Razors in the Night is an amateur-made adventure that offers a fun plot and a length that rivals the best commercial games. You play Knox, a member of a local punk gang who is running from the police after a rough Saturday on which he and friends might have crossed the line between prank and criminal offense. The game features a lengthy intro, dozens of well-realized locations packed with interactable objects and NPCs, good cut-scenes, and plenty of fun puzzles. The graphics in Razors in the Night are bright and colorful – the psychadelic colors are perfectly suited to the subject matter. Although I found them garish at first, it became cool and appealing once I got used to it (even the constant rain, annoying at first, you will get fond of). Solid writing, especially in the dialogues between Knox and gang members and other cool characters. The game is also much longer than most freeware games – you will likely spend between 15-20 hours with it, which is much more than an average commercial adventure these days. I have only a few complaints with the game, neither of which major. First, the interaction icons are far too big, and the lack of "hotspots" (like the starry dots in Gabriel Knight) makes it difficult to tell whether you are clicking on an interactable object or not. Second, the "transition hotspots" between each screen are sometimes too small: there are more than a couple of locations I missed at first, because I was not standing in the right 10x10 pixel area that triggers the transition. Lastly, there is a fair amount of pixel-hunting in this game, so expect to spend a lot of time "combing" each screen for objects that you can pick up or interact with. But these complaints pale in comparison to the wonderful plot, writing, and the plethora of puzzles that will amuse and challenge every adventure fan. If you love punk or long adventure games, you will probably enjoy this labor of love from a lone designer. Two thumbs up, way up! Reviewed by: Underdogs |