I think I love it.

The Infectious Madness of Doctor Dekker had a huge impact on me. A fact poor D'Avekki Studios will have already been well exposed to if they caught any glimpse of my Shapeshifting Detective review. Where it really separated itself from all other FMV games then and since is that it was effectively one-on-one campfire storytelling. Patients were constricted to lounging on a central sofa as they beguiled you with outlandish stories against a superbly crafted atmosphere. Your imagination was put to work, but with the FMV visuals lending it all more credibility. Nothing else is quite like it and thus quite matches it (the closest perhaps being Her Story). I've been eargerly awaiting anything D'Avekki ever since.

I admit it. I was suspicious of the premise upon the announcement. I didn't see any storytelling potential in this duo. The fool I was. Klemens and Leah have extraordinary chemistry and work to the bone acting here. The entire ensemble are great. The usual, intentional overacting might grind for some, but I found it hit just the right perky, quirky note for me that I couldn't tear myself away.

I might go on and on about Dekker, but Dark Nights shows how far D'Avekki have come in many ways. The production quality has come on leaps and bounds. The level of ambition has jumped from a single psychiatrist's sofa and a handful of confined locations to many varied shooting locations with spectacular shots. A single story is now six semi-standalone episodes. The editing doesn't allow for any jarring moments.

I now require all TV/film to have a slanted reaction shot at all times.

One thing that strikes me is how un-mass audience a release this feels. That might be unfair to say, but it I don't think it has the instant appeal or mechanical novelty of a shapeshifting ability in Detective or typing in questions in Dekker. I feel I couldn't share this one with my housemates like the former games without getting a strange look. The former games were similarly eccentric and campy and had overacting in abundance, but felt less exposed. It feels more a thank you to existing fans - like it's been precisely made for me whilst knowing me better than I know myself. And I appreciate that D'Avekki, thank you!

Dark Nights employs a new hotspot system that against all odds just works superbly. Gone is dialogue options from a (audibly) silent protagonist in favour of often ambiguous and very short fuse-timed options to click. Three things about it, then. One, I much prefer the god perspective here. It really captures a choose your own adventure spirit. All dialogue being spoken allows episodes to play out much more effectively like an interactive film. Secondly, the ambiguity of what actions the hotspots denote can feel like an issue at times, but it doesn't massively matter for Dark Nights. Ideally you'll be replaying these short episodes to have a complete picture, so there's less emphasis on having a personalised route à la Telltale's Walking Dead. There's a capacity there to surprise and shock you with what your click really meant. It's more a reactive than active choice. Perhaps two word optional annotations could always be incorporated in future projects if this system is used again. Finally, the timing is refreshingly brutal at times and otherwise it's great fun to watch the reactions of characters as they wait on your decision. It's ace.

Gone, as I said, are single stories and say hello to short, semi-standalone episodes that take advantage of the duo's existence as radio hosts. It works particularly well because it allows so many more ideas and experimentation. Any episodes that don't take your fancy are quickly forgotten or even re-experienced in a new light. I much preferred the latter half of the episodes, for instance, wherein the relationship of Poe and Munro is more fleshed out and challenged in extremely clever and entertaining sequences. So much so that it allowed me to go back and appreciate former episodes more. It's worth making sure you've seen every possible route through, since the brevity of the episodes can lead to initially unsatisfying runs. It's only in seeing all the branches that you can appreciate them. Saying that, I never got the feeling as I do with many FMV games that there's an optimal route the writer had in mind. Episode branches can be massively distinct and uniformly hold so many marvellous moments that it should all be experienced.

I'd be lying if the Dekker element wasn't a highlight, but it speaks volumes about how much else here I truly loved that it wasn't my favourite sequence. Whilst I was overjoyed to be reminded of that unique atmosphere and storytelling combination that first attached me to D'Avekki all that time ago, it was the Poe and Munro relationship that won out. A sequence wherein you merely have to select objects in a room in particular was true brilliance.

Oh, and they somehow managed to improve upon Detective's mesmerising paint/oil/soap visuals. How?!

Oil painting has new meaning.

Dark Nights manages to be everything I didn't know I wanted. Its gameplay has shapeshifted once again from Dekker and Detective to something of a complete departure. Yet, it also manages to be a true love letter to both of them. A fitting end, then, to this loose D'Avekki trilogy. I can't wait to see where D'Avekki's next bout of madness in 'Pocket Dreadfuls' takes us.