It is not easy being Clyde. A former doctor who is now in jail for murder, where his fame and status has been ruined, no one trusts him and everyone believes he is a ruthless killer. Yet, as luck would have it, a routine trip down to retrieve more cleaning supplies, would soon turn into a completely new adventure for Clyde. However, with his correctional officer Matthew Holmstett, close by, he will have to put aside his differences and work together to solve the problems that he will soon face. In Reactor 09, you will get to see first hand what happens on the journey of Clyde’s and how he will get himself out of the dilemma he will soon encounter, all the while trying to earn the trust of Mathew and proving himself to Matthew and others that he is not a brutal killer. With an interesting story, great artwork and four endings, this adventure game will keep you engrossed far beyond when you finish it.

As you will soon see, as you watch the introduction of the game and the subsequent scenes, this is no ordinary adventure game. You play the role of Clyde, a prisoner who has been incarcerated because of murder. Clyde spends his days mopping up floors, much to his loathing, being that he once was a brilliant doctor, who even designed the reactor that the prisons power system is running on. Yet, a trip to retrieve more cleaning supplies, with his correctional officer Mathew soon turns almost deadly, as a big rumble in the earth, causes the lights to go out, and Clyde to soon see Matthew on the ground unconscious. It is up to you to discover what is happening and how to escape from the facility, all the while having Matthew tag along to make sure you do not try anything funny.

The story’s concept itself is quite interesting and different from the usual adventure stories you see. The whole idea of being trapped in this prison facility, trying to make it out alive, all the while encountering different obstacles and puzzles you will have to solve. What makes this game different from other adventure games is a trust meter that is attached to Matthew. This trust meter, comes into play, whenever you make a decision, talk to another person, or talk to Matthew himself, the meter can either raise or decrease depending on your actions. If you act like a jerk to Matthew and everyone around you, Matthews trust will decrease towards Clyde. If however, you act nice to others, to Matthew himself and act in a kind manner, Matthew’s trust will increase and he will begin to start following your actions and be more willing to help in certain situations.

The idea itself is quite interesting and adds a new element of strategy to the game, that you do not see often being used in other adventure games. Every decision and action you do may have an impact on Matthew’s trust, for example not telling him you are going to blow open a door, will cause the trust meter to go down, whereas if you had told him this in advance, your trust meter will go up. This concept is executed perfectly in the game, and while you may not know when the trust meter will change, it does ensure for a changing game play by your actions.

The artwork of the environments also looks quite lovely. Each area, is quite vivid with colours and different scenery touches, from each location, to the little details that go into each room, the game looks like a prison, although more so one that you might imagine in the future, each area looks great and careful attention to detail has been done to ensure an all around good looking game.

Finally, what this game adds to the overall replay value is as mentioned before, four different endings you can watch. I will not say much about them, only that each one is executed in different manners and it is not a difficult effort to see all four. The added incentive of trying to see them all, will keep you occupied for some time.

The only concern I had with the game, was some of the difficult puzzles, some were a bit obscure including one that shall remain nameless, that may frustrate some gamers. However, most of the puzzles in the game are not of this quality thankfully, but each one will make you think about what you may have to do, to proceed to the next area or next task.

Nevertheless, this was a very enjoyable game and I highly recommend it, to anyone who is a fan of the adventure genre and especially if your looking for a very different adventure game.