Edgar Allan Poe's Interactive Horror: 1995 Edition Review

“All that we see or seem is but a dream within a dream"

Originally released in 1995 as The Dark Eye, 2026’s Edgar Allan Poe's Interactive Horror: 1995 Edition is an uncanny, point-and-click retelling of some of Edgar Allan Poe’s most notable works. Annabel Lee, Berenice, The Cask of Amontillado, The Masque of the Red Death, and The Tell-Tale Heart (among others) are all played through or directly read to the player throughout the course of the game, and the events of the main story proper serve as a reflection on these stories and Poe’s own life. 

Developer: Inscape, GMEDIA

Publisher: GMEDIA

Platform: Played on PC (Steam)

Availability: Released February 15, 2026 on Steam.

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Starting as a nameless man, the player approaches a manor and is bid welcome inside, thus beginning this sordid journey. In this house, the player shuffles through the dreary, run-down rooms to find the next appropriate person to speak with or item to interact with for further story progression. The environments are quite bare, but there are some interesting artistic choices within the abode. All character models are stop-motion puppets, cutscenes are FMVs, and much of the off-putting artwork is 2D imagery. Seeing the puppets in motion is unnerving, especially so because of their lifeless eyes and exaggerated features.

Unlike many adventure games from the 90’s, there are no puzzles to solve, inventory to manage, or quests to complete — you simply click objects or people until the next story sequence occurs. In this way, the game serves more as an interactive play, where scenes are dictated to you with only minor input by the player. That interactivity does lead to some interesting engagement, however. As you explore the house, your character will slip into these dream-like states where you go from the overarching story into reenactments of Poe’s works. Within these dreams, players do the same lever-hunting as outside of them, but there are also opportunities to switch perspectives between the murderer and victim so you can see both sides of the story.

Poe’s works have stood the test of time for a reason. Tackling themes of death, loss, and fear, Poe was masterful at evoking the terror of uncertainty in his writing. This game captures those feelings well in the visuals and voice performances we are treated to. The unsettling nature of the imagery and dialogue is further enhanced by the soundscape. Every element of these reenactments serves to elevate the stories they tell into something truly unique. I honestly don't think I’ve ever seen anything quite like it.

The imagery is just as unnerving as the writing.

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That said, I must recommend you steer clear of Edgar Allan Poe's Interactive Horror: 1995 Edition. While the game is likely relatively short, I encountered a game-breaking issue multiple times that left me unable to complete the game. When you want to save or back out of the game, you must press the ESC key twice, which will bring you to the main menu — at least that’s what is supposed to happen. In four separate instances, I attempted to save and exit, only to have the game take me to a black screen, which locks up the game and does not save progress. The final time I encountered this issue was accidental, as I had resolved to run all the way through the game without saving. Alas, my sweet little black cat jumped up to my desk and hit ESC, ending my furthest journey — a sign, if there ever was one. 

But I persisted and found some workarounds for that save issue. I really wanted to finish this game. But then, on my next attempt, an interaction that was supposed to advance the story did not occur properly. When I backed out and reloaded, the interaction was no longer available, and I was softlocked from progress. Were these issues present in the original release? Could they have been addressed in some way before shipping this version? With the help of the publisher, I was able to work through some of these bugs, but how realistic is that for the average user without a direct line to the support team? Even after resolving these issues a few times, I encountered similar errors later on.

That brings up the larger question of game preservation — what is the most appropriate way to bring these stories into new generations? While many developers aim to completely overhaul games to fit with modern audience expectations, GMedia has opted to bring the game forward in its original state. There are no added quality-of-life adjustments or changes to the voice work and art contained within the game. But an issue that causes complete progress loss any time you try to use a basic game function is untenable. Without a way to skip dialogue, having the threat of freezing or complete obliteration of your file is an absurd ask. I was unable to find complaints about such issues in searches related to the 1995 version of the game, but even if they existed there, these simply should have been fixed for the updated version.

Verdict

Edgar Allan Poe's Interactive Horror: 1995 Edition is a bleak, fascinating, and truly unique take on the works of Edgar Allan Poe, but it suffers from some egregious technical issues. Despite the artistry involved, I cannot in good conscience recommend a game that does not fully function.

Image Credits: GMEDIA

Disclosure: We received a free review copy of this product from the publisher.