A Puzzle of Flesh is something of an enigma, a game released in the mid-90s as part of the interactive movie craze that launched a slew of terrible "games". But with the FMV fad long gone we can look back at the dozens apon dozens of bad titles as lessons of how not to make games and the few select great titles as examples of how great game design can overcome the limitations of technology. Wheras the first game in the series belongs in the latter category, Phantasmagoria 2 falls into the former, and it's all the better for doing so. Infact, A Puzzle of Flesh seems to find it's way into every pitfall the interactive movie genre has to offer. The production values are low, the special effects are shoddy, the writing is awful, the acting is a mixed bag and there is little if any actual gameplay to be found anywhere from beginning to end. And yet, I love Phantasmagoria 2 as much as any real Sierra classic. This game has become a cult classic for it's "so bad it's good" quality.
The story revolves around a loveable loser named Curtis Craig. Fresh out of the insane asylum Curtis has obtained employment at WynTech, an evil pharmaceutical company, as a writer for the warning labels on the pill bottles. Obviously the women at Curtis's office find him more loveable than the player does because they both seem to have the hots for him. All is well in Curt's world until he starts losing his mind all over again and the company asshole Bob gets himself mudered, with Curtis losing touch on reality he isn't sure if he killed Bob or not. It's up to our hero to solve the mystery with the cops hot on his heels and he'll stop at nothing to find the truth, except of course taking a quick breather at the local S&M club for a little experimentation and a stop at the nearest Chotchkie's for some extreme quesadillas. Can curtis survive the memories of his nightmarish past? Will he be able to choose between the office slut and the girl next door? Will he finally express his true feelings for his best friend Trevor? And will he finally uncover the secret of WynTech?
The story, is laughable to say the least but the game is notable for being one of the first to tackle issues such as sadomasochism and bisexuality, albeit in a very poorly conceived way. Where the game does succeed is in it's atmosphere. The attention to detail is surprising and the quality of the video and the still images far surpasses other FMV games from the time. If you're going into this looking for a great story wrapped in fantastic gameplay than you will be sadly dissapointed, the game will make you sit through some genuinly boring and mundane stuff as you search for that one click that will move the game along. but if you're a fan of B horror films and you have a friend that's willing to play with you if only to add his commentary to the terrible cinema than grab a beer and this game for some fantastic fun.