Gabriel Knight: Sins of the Fathers 20th Anniversary Edition
Gabriel Knight: Sins of the Fathers 20th Anniversary Edition
Game
Game2016
Phantasmagoria
Developer Sierra
Phantasmagoria is a point-and-click adventure horror video game designed by Roberta Williams for MS-DOS and Microsoft Windows and released by Sierra On-Line on August 24, 1995. It tells the story of Adrienne Delaney (Victoria Morsell), a writer who moves into a remote mansion and finds herself terrorized by supernatural forces. It was made at the peak of popularity for interactive movie games and features… From Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0)
338 reactions from 4 sources (Steam reviews, Bluesky, Lemmy, Mastodon) · newest Nov 3, 2026 · last updated Nov 5, 2026 · How this works
Audience score
84
LovedLoved
158 positive · 30 negative
95% range 78–89%
| Source | + | − | = |
|---|---|---|---|
| Steam reviews | 158 | 30 | 0 |
| Bluesky * | 38 | 3 | 90 |
| Lemmy * | 3 | 1 | 14 |
| Mastodon * | 0 | 0 | 1 |
* shown, not counted in the score (label accuracy below our 85% bar or not yet audited).
Steam's own rating
Very Positive
348 of 410 reviews positive (all languages, per Valve)
What players are saying
84% recommend · 160 yes, 30 no
Counted from the reviewers’ own thumbs up/down on the 190 English Steam reviews we collected, not by the AI. Valve’s all-language rating: Very Positive (477 of 549 positive).
Players praise Phantasmagoria as a classic FMV horror adventure with nostalgic appeal. [1][2][3] Some note technical issues like bugs and outdated controls, especially in the final chapter. [4][5][6] The game is remembered for its ambitious production and Roberta Williams' design. [7][8][9]
Liked
Representative posts
- [17]
Phantasmagoria is an ancient game from 1995. It's a whopping 29 years old at the time of this review. The game lacks support for any modern gaming display resolutions (or widescreen monitors), hasn't been modernised or updated to run smoothly on modern gaming PCs. Despite this lack of modernisation, it carries a pretty high price tag for such an ancient game. This seems to have been put on Steam as a nostalgia …
- [1]
Violent, dorky, and lots of yelling about drain cleaner. All in all very much a classic. Despite a particularly controversial scene Phantasmagoria was Sierra's best seller. I made a video all about the game here!: https://youtu.be/R9352V8GSzM?si=gx3SIxnKZlTak_zX
- [2]
This game is a landmark title in the history of PC gaming, and even decades after its release, it remains a fascinating experience. I would rate it a 9 out of 10 for its ambition, storytelling, and the impact it had at the time. One of the most impressive aspects of the game is how revolutionary it was. At a time when most games relied on simple graphics and limited narrative depth, Phantasmagoria pushed boundaries …
- [14]
It's a classic... The FMV era of adventure games was one that might not have aged all too well but there is a lot of nostalgia there. The acting in this game is abysmal but the vibe is there. And what is also a step up from playing this game back in the day, is that you do not have to change a total of 7 CD's while you're playing. There are certain very graphic scenes (and that was a huge part of why you would pick …
- [3]
just like i remember it. gods i love old sierra games. they were some of the best back then.
Summarised from 34 of the 309 public posts collected about this game; every point cites the posts behind it ([n] opens the post) and the split is counted from the posts’ own ratings. Updated Oct 13, 2026. How summaries are made
RottenBot@rottenbot · automated account
Players who liked Phantasmagoria talk about nostalgic classic with memorable FMV horror; those who didn't talk about game-breaking bugs in the final chapter. Which matters more to you?
Critics, per Wikipedia
Phantasmagoria quickly became the bestselling game in the United States, and was Sierra's bestselling computer game to date. It grossed $12,000,000 and sold 300,000 units during its first week-end of release, debuting at number four in PC Data's August 1995 list of top-selling computer games for MS-DOS and Windows. It followed MechWarrior 2, Microsoft Flight Simulator and Myst. By September, it had reached number one on the list among computer games and ranked third among all computer software, following Windows 95 and Microsoft Plus! InterAction, a magazine published by Sierra On-Line, wrote that no other Sierra game topped game charts as quickly as Phantasmagoria did. By the end of…
From the “Reception” section of Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0. Critic context only — not part of the audience score.
