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D was a survival horror/puzzle game released by WARP. The first game released by the company, it featured beautiful (for the time) 3D CGI, and introduced the woman who would star in all future warp games, Laura.
Characters
Laura Harris: Main character of the D Series and daughter of Dr. Harris. In her late twenties, Laura is a scholar at a school outside of Los Angeles. Her father, Richter Harris, is director and supervisor of a hospital in Los Angeles. Her mother, the wife of Dr. Harris, was killed long ago. Found stabbed to death with her limbs amputated, Laura’s only keepsake from her deceased mother is a blue compact (which also appears in D2). The mirror holds a power that can show hints of the future; something of great use and value to Laura.
Dr. Richter Harris: Father of Laura Harris. He was supervisor of the hospital in Los Angeles and is in his late fifties. Married until the death of his wife and is now a widower. He went manically insane and killed a large number of patients and staff at the hospital. He is noted as a quiet and studious man, which makes his killing spree all the more puzzling.
Story
The game begins when she is contacted by Los Angeles police, receiving a disturbing message. Her father, Dr. Richter Harris has gone on a mass murdering spree and has now barricaded himself in the hospital. In a panic, Laura rushes to the scene of the crime, desperate to find out what has made this studious and well respected doctor kill. Upon entry into the hospital, she is instantly horrified at the scattered and grotesquely mutilated bodies lying about the dark halls of the hospital. Inching slow forward she is taken by a small metallic entity to a dark castle unknown to her.
Unwilling to give up her search she continues through the dark, atmospheric corridors of the medieval hell. In attempts to find her father she is constantly traumatized by a series of flashbacks. Short and vague in their messages, it shows the murder of an older woman being stabbed to death near her own kitchen table. Laura's father warns her to leave through apparitions, warning that staying too long means being stuck in the alternate reality forever. He warns that he will soon become a monster void of feelings and will eventually try to kill her. Still shaken up Laura proceeds to find her father residing at the peak tower of the castle. Angrily the father reveals a disturbing story about the sordid past of his family, revealing information that forces the pieces of this horrific puzzle together: Laura, as well as her father are both part of a bloodline with an insatiable appetite. As Dr. Harris' transformation begins, Laura has to make a choice; kill or be killed.
Production
D began production in 1994 for the ill-fated 3DO console. With use of only three Amiga computers, WARP was able to harness impressive 3D visuals. Though it initially sold well in Japan, D failed to make an impact in the US, probably due to its edited, tamed storyline. Nevertheless Acclaim took it upon themselves to port D over to the Sega Saturn, Sony Playstation and PC. There is a very rare edition of D called D's Diner Director's Cut. It features never before seen sequences, background of the family members and a mini disc with Kenji Eno's D soundtrack on it.
D was followed up by Enemy Zero.
Trivia: The D Name
D is often referred to as "D's Diner," which could be attributed to a mistranslation of the Japanese name, "D no Shokutaku" (a mistake made by the once-popular but now-defunct American video game magazine, GameFan, which coined the "D's Diner" moniker in a preview).
This game's "real" name is "D's Dinner Table," which makes much more sense than Diner, especially when the player finds out what "D" stands for...
Never-the-less, Kenji Eno - the man behind WARP and D - labeled the limited edition 3DO Director's Cut "D's Diner" in English, catering to the new name it was given.
External links
1995 computer and video games | 3DO games | Acclaim Entertainment games | DOS games | Windows games | PlayStation games | Sega Saturn games | Survival horror games
"D (video game)"