D (video game)
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| D | |
|---|---|
 |
|
| Developer(s) | WARP Rozner Labs Software Group |
| Publisher(s) | Acclaim Entertainment Panasonic Interactive Media |
| Designer(s) | Kenji Eno |
| Platform(s) | Sega Saturn, PlayStation, 3DO, PC |
| Release date(s) | December 1, 1995 |
| Genre(s) | Survival Horror, Graphic adventure, Puzzle |
| Mode(s) | Single player |
| Rating(s) | BBFC: 15 ELSPA: 15+ ESRB: T USK: 12+ |
D (Dの食卓 Dī no Shokutaku) is a survival horror/puzzle game released in 1995 by WARP. One of the first games released by the company,[1] it featured 3D CGI, and introduced the star of Enemy Zero and D 2, Laura.
Contents |
[edit] Characters
Laura Harris: Laura is a scholar in her late twenties at a school in San Francisco. Her father, Dr. Richter Harris, is the director and supervisor of a hospital in Los Angeles. Her mother, the wife of Dr. Harris, was violently killed years ago; she was found stabbed to death with her limbs amputated. Laura’s only keepsake from her deceased mother is a blue compact (which also appears in D2). The mirror holds a power that can show hints of the future and as such, is of great use and value to Laura.
Dr. Richter Harris: Father of Laura Harris. He was the supervisor of a hospital in Los Angeles and is in his late fifties. Years ago, his wife was brutally murdered. He has gone insane and killed a large number of patients and staff at the hospital. He is noted as a quiet and studious man, which makes his killing spree all the more puzzling.
[edit] Story
The game begins when Laura Harris is contacted by Los Angeles police, receiving a disturbing message: her father, Dr. Richter Harris, has gone on a mass murdering spree and has now barricaded himself in the hospital. In a panic, Laura rushes to the scene of the crime, desperate to find an explanation for the well-respected doctor's actions. Upon entering the hospital, she is instantly horrified at the scattered and grotesquely mutilated bodies lying about the dark halls of the hospital. Inching slowly forward, she is taken by a small metallic entity to an unknown dark castle.
Unwilling to give up her search, she continues through the dark, atmospheric corridors of the medieval hell. While attempting to find her father, she experiences a series of flashbacks of her mother being stabbed to death. Laura's father (taking the form of apparitions) warns her to leave, saying that staying too long means being stuck in the alternate reality forever. He warns that he will soon become an emotionless monster and will eventually try to kill her. Still shaken, Laura proceeds to find her father residing at the peak tower of the castle. Angrily, the father reveals a disturbing story about the sordid past of his family, revealing information that forces the pieces of this horrific puzzle together: Laura, as well as her father are both part of a bloodline with an insatiable appetite dating back to Dracula and that she had killed her mother and eaten her as a younger woman but it was erased from her memory by her father. As Dr. Harris' transformation begins, Laura has to make a choice: kill or be killed. There are two endings available depending on the players' actions at the end.
[edit] Good Ending
If the player fires the revolver that they had gained earlier in the game before Dr. Richter Harris transforms, the bullet will kill him and stop his transformation. Laura is seen consoling her dying father inside the hospital.
[edit] Bad Ending
If the player approaches Laura's father and doesn't shoot him, the screen will fade to black with the sounds of Laura's father eating her heard over the credits.
[edit] Best (100%) Ending
Throughout the game, the player is required to collect scarab beetles. If they collect all of these, they'll receive the 100% ending which includes everything from the Good Ending as well as the sound of a baby crying near the end of the credits.
[edit] Production
D began production in 1994 for the 3DO console. With use of only three Amiga computers, WARP was able to harness impressive 3D visuals.
Because the storyline and graphic FMVs were far more horrifying than any other game that had yet been released, head developer Kenji Eno resorted to a trick in order to get D published. The game was originally developed with no storyline, and Eno kept the story sequences a secret even from the other members of WARP. When the game was finished, he submitted a "clean" version (i.e. without the violent and disturbing story content of the complete version) for approval. He deliberately submitted the master late, knowing that part of the penalty was that he would have to deliver it by hand to the manufacturers in the USA. While on the plane ride to the USA, he switched the phony "clean" discs with the finalized discs, thus completely bypassing all censorship.[1]
Though it initially sold well in Japan, D failed to make an impact in the US, probably due to the declining popularity of FMV-heavy games and the fact that very few people in the USA had 3DO consoles. Nevertheless Acclaim took it upon themselves to port D over to the Sega Saturn, PlayStation and PC. There is a very rare edition of D called D's Diner: Director's Cut. It features never before seen sequences, background of the family members and a mini disc with Kenji Eno's D soundtrack on it.
[edit] Reception
At the time of release, D was well received, but like many games that made use of full motion video for gameplay, it has not aged well. Game Informer lists the game among the worst horror games of all time.[2]
[edit] References
- ^ a b "Kenji Eno: Reclusive Japanese Game Creator Breaks His Silence". 1UP.com. 2008-08-07. http://www.1up.com/do/feature?pager.offset=0&cId=3169166. Retrieved 2008-08-08.
- ^ “The Wrong Kind of Scary: Worst Horror Games Ever,” Game Informer 186 (October 2008): 121.