Reactions
60 of 338 · most liked firstHAPPY PRIDE, almost forgot to repost my gay history essay about a super queer game that doesn't get enough props: PHANTASMAGORIA 2: A PUZZLE OF FLESH. We got: - gay best friend who rules - kink culture - poly longings - male bisexual protag - in 1996?!🤯 youtu.be/O0yvSzPSqrQ?...
positive · AI labelView post →Phantasmagoria (1995) was designed by Roberta Williams, who is not only a pioneer in video gaming but also a pioneer in video game dog petting; her work includes the some of the earliest graphical depictions of petting interactions, like King's Quest III (1986) and The Colonel's Bequest (1989).
neutral · AI labelView post →I streamed Forbidden Solitaire (and shamed an AI user in the chat) and it's up on Youtube now! Game rules, everything about it is so authentic to the CD-ROM FMV era, it's so funny. Even the music/SFX are very Phantasmagoria 2/Harvester vibes! Just superbly done lol youtu.be/VRYo52WfmXo
neutral · AI labelView post →@pervert.biz and @galhound.bsky.social trapped me in their fucked up mansion and now I have to help them solve extremely-normal and not-spooky 90s FMV puzzles in PHANTASMAGORIA! (Come watch us stream a weird old puzzle game on coolbugpics.net RIGHT NOW!!!)
neutral · AI labelView post →Absolutely no one remembers it but Phantasmagoria. It was from the brief era of games where there were actual real life actors dropped into game settings and you moved them around (Gabriel Knight, also scary, was in this genre too). I remember nothing about it other than it was scary when I was 14
neutral · AI labelView post →Young touhou fans don't let anyone try to give you imposter syndrome I got into touhou almost 20 years ago and it was through IOSYS Marisa Stole the Previous Thing there's no correct way to get into Touhou just have fun. The game I've ended playing most was probably Phantasmagoria of Flower View
neutral · AI labelView post →Stylish Witch Drawing Every Phantasmagoria of Flower View character 2/17 Just like Reimu, Marisa's portrait in this game is so pretty! I love the thick, luscious hair and baggy outfit so much! #Touhou #東方Project #博麗霊夢 #ReimuHakurei #PoFV #東方永夜抄 #fanart #illustration
neutral · AI labelView post →Stylish Shrine Maiden Drawing Every Phantasmagoria of Flower View character 1/17 Reimu's sprite in this game is so pretty! I'm especially enamored by her thick, luscious, wavy hair. It's like she went to a salon! #Touhou #東方Project #博麗霊夢 #ReimuHakurei #PoFV #東方永夜抄 #fanart #illustration
neutral · AI labelView post →"Violence for violence sake is bad. But, violence that benefits a certain story is unavoidable," said Roberta Williams of Phantasmagoria. Williams' 30-year-old horror game set a standard that few other games in the genre have met since. @ashleybardhan.bsky.social analyzes its legacy:
neutral · AI labelView post →Phantasmagoria (PC, 1995). Pray it's only a nightmare.™
neutral · AI labelView post →Michael and I have been playing a bunch of old FMV games together recently, and we just finished Phantasmagoria, a game I hadn't played in over 2 decades, and now I find myself trapped in an absolute writing-waterfall about this game. My good old overanalyze-muscle has been aggressively tickled.
positive · AI labelView post →the grip Valve has on PC is crazy, back then Phantasmagoria broke Sierra sales records off the ripple of controversy from being banned from CompUSA (largest us pc game retailer at the time), whereas Horses got a ton of publicity for being banned but that still couldn't make up for Not Being On Steam
neutral · AI labelView post →it's simple: people should pay $20 for the number of cd-roms a game is released on. Myst is $20, The 7th Guest is $40, and people should pay $140 for Phantasmagoria
positive · AI labelView post →Violent, dorky, and lots of yelling about drain cleaner. All in all very much a classic. Despite a particularly controversial scene Phantasmagoria was Sierra's best seller. I made a video all about the game here!: https://youtu.be/R9352V8GSzM?si=gx3SIxnKZlTak_zX
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →It's only been 20 minutes and I've already pet a cat and a dog.
