Carnivale was one of the greatest unfinished TV symphonies of our time, which was ferociously robbed of any satisfying conclusion due to the costs versus its viewership. How its similar-sounding cousin Carnival fairs, I do not know, as this jumble of words refers to the playable demo on Steam. Based on how that ended? I suggest you download it now if you’re a classic point and click adventurer.
Much like the TV show, the point and click genre doesn’t have the biggest fanbase, but we are fiercely loyal and just love a good rubber chicken pulley reference or tentacle poster. Beyond Booleans’adventure is more on par with a Sierra game, or for those in the know, in the same league as The Excavation of Hob’s Barrow or The Plague Doctor of Wippra. Graphically, it’s incredibly dated, yet the art style is so beautifully nuanced, and any screenshot could be captured and self-contained without having to decipher what each artefact represents.
In Carnival, you play as journalist James Maynard, who is sent to Venice to write an article about a bridge. All very mundane, right? Even if that was the genuine narrative thread, there’s something incredibly luring about this adventure, and upon arrival at the train station, you can’t help but interact with all the quirky characters and admire the real-life locations. The only elephant in the room is the overwhelming textboxes. Well-written and informative, they often take over the screen and ugly as sin.
Fortunately, the talking head elements, where you have a more thorough conversation with the locals, are stunning and add to the impending drama and doom associated with this folk horror tale. In only a matter of minutes, there’s something ominous in the air, and James is beginning to have visions. This is countered initially by his narcolepsy, an unfortunate condition for a journalist far away from home, though it doesn’t explain the menacing undertones, which you don’t quite find out in this demo.
Instead, you get to admire the locations and interact with the locals, building some excellent character profiles that I can’t wait to explore in the full game, which is now available. This is a title I was avidly following on social media when I was on it, and was hopeful of covering the game during its Summer release. However, as mentioned, it’s now available and seemingly worth every penny. Alas, a game for me isn’t always on the cards as there’s always another game to review. For now, it’ll remain on the wishlist, but I genuinely can’t stop thinking about this every time I have that adventure itch, so watch this space for a full review.
In the meantime, the Carnival demo is still up on Steam, so check it out.
