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Ratings
Games Fewer Than Five People Have Rated
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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! |
Please understand that the main purpose of the ratings is to help potential game players find high quality, bug-free games to play. You've probably learnt a lot about AGS as a result of making your first game -- so why not use that knowledge to start afresh, and do even better with your next game!
5 Days a Stranger
by Yahtzee
Windows
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 |
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English
Public Opinion
About this game
Get in, get the loot, get out... that's how it usually goes for master cat burglar Trilby. But after he breaks into the supposedly vacated country manor erstwhile of the aristocratic DeFoe family, he quickly finds that things are not that simple. Together with a group of strangers, he finds himself imprisoned by some invisible intelligence. A force prepared to do anything to keep them there.AGS Awards Wins
Won, Best Game Created with AGS for 2003 2003
Won, Best Dialogue Scripting in an AGS Game 2003
Won, Best Gameplay in an AGS Game 2003
Won, Best Puzzles in an AGS Game 2003
Won, Best Scripting in an AGS Game 2003
AGS Awards Nominations
Nominated, Best Story in an AGS Game 2003
Nominated, Best Player Character in an AGS Game 2003
Nominated, Best Room Art in an AGS Game 2003
Nominated, Best Character Art in an AGS Game 2003
Nominated, Best Animation in an AGS Game 2003
Nominated, Best Sound Effects in an AGS Game 2003
AGS Panel Review
"Ben 'Yahtzee' Croshaw's first entry in this popular series provides a solid gaming experience that entertains and even provides a few scares. 4 Cups! "
107 people commented on this game (newest first):
also, is it weird to have developed a crush on Trilby? Asking for a friend.
The story on the other hand was awesome.
Only that makes it one of the best games i played
This game symbolizes the Adventure Game Studio. The immersion is classic and I much preferred it compared to some high graphic games of today.
Maybe in his older years, Yahtzee will release the source code to the public. That would provide a lot of learning material.
Eh Yahtzee ?:)
Firstly, I actually agree with people who say it is not so much a "true" adventure game, but rather an interactive story, nevertheless I LOVED it. This was one of the first AGS games I played (maybe second or third one) and I must say that this game perhaps made me addicted to AGS :). Quite spooky and thrilling, with interesting story behind, charismatic characters and wonderful intro (music is lovely).
Best played at night with lights off and nobody else around! :)
http://raritet-site.narod.ru/files/5days_RUS.rar
5-7 Days are cool !!!
This game constantly surprised me by actually being scary (or at least very creepy), despite its pixelated look. The characters are great, although I did laugh when Jim died; I kind of expected it after he said, "It's every man for himself!"
The music and sound effects were, in my opinion, well placed. The music was not annoying or all over the place, and it complemented the mood quite nicely. Same with the sound effects.
In the end, I think this game is well worth the 4 cups it has (at this moment).
The series are great!! I loved when the whole story was revealed in Trilby's note! This "cuadrilogy" is a must-play!
The Graphics are astonishing well hand drawn graphics.
The Music is great at pulling you into the game world.
The story is amazing could actually become a national best seller if someone does write a novel about it, the characters grow throughout the story and they have great stories to begin with and its just overall a great game, play it you will like it.
Any how, 5 Days a Stranger is the best AGS made game I have played so far (I haven't fully played all the other AGS games I have been downloading for the past 3 or so days).
Visuals: 85%
Great use of colors and graphics being this is over 3 years old. Very good animation.
Immersion: 90%
The intro really draws you in. The cast of characters are very well thought out with a good amount of backstory to them to make them believeable. The sound effects and music fit it just right as well.
Puzzles and Pacing: 90%
Excellent puzzles and nothing seems forced. Very well executed and had me stumped on about 2 of them, but made sense. Superb!
Overall Enjoyment:95%
That was a nice length game with a great atmosphere that pulls you in. Excellent cast of characters. Trilby is one memorbale character I will never forget. This has to be the most enjoyable AGS made game I've played.
Only thing to improve is graphics, there should be more realistic background, i thing grayer colors and a bit of shading would do.
;)
9/10
- Well done
I enjoyed it thoroughly Great great GREAT
Come out of retirement and make some more
What I'd really love to see now, even more than more games by Yahtzee, is a remake of this game--better, high-res graphics and maybe a bonus puzzle or two.