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Now for all Patrons it's a new Adventure Gamers' Clubhouse! Come join me for the ultra 90s FMV horror & inappropriate office sexual relationships classic - Phantasmagoria 2: A Puzzle of Flesh. I had no idea what to expect, and it does not disappoint. What a game! www.patreon.com/posts/advent...
positive · AI labelView post →Patreon post this month is all about the Sierra games that we never got, among them a first person adventure game, a Lemmings/Command & Conquer hybrid by Impressions and the often forgotten Phantasmagoria III
neutral · AI labelView post →I purchased this because watching my parents play it is a core memory for me. I remember my mom hurriedly applying the gore filter after I witnessed a particularly gruesome cut scene. However the damage was done, I have enjoyed video games ever since, forever chasing those feelings of terror as my mother worked to figure out the puzzles. Finally playing my own copy of the game, (parental controls off!), I have to laugh at how scary I thought this game was as a child, and how difficult my…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →one of my favorites in this genre from the last few years is @voidburger.bsky.social's dive into the obscure '90s PC FMV game '"Phantasmagoria 2" where she examines the pervasive homophobia of '80s/'90s mainstream media and how forward-thinking this game was for featuring queer main characters
neutral · AI labelView post →Mitch McConnell hated this game, so you know it's good.
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Phantasmagoria of Flower View came along, featuring Mystia as a playable character. Nothing has changed since IN, however we DO get to see a glimpse of her everyday life thus far. Unlike most of the characters in the game, Mystia does absolutely nothing of note in her story. (4/46)
neutral · AI labelView post →We gave up on the Star Trek CD-ROM game bc it was like... actually too hard after I'd only played Gabriel Knight 2 lol. But we started Phantasmagoria tonight and it rules. The ectoplasm room???? That crazy ass pantry????? It's like a cursed real estate listing had a plot.
positive · AI labelView post →weird, this isn't a collection of PDFs! This is Sierra On-Line's 1995 cult classic horror adventure game Phantasmagoria!
positive · AI labelView post →This week on Quest Quest: The Adventure Game Podcast, @bvigeant.bsky.social and I are joined by @graysond.bsky.social to discuss Roberta Williams' Phantasmagoria, undoubtedly the scariest game ever made. Give it a listen here (or wherever you listen to podcasts): zencastr.com/z/tC2vRLC9
neutral · AI labelView post →Played this with my girlfriend and we both enjoyed the overwhelming cheesyness and lowbudget writing. My parents played it when they were dating back in the 90's and now I did the same thing, felt good. If you like FMVs or mistery games you'll probably enjoy it, but make sure to be patient, the UI is dated and clunky, can get on your nerves sometimes.
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →I highly recommend Phantasmagoria 2 (with a guide open for some of the stupider puzzles). For a game made in 1996 it was way ahead of it's time in its depiction of queer characters and exploration of identity. It does kinda drop the ball at the end though. Still worth a play.
positive · AI labelView post →Vs something like "Phantasmagoria" which feels like a horror game by people who have never seen a horror film, and maybe heard about them from a friend's description.
negative · AI labelView post →✨ Random Game Saturday ✨ My pick for today! Phantasmagoria by Roberta Williams for Sierra
neutral · AI labelView post →drillimation.com/2025/09/28/d... Drillimation Launches Long-Awaited Sequel to Mythos of Phantasmagoria, Confirms New Chuhou Joutai Game in Alpha Testings #gamedev #indiegames #indiegamedev
neutral · AI labelView post →thinking on it it's really funny that in Phantasmagoria Trues it's possible to fight Daiyousei three times in one run and meanwhile Cirno isn't in the game at all. what were they cooking
neutral · AI labelView post →Phantasmagoria - Featured in our book - From Ants to Zombies: Six Decades of Video Game Horror 🐜🧟♂️ Grab a copy if you dare: www.bitmapbooks.com/collections/... #bitmapbooks #phantasmagoria @alexanderhad1.bsky.social
neutral · AI labelView post →Grumbling my way through the hopefully final stretch of Phantasmagoria 2 on Subscriber Saturday today. The big problem with this point and click adventure game is the near total lack of game. The result is a movie I have to prod along about everyone wanting to fuck the blandest entity alive.
