Reanimation Ltd PC review

Reanimation Ltd – A Darkly Humorous Descent into Office Horror

Created by Jon ‘Hosts in the Shell’ Richter (X @Richterwrites)

By Matt Adcock (X @cleric20, Bluesky @cleric20.bsky.social)

Ever wondered what would happen if the monotony of corporate life collided head-on with a full-blown monster apocalypse? Enter Reanimation Ltd, a comedy horror RPG that fuses the quirky charm of Undertale with the satirical bite of The Office.

You step into the shoes of Eddie, a beleaguered office drone whose passion for life has been sapped by the daily grind. Just when he’s bracing for another soul-crushing day at work, chaos erupts as monstrous entities overrun the office. It’s up to Eddie to rally his eccentric colleagues, solve mind-bending puzzles, and confront the horrors that have turned his workplace into a nightmare.

Richter has crafted something cool here with RPG Maker, and Reanimation Ltdoffers a nostalgic pixel art aesthetic that belies its intricate gameplay. Players navigate an open world teeming with bizarre side quests, formidable creatures, and a host of peculiar characters. The game introduces an addictive in-game card game, reminiscent of Triple Triad, providing a delightful diversion from the main narrative.

Combat is turn-based, demanding strategic thinking as you manage your party’s unique abilities to overcome a variety of enemies, including a particularly obstinate printer that serves as a memorable mini-boss. The puzzles are cleverly designed, striking a balance between challenge and accessibility, ensuring players remain engaged without unnecessary frustration.

Where Reanimation Ltd truly excels is in its writing. The dialogue is sharp, witty, and laced with dark humour that skewers corporate culture while embracing the absurdity of the supernatural scenario. The characters are well-developed, each bringing their own quirks and backstories that enrich the narrative and provide a satirical lens on office dynamics.

The pixel art style is charming, with detailed environments that capture the sterile ambience of an office juxtaposed against the grotesque invasion of otherworldly horrors. The soundtrack complements the gameplay perfectly, featuring eerie melodies that heighten tension and more upbeat tracks that underscore the game’s comedic elements.

Reanimation Ltd is a testament to the creativity and potential of indie game development. It delivers a unique blend of humour and horror, wrapped in engaging gameplay that keeps you hooked from start to finish. 

Out of a potential 5, you have to go with a Darkmatters:

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(4 - Reanimation Ltd is well worth your time...) 

Get your copy here: https://jonrichter.itch.io/reanimation-ltd 

>>> Imagine a world where the earth is becoming hell?

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Darkmatters Review: Tears for Sale

Tears for Sale (15)

Dir. Uroš Stojanoviæ

Reviewed by Matt Adcock


"Carlston za Ognjenku or a Serbian 'Amélie'?"

Tears for Sale is a phantasmagorical rom-com which does have elements of Jeunet's film but Uros Stojanovic brings a powerful new fantasy voice to the cinematic world.

We’re in World War I where a Serbian village is starved of men due to the war… We meet two feisty sisters - Ognjenka (Sonja Kolacaric) and Mala (Katarina Radivojevic). Their job are to be professional crying / sobbing providers who wail at funerals for money.

Things don’t look good when the last man in their village – the two sisters have to go on a quest to find and bring back some new men for the ladies. Oh and the spirit of their late grandmother (Olivera Katarina) haunts them – and will never be at peace until they complete their mission.

On their travels the girls find Iron Man Dragoljub (Nenad Jezdic) and his smooth dancer pal Arsa (Stefan Kapicic). Can these two men revive the village or might they actually fall in love with the sisters?

Tears for Sale is a fun romp stacked with crazy characters and situations from writer Aleksandar ‘A Serbian Film’ Radivojevic. But unlike that shock-em-up this film is funny and sexy with a very dark sense of humour.

"The girls on their mission for men"

Sonja Kolacaric and Katarina Radivojevic work well together – with sparky chemistry that makes this weird and wonderful fairy tale world that Terry Gilliam would be proud to call his own. It gets pretty saucy at points too (as I found out while watching this on a packed train!?).

The DVD looks excellent and the quality of the picturesque visuals are pin sharp. Everything about Tears for Sale is just the right side of the genius / madness divide.