Three thumbs up!
i played "trilby´s note" (hard for a runaway in english language - i am german, ecuse me ;) an "7days a sceptic". 5 and 7 days more than one times. i would prefer less of occult - perhaps more logical reasons for stranger.. like.. mhh.. you know the ??? from alfred hitchcock? ;)
always a explainable reason for mistery :) ..
but at all: very good work!! thanks
Wasn't too fond of the music however, since I've heard those RPG maker songs millions of times. But that's an aside. :P
Wasn't too fond of the music, as I've heard those RPG maker songs a million times. But that's an aside. :P
Well done!
The Puzzles were good, except from some pixelhunting which made me search for the walkthrough. I hate it, when I have the right idea , but the character won't do it because you didn't get the few right pixels to pick up that particular item.
The graphics are OK for that kind style, but could be better.
As far as the game goes, I really enjoyed it. At first, I was a little nervous (almost scared). Opening the shower curtain for the first time was especially frightening. Once it was apparent what the menace was I was no longer scared. Instead, I felt determination to rid the world of this abomination.
I enjoyed it and am now hooked on AGS games.
good grafics
good plot
great sound and music
good ending
good controls
5 out of 5
I hated being in the "basement room," because it just spooked the hell out of me.
I think the game is really great and the storyline is too, but I found a problem with one of the puzzles.
First puzzle that was kind-of rediculous was the tiles in the bathroom. I walked around the house for at-least an hour clicking on random things, because I didn't know I had to UNdo the device I had put together. Couldn't I have just used the machette while it was attached?
Other than the detach-the-machette puzzle, the game was very enjoyable for me and the designer has some talent that I hope we'll see more of soon. Thanks for the great game, would love to see some more scary works.
The biggest problem with the game is that it's a BRUTE FORCE adventure game. The majority of puzzles you solve will not be based on clues, but simply on clicking around with every possible action and item to see what happens next. Don't get me wrong, there are some puzzles that are logical, but far too many of them provide absolutely no visual or verbal cues - you just walk around a static house with a very limited number of rooms back and forth trying different things until you find something that works.
If this trial-and-error no-hint no-visual cue-style gameplay is what people think of as the 'Best Puzzles of 2003', I think that the quality of non-commercial adventure games is in a poor state.
The game may last you several hours or more. For me it lasted 5 or 6 hours. I endured the poor logic and bad puzzles because the game does do something very nicely - it keeps you wanting to find out what happens next. As an interactive story, it does deserve some recognition. However, had it not been for the brute force style of puzzle-solving, the game would have lasted me 10 to 20 minutes tops. It only packs about that much content.
However, when you go through a game as frustrating as this, you expect something great and ultimately satisfying at the end. While the game does manage to immerse you into the story, what really happens is that it provides a very promising and potentially horrific beginning, and then devolves into a slew of silliness with no real twist or anything of that sort - just a bunch of crude explanations on the state of affairs. At the end I felt cheated out of something interesting all together, and the game has one of the most anti-climactic endings I've ever seen.
Although Yahtzee purposefully states that this is an experiment in dramatic character development and not a comedic game like his others, there are plenty of hilarious moments in 5 Days a Stranger (including what I still consider to be the finest closing line in an AGs game), as well as some truly spine-chilling surprises. The main character, Trilby, is a sedate but likable lead and the other inhabitants of the house, particularly the angry young man Philip, are memorable recreations of well-known stereotypes.
The real trump card of 5 Days a Stranger is the wonderful, claustrophobic atmosphere that makes the player feel as if they are right there in the house. I played this game late at night and jumped out of my skin at least once. Also, the interaction between the characters is impressively convincing. There is a real warmth in the protective attitude everyone has towards Jim and a sort of dysfunctional family vibe develops. I developed a real affection for these guys and caring what happens to the characters keeps you gripped throughout and the puzzles were not so hard that I became frustrated but not so easy that I finished the game too quickly.
Although it boasts some nice graphics and good puzzles, 5 Days a Stranger is made a classic by the excellent writing. The story, the dialogue and a very satisfying climax make this one a must, an already highly revered classic.
