The Dark Half (video game)

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The Dark Half
Developer(s)Symtus
Publisher(s)Capstone Software
Platform(s)MS-DOS
Release1992
Genre(s)Adventure

The Dark Half is a 1992 video game published by Capstone Software. The game is based on Stephen King's 1989 novel The Dark Half.

Gameplay[edit]

The Dark Half is a game in which Thad Beaumont must stop his killer alter-ego George Stark.[1] The game is a graphic adventure in which the user interface commands are displayed on the screen as keys on a typewriter, while the text appears on paper coming out of the typewriter.[1] Thad may pick up items and the player's graphic inventory can display over 35 items.[1]

Reception[edit]

Charles Ardai reviewed the game for Computer Gaming World, and stated that "In brief, everything that made The Dark Half an exceptional novel is missing from the game, as is anything that might have made the game an exceptional game in its own right. The Dark Half is not only a bad game, it is easily one of the worst games I have played in the last ten years, on top of which it is an insult to a fine work by one of our most underappreciated authors."[1]

Joseph Boone for Computer Games Strategy Plus complained about the story, graphics and music, characters, and puzzles, and said that "It is very difficult to make a game with no outstanding features but Capstone proved to be up to the challenge."[2]

David N. Eadington for Video Games & Computer Entertainment conceded that fans of Stephen King movies might be entertained, but stated that "A solid story is the fundamental aspect of any good graphic adventure, and it is there that The Dark Half crumbles."[3]

German magazine PC Joker rated the game 29%.[4]

German magazine Power Play rated the game 14%.[5]

Reviews[edit]

  • Questbusters[6]
  • Datormagazin[7]
  • Cemetery Dance[8]
  • Micromania[9]

References[edit]

  1. ^ a b c d Ardai, Charles (November 1992). "The Horror, The Horror: Capstone's The Dark Half". Computer Gaming World. Vol. 1, no. 100. pp. 58–59.
  2. ^ "Computer Games Strategy Plus 24 November 1992". November 1992.
  3. ^ "Video Games & Computer Entertainment Issue 46 November 1992".
  4. ^ https://www.kultboy.com/index.php?site=t&id=1190 [bare URL]
  5. ^ https://www.kultboy.com/index.php?site=t&id=2007 [bare URL]
  6. ^ "QuestBusters: The Adventurer's Journal Volume 9 Number 10".
  7. ^ "Datormagazin 1992". 1992.
  8. ^ "Cemetery Dance 15 v05n01 (1993 Winter)".
  9. ^ "Micromania".

External links[edit]

  • Entry in A Brief Guide to Stephen King (2014)