Exciting, but quite short

Pendulo treading according to the known and successful point'n'click adventure series "Runaway" new ways and provides "John Yesterday" a gloomy, not witty, but abysmally morbid pleasure.

The game here is a good idea that is implemented as a basis. The player takes over at the beginning of the control of Henry White and his colleague Cooper, who work for "Enfants de Don Quichotte" and want to care for the homeless in an abandoned subway station. This part is already in the 'very recommendable - playable demo and already there is to a very angry, if not disturbing, Cliffhanger the tension in the air. The hunt for the truth is opened. It is also evident that the content of a game and Synopsis have few intersections because the gruesome murders are just on the edge of the plot.

Comic style and idiosyncratic control

The adventure is held in a getting used to comic style, but which during the game acts more and more interesting and appropriate. In this game, nothing is as it seems and that starts with the representation of the world, and the dialogues. As in Comics popping on-screen in-picture conversation and interaction, which is called BlowUp interface system. So the focus is skillfully steered the discussions or to be examined corners. If the player chooses to examine in more detail, the pull-down menu appears in the blowups then (See, take '). Also a bit strange, but quite adequate way to keep track.
Henry, Cooper and John are controlled 'as usual' with the mouse. Worth mentioning is the well-done pathfinding of characters that do not run into walls or objects and the class implementation, that the character of the paths automatically skips at longer distances.

Successful confusion

After the exciting opener in the subway station time is invested (dialogue-heavy) to explain to the players what it is all about or seem to go? For if all that is not clear at the beginning. The protagonist has memory problems and indeed to the same extent as to capture the player problems, the big picture.
Thus, the action jumps in time and space, from the Antiquarian an old acquaintance towards a spiritual experience Johns several years ago. The gaps in the plot and the real implications are aware of the player only gradually.

Difficulty? Upgradable!

The players are presented a series of puzzles, which are all very quickly solved. Although some clouts in history are built, but many solutions are almost obvious. More problematic, it is a much more likely to find the relevant places for the interactions. In the game world usually quite bleak held some objects are difficult to detect. The HotSpot display is a blessing, because only with your (or a lot of patience) are all important points to find. Here this is designed for a dynamic game, because the respective points are staggered and appear only very briefly.
Teamwork tasks where the player can solve puzzles with several figures, there is no in-game. The potential of such tasks has been completely left out.

The multi-level help system is integrated solid. Depending on how often a tip is required for a quest, the more detailed is the relevant notice. From the general, vague allusion to use to concrete request something specific 'better, such an aid is not designed. For experts only subtly, gradually extensive for beginners.

Atmosphere: bitter, depressing and very exciting

A strong advantage of the production is the atmosphere created. While the plot and yet unexpected twists in the story make alone for goose bumps, it creates the composition of speakers and music to exacerbate the atmosphere even more. The omnipresent narrator's voice, says distances, almost amusing from the outside what is happening. A brilliant performance by Konstantin Graudus which puts the fear with this role.
For towards the end game, the player can affect the strictly linearly extending Adventure (one time) and choose between three very different ends. By pleasant Score administration, then the other options can be tried out without problems.

Overall, "The case of John Yesterday" a successful adventure that a grim story, lie in the appearance and reality close together. Content, Pendulo embarks on a thin ice, because the action has not only potential, but also malice and not like everyone. In particular, a short time (~ 6 hours), at the same time light puzzles, cloud the overall impression in the hunt for the truth.