Highlights:
5 Days A Stranger has an EXCELLENT story, very unusual and untypical of the genre. It could be a book, or better yet, a great horror film. The plot and characters are all quite interesting (though knowing more about AJ would of been nice) and the dialogue maintains a constant degree of intrigue.
The graphics, while not commercial quality by any standard, are very serviceable. The animations put into play are done very well considering the more blase artwork. I feel the Yahtzee could of made the graphics much better had he spent more time on them. However, in his defense the graphics do maintain a constant standard. So nothing sticks out as horrible more than anything sticks out as decently okay. Again, though, the animations were great for a fanmade title.
So on the positive side, the graphics and story of 5 Days hold up considerably well given the genre and the one-man-army methodology behind it. The game maintained my interest long enough to finish it, given the intrigue of the story. So in those regards, 5 Days is not a failure.
Missteps:
There are some -serious- logic holes in this game. Firstly, the fact that no one can -leave- the house, despite the fact that the house and even the front doors are full of windows. Why couldn't Trilby or his fellow prisoners not just bust a window out on the ground floor? When Trilby first enters the DeFoe house, he's wearing a black velvet mask to cover his face, but he's not wearing any gloves to deter leaving fingerprints?! Trilby can open the large safe WITHOUT lockpicks, but he can't pick any of the simple doors until he gets some?! WHY would the ghost bother to drive Trilby's car into the backyard?! WHAT were the 5 people eating during this whole time? 5 Days takes into account that they had to -sleep- but there is no food available anywhere within the DeFoe house, other than a large bag of salt. How is it that Trilby can carry a 2-man saw, a metal detector, a pickaxe, the bones of a corpse, etc... but can't carry a simple hunting rifle due to it's "weight"?! The list of illogical circumstances just go on and on in this game. I wouldn't nitpick a game in this regard usually, but 5 Days makes itself out to be a very serious adventure, but constantly falls flat on it's face in the reality department. I found such missteps quite often detracted from any sense of immersion I would of attained without them.
I found the puzzles in this game to be highly aggravating. They all seem simple in hindsight, but hindsight is always 20/20. You are hardly ever given any clue as to what you are suppose to do next, and when you are, it's always vague. 5 Days resorts to the player having to constantly revisit the same areas over and over again clicking on everything randomly hoping that some new action or event will occur eventually. It's aggravating and illogical. The perfect example of this is during Day 1, I examined the tree and shook it and nothing happened. Later that day, when I had to find Jim, how the heck was I suppose to know to shake the tree again? Yahtzee could of left some sort of clue like Jim's feet standing on a branch or -something-. Instead you are left to your own devices to click on everything until you figure out Jim's hiding in the tree that you've already searched once before and found nothing. So, in that regard, the puzzles may be simple and easy, but they are presented in such an irrational manner that they instead become tedious and distractive, ruining the suspense of disbelief you might attain otherwise. I've beat KQ6 and QFG2 without walkthroughs, I think I know my way around puzzles, insofar as they are presented logically.
Conclusion:
While 5 Days A Stranger is a fine game, especially given it's humble creation, I don't think it quite deserves the 10 star status that you often see it given on various indie game review sites. I think by spending more time thinking his games through before ever scripting a single event, Yahtzee could indeed create a 10 star mini-adventure. But 5 Days is not that game. It is however, a pleasant diversion, if you have the patience for illogical plot holes and unintuitive puzzles. Jack's Rating: 7/10
i admit that it freaked me out when:
*SPOILERS*
simone whacked my head
when the first dream
when the second dream, the skeleton jumped out
when the portriat was a skeleton
when aj was dead
when my rival was dead
when new killer maniac came in the bathroom
i give it a 9/10
great job!
create a sequal or a prequal
Graphics:9/10 I can't give it a low rating because AGS can't really do better. The characters are well drawn, and I loooove that painting.
Gameplay:10/10 The peak of AGS entertainment! If you can give me a better AGS gameplay experience, Ill give you 1000 dollars. Or pounds. Whatever.
Sounds:6/10 When it comes, it comes. Kinda. Needs a bit more focusing.
