Overclocked: A History of Violence
Encyclopedia
Overclocked: A History of Violence is a psychological thriller
adventure game
developed by House of Tales and published by Lighthouse Interactive
. The game was released on April 21, 2008 for retail and direct download.
David McNamara who is treating several mentally-scarred teen patients, during a violent thunderstorm in New York City
.
. Psychiatrist
David McNamara from DC is sent to examine the case thanks to his previous work in the US Army dealing with post-traumatic stress disorder
. Right from the beginning, the case seems odd. On the first day, David discovers that all five patients had the same origins, and they were escaping from the same unknown person from an isolated military island. As the history is revealed, David, using a PDA
as a tape recorder, makes his way through the teens' minds, piecing together their history, while at the same time dealing with his ongoing divorce. David himself has serious issues regarding anger management
, which ended his former relationship.
It is revealed in the end that the teens were part of a military experiment for making amnesic assassins, and David's anger issues were only side effects of the previous project back in the Army.
tone. IGN
's 7/10 review also noted the game's "haunting main theme... and gloom of rainy New York [which] adds an appropriate layer of anxiety to the experience." It also received a Recommended award at IT Reviews, who praised its "strong characters" and "engrossing storyline." PC Gamer
scored it a 48% in its negative review, scoffing, "Unless you're jonesing for an adventure game fix, your time's better spent rearranging your Netflix
queue." Renowned interactive fiction writer Andrew Plotkin
in his review called it "engaging, narratively sophisticated" and "a great piece of interactive fiction".
Psychological thriller
Psychological thriller is a specific sub-genre of the broad ranged thriller with heavy focus on characters. However, it often incorporates elements from the mystery and drama genre, along with the typical traits of the thriller genre...
adventure game
Adventure game
An adventure game is a video game in which the player assumes the role of protagonist in an interactive story driven by exploration and puzzle-solving instead of physical challenge. The genre's focus on story allows it to draw heavily from other narrative-based media such as literature and film,...
developed by House of Tales and published by Lighthouse Interactive
Lighthouse Interactive
SilverBirch, Inc. was a video game publisher located in the Netherlands and was Acquired by Lighthouse Interactive in 2008. The company "Lighthouse interactive" had offices in Toronto and Montreal, Canada, Haarlem, The Netherlands and London, England....
. The game was released on April 21, 2008 for retail and direct download.
Story
The game, thematically about the effect and aftermath of violent acts, is about US Army psychiatristPsychiatrist
A psychiatrist is a physician who specializes in the diagnosis and treatment of mental disorders. All psychiatrists are trained in diagnostic evaluation and in psychotherapy...
David McNamara who is treating several mentally-scarred teen patients, during a violent thunderstorm in New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
.
Plot
The game begins when five amnesic college-aged teens suddenly appear with guns in the middle of New York CityNew York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
. Psychiatrist
Psychiatrist
A psychiatrist is a physician who specializes in the diagnosis and treatment of mental disorders. All psychiatrists are trained in diagnostic evaluation and in psychotherapy...
David McNamara from DC is sent to examine the case thanks to his previous work in the US Army dealing with post-traumatic stress disorder
Post-traumatic stress disorder
Posttraumaticstress disorder is a severe anxiety disorder that can develop after exposure to any event that results in psychological trauma. This event may involve the threat of death to oneself or to someone else, or to one's own or someone else's physical, sexual, or psychological integrity,...
. Right from the beginning, the case seems odd. On the first day, David discovers that all five patients had the same origins, and they were escaping from the same unknown person from an isolated military island. As the history is revealed, David, using a PDA
PDA
A PDA is most commonly a Personal digital assistant, also known as a Personal data assistant, a mobile electronic device.PDA may also refer to:In science, medicine and technology:...
as a tape recorder, makes his way through the teens' minds, piecing together their history, while at the same time dealing with his ongoing divorce. David himself has serious issues regarding anger management
Anger management
The term anger management commonly refers to a system of psychological therapeutic techniques and exercises by which someone with excessive or uncontrollable anger & aggression can control or reduce the triggers, degrees, and effects of an angered emotional state...
, which ended his former relationship.
It is revealed in the end that the teens were part of a military experiment for making amnesic assassins, and David's anger issues were only side effects of the previous project back in the Army.
Production
House of Tales is a German game development studio founded by Martin Ganteföhr and Tobias Schachte. Martin serves as both the writer and the creative director for the game. In a 2008 interview, Martin expresses his reasons for choosing such an intense topic (violence / psychology of aggression) as the theme for the game, "I chose the topic because it interests me, and is at least as worth to dedicate a game to as War on Mars. You see, making games is a very personal process for me. I have many questions about life, and as long as somebody is willing to listen, I will try to convey my thoughts and feelings in my games."Reception
Overclocked received mixed reviews. Brett Todd in his 7.5/10 review for GameSpot praised the game's "deep, engaging story with lifelike characters and dialogue" but noted its nihilisticNihilism
Nihilism is the philosophical doctrine suggesting the negation of one or more putatively meaningful aspects of life. Most commonly, nihilism is presented in the form of existential nihilism which argues that life is without objective meaning, purpose, or intrinsic value...
tone. IGN
IGN
IGN is an entertainment website that focuses on video games, films, music and other media. IGN's main website comprises several specialty sites or "channels", each occupying a subdomain and covering a specific area of entertainment...
's 7/10 review also noted the game's "haunting main theme... and gloom of rainy New York [which] adds an appropriate layer of anxiety to the experience." It also received a Recommended award at IT Reviews, who praised its "strong characters" and "engrossing storyline." PC Gamer
PC Gamer
PC Gamer is a magazine founded in Britain in 1993 devoted to PC gaming and published monthly by Future Publishing. The magazine has several regional editions, with the UK and US editions becoming the best selling PC games magazines in their respective countries...
scored it a 48% in its negative review, scoffing, "Unless you're jonesing for an adventure game fix, your time's better spent rearranging your Netflix
Netflix
Netflix, Inc., is an American provider of on-demand internet streaming media in the United States, Canada, and Latin America and flat rate DVD-by-mail in the United States. The company was established in 1997 and is headquartered in Los Gatos, California...
queue." Renowned interactive fiction writer Andrew Plotkin
Andrew Plotkin
Andrew Plotkin , also known as Zarf, is a central figure in the modern interactive fiction community. Having both written a number of award-winning games and developed a range of new file formats, interpreters, and other utilities for the design, production, and running of IF games, Plotkin is...
in his review called it "engaging, narratively sophisticated" and "a great piece of interactive fiction".