Vera Blanc Game Review by Matt Bird
Game Rating = 2/5
You should buy this game if:
- You like a lengthy tale
- You enjoy applying logic to your gaming
- You like comic books
You shouldn’t buy this game if:
- You’re looking for innovation
- You’re bored of point-and-click games
- You hate reading
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Vera Blanc has it all: money, looks, a ritzy lifestyle… and, unfortunately, a tumor in her brain. This is enough to spoil anyone’s day – though when she winds up miraculously cured thanks to modern medicine, she’s suddenly able to add telepathy to her already magnificent repertoire…
Thus begins the story of Vera Blanc, a follow-the-story detective game that sticks you in Vera’s shoes. Having survived her operation and gained the ability to read minds, Vera is enlisted as a detective, teaming up with former FBI agent Brandon Mackey to solve crimes with her mysterious gift. And, in the case of this game, the major item on her to-do list involves a Werewolf – though who knows what the truth behind the monster may be…?
Greatly resembling a semi-classic comic strip, Vera Blanc is a point and click game. You proceed through the case, talking to people, making note of clues and trying to discover what’s up with this werewolf. Along the way you can use Vera’s claim to fame, her psychic abilities, to try and read people’s minds, or you can go the old-fashioned route and reason the crimes out with mere logic. It’s nice not to be forced to read minds all the time, as the mini-game associated with it – a little version of Hangman – gets tiresome.
Vera Blanc has less to do with exploration than simply following the flow of the story. What really matters in this game is how you proceed through the events, as they’ll change what happens; you’ll still probably wind up in the same place at the end, but how you get there can be drastically different from game to game. As such Vera Blanc bears replaying once or twice to see everything there is to offer.
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Buy The Game Now $19.99
That said, there are some polishing problems with the storyline. Take the beginning of the game. While you’re riding on a train to investigate the werewolf, Vera may discover a bomb in her compartment, and she can disable it in a mini-game. Later on, however, she makes mention of the bomb having destroyed your compartment. Having the story change according to your actions is good and all, but only if the story keeps up with those changes.
Overall Vera Blanc is nice looking. The art is clean, consistent and for the most part good enough for the game. Static panels detract from the excitement of the events, of course, but that’s no new problem to comic strips. The story, too, is well presented and written, though there are occasional flubs within that hurt the overall package.
Is Vera Blanc worth the money? If you like a good detective story, yes. This is a solid title and at $20 won’t break the bank. It’s not the most innovative thing in the world, but it’s far from the worst tale spun. 3.5/5
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