Impasto

Impasto is a first-person adventure game, a result of cooperation between students of three American universities. It was made in a horror style, and was inspired by the biography and works of Spanish painter Francisco Goya ( Francisco Jose de Goya y Lucientes). The game was released exclusively for PC and can be played completely for free.

Plot

The theme of the production is, as the developers put it, "the tragic fall of one of the greatest artists in history." The player takes on the role of Mariano Goya, the grandson of the painter who died in 1828. He is bequeathed his grandfather's mansion, where he must confront the demons of the family's past, come face to face with Francisco's darkest works, and uncover the artist's secret and grim history.

History includes events such as the Spanish Civil War and a serious illness he suffered. They caused - especially the latter - that the painter's late works were dominated by themes of the decline of the old world, the disappearance of traditional values and self-destruction. These are reflected in the so-called black paintings that cover the walls of the mansion traversed by the player.

Game mechanics

Impasto puts a great focus on sneaking. Only by showing cunning and sneaking unnoticed between rooms plunged in darkness, Mariano Goya is able to survive within the walls of his grandfather's gloomy mansion. And not only there, as the game also allows you to visit a town patrolled by Inquisition troops, or the Painted World, a reflection of Francisco Goya's dark visions.

What follows is that the game does not offer a classic combat system. The key to victory is sneaking around, solving puzzles and holding dialogues with the characters you encounter - both real and supernatural.

Graphics

The games offer dark, three-dimensional visuals, stylized so that some elements of the environment resemble fragments of paintings. This makes the whole look not only unique, but also surreal.