Point-and-click adventure games may have had their heyday with games from LucasArts and Sierra, and while the genre may have certainly declined, a few smaller indie companies kept it alive and one of them is Wadjet Eye Games.

I first heard of Wadjet Eye Games by playing Gemini Rue (which they published) and Blackwell series (which they developed). The studio is relatively small, but this does not affect the quality of the games they produce, which only seems to get higher. Unavowed, unlike other Wadjet Eye Games titles, explores some dark themes and has larger things at stake, but it still has its funny moments.

Set in Blackwell series universe, Unavowed offers a mix of point-and-click and very light story-driven RPG elements. You start the game being held by a mysterious woman, while the other man performs an exorcism. Here each time he asks the question, you will define your gender, name and a profession. By choosing the profession, you will play the flashback showing how the demon possed you. It turns out, you’ve been possed for one year, during which you caused many murders for which you are now wanted by the police. With nowhere to go, you are recruited to the Unavowed, which is like police for dealing with the supernatural. From here on in you and your teammates will begin solving cases and began to unravel the plans of your demon.

Teammates are excellently written and each of them has a unique backstory and personality. Originally the team for the first couple of cases will consist of Mandala, half-human half-genie, who uses her physical abilities in the field, and Eli the fire mage and former accountant and while having destructive powers, he can also read burned documents. During the course of the game, two more members will join the Unavowed. Vicki a detective, who everyone thinks is crazy, joins your team to help you solve the Stanton Island case, and Logan a spirit medium and recovering alcoholic, he joins to help you solve the Bronx case. Vicki is your former partner if you choose the cop backstory, and Logan knows you if you choose the bartender backstory.

The game consists of seven cases, and at the end of each case, you will get a moral choice and these choices aren’t at all easy. The choices you make will impact the game later on and will stay with you. As the game progresses you will have flashbacks of your demon actions, and it turns out you are involved with murders and in some cases summoning creatures from other dimensions. Because you don’t have any powers you can only take two of your teammates with you and you will rely on their powers to solve the cases.

Puzzles are not too complicated, but they can cause a few head scratches. The game does not use “moon logic”, and all solutions can be found by using common sense and offers different methods for solving puzzles. The game takes this into account and each case can be solved with different characters, using different methods, which adds to the replayability and you will never be in the position of doubting your self if you choose the wrong party members. Writing is excellent and each character will explain to you their backstory, facts about the world and if you take them with you they will have unique banter with other characters. Each one of them will offer their own view on the case, and even part of the city you visit. Even the monsters and villains have their own motives for their actions. The game also has a couple of very good twists, and there is never a dull moment.

The game takes this into account and each case can be solved with different characters, using different methods, which adds to the replayability. Writing is excellent and each character will explain to you their backstory, facts about the world and if you take them with you they will have unique banter with other characters. Each one of them will offer their own view on the case, and even part of the city you visit.

Unavowed uses 2D pixel art made by the studio regular Ben Chandler, while the character portraits were made by Ivan Ulyanov. Ben Chandler this time created some very detailed and unique scenes, all of them play nicely in an urban fantasy setting. Be it the other dimension or the streets of Manhattan, each of the scenes are very well detailed and they possess unique visual identity. Unlike the previous Wadjet Eye Games, Unavowed offers twice the resolution using the same engine, which allows for more detailed pixel art. According to Dave Gilbert, the reason pixel art was chosen was a financial one, because he didn’t have the funds to create a 3D adventure like the one TellTale Games made, but pixel art graphics work very well with the game. Music and voice acting are great, and the game features a couple of regular Wadjet Eye voice actors and this time Dave Gilbert also voices a few characters. Only flaws I found was that sound effects can sometimes overshadow the dialog and that due to pixels you can miss a few hotspots.

Unavowed is obviously a game made with care and passion and it shows. Its specs are very low and the game is easily playable on any modern configuration. As with every Wadjet Eye game, you can also turn on “Developer Commentary” and enabling it you can hear Dave Gilbert and Ben Chandler explain how the game was made, and of course, there are bloopers, which are always a nice touch. So if you are in need of a good game with quality writing, and want to try something old school, give this one a try. At least with Wadjet Eye Games, you can expect a quality product.