Darkmatters rating: öööööööö (8 freaky Serbian scenarios out of 10)

Darkmatters hearts TUMBLE PS3 Move

Tumble PS3 (Move)

Developed by Supermassive Games

Reviewed by Matt Adcock

The first PlayStation Move game to give you a massive erection to play with…

Tumble is a building block game, where players use the funky new PS3 Move controllers to pick up, rotate and generally manipulate the various building materials in order to erect towers, blow them up with mines, puzzle the hell out of some dastardly challenges – all in stunning 3D HD (if you have the necessary TV).

Yep, building towers either against a target, an AI competitor or trying to beat a human adversary is much more fun than I thought it would be! Tumble uses the Move motion controller really well, it feels very natural and you’ll soon be stacking bricks like you’re a pro. Simply point at the block you want to pick up, use the trigger to grab and when you have it in the desired position - release it and hope that it doesn’t cascade off to oblivion…

"There she blows!!"

And here’s a thing – you can play Tumble no problem at all sitting down, which might not sound like a big deal but it is more than you can do if you choose to go the Xbox 360 route of Kinect which is a standing only experience.

Puzzling your way through the devious Tumble challenges begins very easy – e.g. build the tallest tower possible. But soon different materials come into play and so you’ll have to watch where you put that slippery ice block or the genius ‘stick to anything’ cubes.

As the traps become more SAW like you’ll find fans trying to blow your bricks over, swinging pendulums and beams, even antigravity areas or mirrors that bounce light.

Each puzzle comes with bronze, silver and gold targets for medals plus hidden bonus ones such as time challenges. It all makes for an excellent gaming experience. Especially fun if you choose to play through the levels cooperatively using a second motion controller, this led to some heated ‘discussion’ with my wife when we tried to work together.

For PS3 Movers with brains, Tumble is an excellent game – which will keep on giving for a long time. Buy it!!

Darkmatters rating: ööööööööö (9 falling blocks out of 10)

"Rumour has it that Emma Watson likes a tumble"

Darkmatters Review - The Book Thief

The Book Thief
Markus Zusak

Reviewed by Matt Adcock


“She leaned down and looked at his lifeless face and Liesel kissed her best friend, Rudy Steiner, soft and true on his lips. He tasted dusty and sweet. He tasted like the regret in the shadows of trees and in the glow of the anarchist’s suit collection. She kissed him long and soft, and when she pulled herself away, she touched his mouth with her fingers. Her hands were trembling, her lips were fleshy, and she leaned in once more, this time losing control and misjudging it. Their teeth collided on the demolished world of Himmel Street.” The Book Thief page 536

Sometimes you read a book that you know nothing about… When my eldest son was given a copy of The Book Thief he suggested I read it as he was already reading something. I liked the image on the cover of death dancing with a girl (the book thief herself as it turns out) so gave it a go.

This is a slow burn and build up of a novel which is worthy of your perseverance as by the end you’ll have been deeply moved, entertained and challenged by the tale of young Liesel, her adopted family, her friends and her experiences of the second world war in Nazi Germany.
The plight of the Jews in Germany at that dark time in history is interwoven with the coming of age tale of the titular book thief. The story is told by Death himself but this is no Terry Pratchett Discworld, here Death is a narrator who is detached enough to record our inhumanity and express his lack of understanding at why we humans act as we do,

The ponderous pace builds up a beautifully balanced and highly engaging narrative, Zusak uses clever devices such as mini previews of each chapter (which can not always be trusted).
Liesel who is the book thieving rascal of the title charts her relationships with her adoptive parents – hardship and survival go hand in hand – never more so than when the family hide Max (a Jew on the run) in their basement at great personal risk to themselves. The tangible sense of danger is expertly woven through the narrative, this really isn’t a happy tale and you can sense some form of tragedy on its way as the war escalates and the Allies start bombing Liesel’s town. Although, having said that there are some moments of pure joy that stand out all the more for the bleak backdrop against which they are experienced.

As with all great books, there are some unforgettable scenes such as when Liesel and her friend Rudy take bread and try to feed a line of Jew being marched through the streets to a concentration camp. Scenes like this blend seemlessly with Liesel's thieving escapades, her father's tours of duty and her mother's struggle to keep everything going... These are characters that you'll remember for some time.

The Book Thief is book which everyone should read – it is an unsettling and thought-provoking novel, buy beg or steal yourself a copy.


Darkmatters final rating of: öööööööö (8 - a compelling if slow moving modern day classic)

Film news - Fox 2000 has bought the rights to The Book Thief - it's status is 'in production'...


"I think Dakota Fanning would make a good Liesel - she's cheeky enough!"