The "Paranormal State" team is back, and this time they want to play a game with you. Available today is "Paranormal State: Poison Spring," an iPad game that allows players to join Ryan Buell (and Heather Taddy, Sergey Poberezhny) and the Paranormal Research Society for a ghost investigation.
The game, which was released in PC format last October, is a hidden object game with voice-acted cutscenes surrounding an investigation of "a terrifying supernatural event at Poison Spring State Park, historical site to a grisly Civil War battle." And yes, that was a real battle, fought in Arkansas, and was a notable battle involving the the First Kansas Colored Infantry.
Debuting on A&E in 2007, "Paranormal State" was an early competitor to "Ghost Hunters" in the paranormal investigation docuseries genre. However, it has been off the year for three years. So while this game is oddly timed, it may be fans' best bet for new PRS adventures for now.
Created by A&E, publisher Legacy Interactive -- which is behind TV-inspired games "Twilight Zone," "Ghost Whisperer," "Psych," and "House M.D." -- and Polish game developer Teyon, "Poison Spring" was initially offered as a PC game on LegacyGames for $13.95, then $9.95. On the iPad, the download is free but the "Collector's Edition" unlock (which you'll probably need to play the entire game) is $6.95.
Based on the trailer below, the game isn't the sleekest of designs (and I'm sorry but who approved the digitized version of Ryan Buell, a handsome young guy, which looks like Michael Madsen?) but I cannot comment on the gameplay. Although, it's not a great sign that the support for the game seems pretty nonexistent and the website went dormant for about six months and still haven't added a press release. So this doesn't seem like a game that A&E or Legacy expects to do bang-up numbers, or even show much love for.
But if you've downloaded it and you do love it, let us know and we'll spread the word.
-Aaron Sagers