Atmosphere:10/10 Once again, the ultimate AGS atmosphere. Solemn, Closed in (small, but long), Scary, and you really know the characters.
Characters (dialouge and personality):10/10
The characters play quite an excelent part in the storyline. This game really showed how good the "personalities" of game characters could be.
Some people like to stick with you, while others just wanna kill you. Jim even idolizes you. The dialouge is very cool, and is fun reading
Storyline:10/10 Wow. Amazing. Well planned, and it's like everything has a story to it. You can just sink right in. The days system is really cool. Everyday it tweaks the house, the areas, the people, and the famous portrait. Gotta love that picture!
Overall:10/10 I don't care if it should be 8/10 or whatever, SCREW IT! THIS IS THE BEST EVER!
First of all Trilby is a very intriguing character.
I really enjoyed "controlling" such a (for an adventure game) complex character. The story gets better and better as you play along. I really did enjoy gathering all the clues concerning the DeFoe family.
Another pro is the location.
The DeFoe manor reminded me of THE maniac mansion, which is a HUGE plus !
The interface isn´t perfect though. I would have preferred to choose the actions via right-click.
Favourite parts:
The intro
The 2nd nightmare
The changing painting
The Showdown
Oh. My sister was scared stiff when she played this game. Good job, Yahtzee, for creating this wonderful game.
The atmosphere of this game is superb and I liked the character interaction and the way the story flowed.
Only me then.
The story, graphics, characters, all contribute to this great game. WELL DONE!!!
Good work Yahtzee! Man, this game had me so scared...Especially that dream part, when they
were all lying dead, I mean, I buyed the trick,
and when that woman with the scissors comes in,
its just so damn good! The music makes you creep out, and the creeks and footsteps add to the atmosphere really nicely. Altogether- this is the
best horror game I played in a long time...
But if I were you, I wouldn't name the game as "5 Days a Stranger"; I thought it wasn't a scary game when I saw the game first time. And the red car in the garden was too small, isn't it?
But the game was very good. We are waiting for new games :)
Probablly the best AGS game I ever player. I was so involved, that I had trouble sleeping. I think it´s the first amateur game I played with "gusto". usually I´m more focused on the "how far can the amateur comunity go", but this time I was sucked in.
My only complain was the interfase, which I found a bit unfriendlly.
It's big game.
It needs about a hour to finally finish the game.
The first few days are a bit slow, but once things get going it's a great intense horror plot. So long as you're not stuck for too long, the limited locations you can visit shouldn't get too dull, as it's always clear what you're supposed to be doing at any time.
The effort he made with the characters should be applauded, but it falls short in that each day you've got set conversation topics and they don't change according to what you discover in the house etc. This makes it slightly less immersive, but the relationships between the characters are better fleshed-out than most amateur adventures.
All in all, fantastic stuff - Yahtzee is going from strength to strength. Trilby is a great character but even if his next game is not a sequel to this, I'm sure it will rule.
Very good game here! Great graphics(amateur level of course), nice plot and writing. MARVELLOUS ATMOSPHERE! I like it!
Well done!
Easily amongst the best AGS games I've ever played, and very possibly THE best.
Play it!
Well done Mr. Yahtzee. Between adventure game making and running a world wide range of convenience stores you must have little or not time left to be yourself - I would be in your shoes, they smell.
The story - great.
The feeling - more than great (the killer-scenes = the best ever seen with AGS!)
The visual things - also great.
Greatest atmosphere!
I personally think music could go either way with this one: either silence or creepy music can be used to fulfill the game's music needs; this game is silent throughout most of it, letting you hear the house's creaks; I think more music might still have been a better choice.
Anyway, this game rocks!
I played it through in one sitting, and never really got stuck, but nonetheless the puzzles and plot were still challenging and kept my interest.
Also, it was pretty damn creepy.
Keep 'em coming, Yahtzeeee!
However, this game needs some atmospheric music. The RPG maker stuff doesn't cut it, and for half the game there's no music anyways.
It'd be nice if it explained how these people go without eating for over 5 days. I'd like to see the dream sequences drawn out a little more for dramatic effect. Also, it'd be nice if certain themes (the African idol, for instance) were focused on a little more.
Overall, a good game, just needs a bit more chrome.