Trilby’s Notes is the third game in the Chzo Mythos by Ben “Yahtzee” Croshaw. This game follows the main character from the 5 Days a Stranger, the gentleman thief Trilby, after the DeFoe Manor incident. This time the wooden idol from the DeFoe manor has appeared in a hotel in Wales and it seems the curse has not been lifted. Now Trilby must investigate the effects of the curse and try to track down the idol.
The story of the game isn’t amazing. The game is mostly a massive exposition dump that chronicles the curse throughout the centuries. However, whilst the story within the hotel itself is lacking the exposition is great. This is all told extremely well and is incredibly gripping, it’s just a shame that the stuff in the hotel seems like it is there mostly to act as a link between the back story.
Though the hotel isn’t just there for that reason. The hotel parts of the game also feature a Silent Hill style otherworld that serve to create horror. This isn’t your jump scare kind of horror but your atmospheric horror, the stuff that creeps you out as you wander around the hotel. This is extremely effective and builds up the overall tension of the game, especially when the Tall Man (the entity in this game) could, in your head, appear at any time to murder you.
The gameplay of Trilby’s Notes has had a complete overhaul since the previous instalments, opting for the use of a text parser to do actions. This is implemented rather well, though sometimes it can be infuriating trying to figure out what to do at times (especially near the end).
Despite having some flaws, Trilby’s Notes is a good game. Though not as good as its predecessors it has ramped up the horror aspect and added a lot of intrigue for the final instalment in the series. If you’ve played the first two then give it a go as it’s definitely recommended, if only for the brilliant atmosphere.
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