Horror hokum
An early effort from the global corporation that is Ubisoft, Hurlements is an unusual but highly compelling adventure that is very reminiscent of the earlier Zombi, and which is built on the same engine and designed by the same person. Like the previous game, this is a horror adventure, where players take on the role of Kane, a small-time thief who has just been released from prison. It doesn't take long for him to go back to his old ways and as he and his girlfriend are heading out in search of some stolen loot, their car breaks down. Their troubles don't end there though, and in between repairing the car and finding the gold the hapless pair must do battle with a pack of rampaging werewolves, thus turning the game into an early exercise in survival horror. The gameplay here is pretty much the same as Zombi, making use of of an icon-driven system to control movement, action and inventory usage. There's also a static image which shows the current location, while there are a few RPG and action game elements thrown in, in the form of touches such as characters getting tired and hungry, and combat which requires rapid joystick waggling in order to emerge successful. Hurlements is undeniably crude stuff but manages to transcend this to become an enthralling adventure into a nightmare world. If you enjoy text adventures like The Mist, then there is much to enjoy here, with a nice sense of atmosphere, some decent opportunities for exploration and some surprisingly creepy moments thrown in for good measure. It's not quite a classic slice of hokum but it's close enough to warrant an investigation.
