Nosferatu: The Wrath of Malachi is a first-person action game that surprises players using horror, atmospheric lighting and shocking interactions (via well placed monsters that jump out at you) - all revolving around the classic theme of surviving in a vampire infested castle. The result is a game experience that may actually scare some players -- and at the very least -- shock those expecting no surprises at all. In this game world, the enemy isn't always casually waiting for you out in the open - sometimes they are hiding in the shadows or perched on beams far above you. This interesting use of enemies and AI makes for some shocking moments for players. Even if you are prepared for such an event, the game will still manage to make you a little bit jumpy at every turn. Health and ammo are not readily available, weapons are a rare find and trouble waits at every turn. While portions of the game break down into the usual "find the key" easter egg hunt we've all come to expect from a game in the first-person shooter category, Nosferatu does a great job of making the journey a bit more memorable.

The story revolves around a hearty gentleman named James, the eldest son of the Patterson family, who has decided to join his family and friends at the castle of a Romanian count in the Transylvanian mountains to witness the marriage of his sister Rebecca to the count's son. What should have been a joyous occasion quickly turns into a nightmare upon his arrival - the castle appears to be deserted, and a surreal feeling of dread permeates the outer courtyard of the castle. James hasn't figured out what has happened to his loved ones but a door adorned with what seems like hundreds of crucifixes give him a clue that the masters of this castle not the kind of people you let your baby sister get involved with... perhaps an objection to this marriage wouldn't be out of the question! After all, when the groom and his clan want to sink their teeth into the bride and all those stupid enough to attend her wedding, there's cause for an objection. James gathers up whatever weapons and meager supplies are available in the courtyard and sets out on a journey to find his friends, who are now the unwilling dinner guest of the count and his evil minions. James must find his family & friends and bring them to safety before time runs out, ultimately leading up to a major confrontation with the king of this demented castle.

Nosferatu offers the usual tools of the trade used by seasoned vampire hunters - the Crucifix, Wooden Stakes, and holy water. More conventional weapons like a flintlock, a five-shot revolver, a musket and a machine gun are also at your disposal during the course of the game. For those folks aching for a little swordplay, Nosferatu also gives players access to a sword which can be handy for taking down bad guys of all shapes and sizes in close quarters. Some of these weapons have secondary attacks and uses - the crucifix is used to create holy water, while the stake can be used as a makeshift torch - just a few examples of the fun things you can do during the course of the game.

The game uses an interesting method for motivating players to explore the castle quickly and find any NPCs still alive - a clock. This clock is ticking away like mad and players have a limited time to save their loved ones before the evil denizens in the castle decide to do them harm. When the clock strikes midnight someone will die if players don't hurry. While you can let the friends and family die and take your time exploring, it's not really recommended because each gives you access to weapons, healing and other important items that can impact the game in a major way. For instance, saving the priest will give you a chalice that can be used to make holy water and saving the doctor will get you healing whenever you need it. Because supplies are very scarce having these things at your disposal can long way in keeping you alive. Another thing that keeps the game fresh is a random castle generator; every time you start the game over the locations, NPCs, objects etc are moved around to make the challenge a fresh one. One of the main objectives is to find NPCs (family, friends) and lead them back to the protected room at the beginning of the game. The AI for NPCs could have used more work, and this part of the game is easily the number one most irritating factor in the game. Players will not only have to lead them back in one piece, but will also have to travel at a slow pace to get them to their destination. Obviously the reward, which I already mentioned can be well worth the aggravation. Of course, saving your family, finding keys, battle bad guys and all the things associated to will lead players to a number of fights with the game's more deadly enemies leading up to a major battle with the most sinister vampire you'll ever have the pleasure of meeting in a video game. The entire process is challenging, fun, spooky, fast-paced and requires small modicum of common sense.

Idol FX did a great job of using low-level graphics technology, simple effects & lighting, and enemy placement to create a game atmosphere that comes off as downright creepy. The technology is a long ways from cutting edge and the atmosphere is entirely done using well placed lighting. Nosferatu shares a lot of qualities to Serious Sam, a game that wasn't the most graphically cutting edge action title when it was released, but used gameplay mechanics so well that players appreciated the experience a lot more. Some big budget game titles could learn a lot from both of these games. Coupled with mood music and the impeccable use of sound effects, Nosferatu pulls off a game experience that is both fun and challenging. It should be noted that some ATI graphics card users have reported problems playing the game and iGames and Idol FX have already issued a small patch to deal with these issues - so keep that in mind if you're an ATI card owner.

Overall Nosferatu is a decent single-player affair that pays proper homage to the 1920's silent film on which it takes inspiration from. The game is a lot of fun and will surprise players in varying degrees at every turn. Idol FX understands the importance of gameplay over flash and sizzle graphics - the game uses technology as a means to and end to serve the subject matter, plain and simple. Priced at $30 there's no reason why first-person shooter fanatics that like a pinch of adventure and surreal gameplay elements shouldn't pick this game up. But if you're not convinced, check out the playable demo first and then the official web site - you'll be glad you did.