Worst game ever?
If you're one of those gamers who just can't get enough of bad games, then this should be next on your list of dodgy retro titles to fire up and cringe at. In concept, Shadows of Cairn doesn't seem too bad, with the player thrust into the shoes of an apprentice thief who wants to prove his abilities in order to be admitted to the guild of thieves. Unfortunately, the thief finds himself framed for the murder of the duke and imprisoned. He manages to escape but it's now up to you to help him find his way through an unfriendly city, prove his innocence and bring the real murderer to justice. The game itself is basically a mix of action, platforming and stealth elements, and is viewed from a side on perspective, as you explore a series of environments, sneaking past guards or occasionally engaging them in combat. While in combat you have a stunning range of moves to choose from, these being high, low and medium attacks, while there are also plenty of traps lying around to catch you unawares. The list of things wrong with this game is pretty extensive, making it pretty much a disaster from start to finish. It's actually possible to complete the game within five minutes of starting it, if you go a certain route, but if you don't, then the difficulty level is so high it immediately becomes frustrating. The voice acting, which is carried out a maximum of two people for the entire cast, is awful, while the script itself is unbelievably poor, with cheesy lines galore. Add in terrible controls, some truly wretched music and poor gameplay and you have a good contender for worst game ever. Play any platformer rather than this, from Jill of the Jungle to Dangerous Dave and save yourself the pain.
