The Gray Man

Richard Haraším · 27 Sept 2023

About

The Gray Man is a surreal first-person point-and-click adventure. It tells the story of a serial killer who confronts the player, as the murderer's conscience, with interpretations of his internal conflict.

Become the conscience of a psychopathic serial killer in the most bizarre point&click adventure ever created.

Players follow the linear story of protagonist Anthony. On the edge of his humanity, he struggles between his inner and real worlds. Through fragments of memories and traumas, you witness horrific acts of murder and torture and many expressive situations. A bizarre 5-6 hours of surreal journey through the subconscious, inner demons and the bitter reality of the world awaits you.

Player experiences a very atmospheric, almost distressful experience of a character hurting not only himself but also other innocent characters throughout the game with his lust and sense of pleasure. However the game does not put the player in a classical position, but rather guides him through the whole spectrum of a interactive movie, from which he becomes a spectator and a player in parallel. The more you free the limited will of the main character, the more the game interaction becomes available.

Decision. You have the option to decide right or wrong, and thus the serial killer will not be haunted by feelings of lust. However, if you don't help him, the game will become more challenging and thus the battle with your own soul.
Awake and Subconscious visual styles. The orientation in space is conditioned by the character's actions under the interaction of pointing and clicking, thus making it possible to click on various objects and other game elements, exploring the closed world and its dark corners. Conscience is heavily suppressed and it is up to you to restore it to its original state by your actions using various gameplay interactions, puzzles, searching for the right answers and memories in this surreal world.

Gameplay should be understood as a disparate whole of the "psychopathic mind". A mind that changes the rules of the game, level design, controls, gameplay and various limitations that also the Whisperer can influence by his actions. The game may seem to punish the player, but that's part of the experience of a story about a crazed serial killer, don't you think? If you accept that, the context of the chosen game mechanics and setting will make sense to you.