03:30:24 by Sauyadav (sauyadav)

A beautiful, creepy and sort of depressing game. The voice acting might be the best I've heard in an AGS-game so far.
Highly recommended if you're in the mood for a dark adventure.

2009-11-30 13:51:56 by Helme

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1 Cup	Not serious entertainment
2 Cups	A reasonable game, worth a try
3 Cups	A good game, worth playing
4 Cups	A great game, well worth your time
5 Cups	An outstanding, must-play game!

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