Fans of dark fantasy and fans of Ray Bradbury's Something Wicked This Way Comes would expect to like Dark Arcana: the Carnival, but some serious flaws that occur early in the game make the player turn away..G5's game bills itself as an adventure game, but the designers did not seem to know what this meant.
G5 does not charge for Dark Arcana: the Carnival, and it is an editor's pick in the Google Play store. Despite the accolades it has received, the game disappoints players from the beginning. The first noticeable problem occurs with he artwork. Artwork featuring muted colors is good for a horror mystery. Bright colors greet the player instead.
Another problem, and one that turns many people off from the newer crop of adventure games is the first "puzzle" the player encounters. When a player enters the carnival, he encounters a hidden object scene. Hidden object scenes do not add to an adventure game, and they should be confined to casual web games.
G5 needs to look at the adventure games that have appeared on the Wii and the Nintendo DS. The Sam and Max titles designers how to create an adventure game. If they cannot find a copy of Sam and Max, they may want to search Ebay for old PC titles like Roger Wilco, Leisure Suit Larry, and the Adventures of Grim Fandango.
Until G5 takes the time to correct the severe flaws with its game, it earns one star. Dark Arcana: the Carnival has the makings of a simple adventure game, but it needs a great deal of work.
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