negative · AI labelView post →#HorrorWritersChat Hi! Current WIP is horror/comedy, I also do psychological horror. Phantasmagoria (the video game). I played it when I was 11 and- um- now I can’t really get scared by fiction since I got to see a women being forced-fed to death with meat of dubious nature. Good game, though!
positive · AI labelView post →Phantasmagoria is a classic slow burn horror game that slowly continues building tension until the very end. There's a lot of fun FMV acting, thrills, scares, and a great mystery. I forgot how good that finale got, and it's all worth it as a perfect horror game for October
positive · AI labelView post →Phantasmagoria is such a formative game for me. In a very I was way too young to be seeing any of that shit and yet kinda way. lol
neutral · AI labelView post →This game is a landmark title in the history of PC gaming, and even decades after its release, it remains a fascinating experience. I would rate it a 9 out of 10 for its ambition, storytelling, and the impact it had at the time. One of the most impressive aspects of the game is how revolutionary it was. At a time when most games relied on simple graphics and limited narrative depth, Phantasmagoria pushed boundaries with full-motion video, live actors, and a cinematic approach to horror…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →I played Phantasmagoria of Dim. Dream today. I've not felt so much love for a Touhou game in a long time. I FUCKING ADORE THIS GAME. Maybe I like it more than PCB or ESOD. I cleared with Marisa and Kana but Retroarch crashed after beating Yumemi with Kana. Big Sadge. Mimimi~
positive · AI labelView post →just like i remember it. gods i love old sierra games. they were some of the best back then.
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Play this game--with a guide if you don't have patience. It's slow at first...but then it gets wild and awesome. Wow, what a ride. I know that many people can't handle the pace of point-and-click adventures and might scoff at cheesy FMV games, but I played this game and have to say that it went from "meh" to "OMG--this is awesome and everyone should play this" over the course of the journey. Let me explain. This game is apparently from 1995 when FMV was innovative technology in video games…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Phantasmagoria 2 or Silent Hill 2? I don't play much horror but those are up there for sure It's like they get to the second game and double down 👀
neutral · AI labelView post →drillimation.com/2025/01/19/d... Drillimation Launches Open Beta for Touhou Kichouden ~ Mythos of Phantasmagoria 2 #gamedev #indiegames #indiegamedev
neutral · AI labelView post →These graphics are really something else, if you have the PC to run it.
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Phantasmagoria is an ancient game from 1995. It's a whopping 29 years old at the time of this review. The game lacks support for any modern gaming display resolutions (or widescreen monitors), hasn't been modernised or updated to run smoothly on modern gaming PCs. Despite this lack of modernisation, it carries a pretty high price tag for such an ancient game. This seems to have been put on Steam as a nostalgia gouge, or just a cash grab to try profit from abandonware. This game is so old…
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Chapter 7 is riddled with bugs and I was unable to complete it due to the black screen following multiple deaths. I suppose a flawless playthrough would be the only way to beat it, but this is beyond frustrating given that I was at the very final altar puzzle and had to restart from scratch multiple times. As for the game itself, I vastly prefer the sequel--it plays better, is more interesting & goofy, with a much better soundtrack.
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →It's a classic... The FMV era of adventure games was one that might not have aged all too well but there is a lot of nostalgia there. The acting in this game is abysmal but the vibe is there. And what is also a step up from playing this game back in the day, is that you do not have to change a total of 7 CD's while you're playing. There are certain very graphic scenes (and that was a huge part of why you would pick up this game back in 1995) like this one with the "meat funnel", or the one…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →And what I never played personally, I watched let's play's and walkthrough's on early YouTube. With this in mind, while I never even heard of Tex Murphy or Phantasmagoria until well into my late teens / early twenties, I *did* sink my teeth into a... very strange little FMV PC game.
neutral · AI labelView post →just wrapped this one up and highly recommend subscribing to check it out!! Phantasmagoria 2's been a fave of mine for years and Dia's one of the best to get a chance to re-experience that game all over again with this LP
positive · AI labelView post →I'm currently playing Phantasmagoria 2: A Puzzle of Flesh with my best friend @darkcrowind.bsky.social! Although Roberta Williams wasn't involved in that sequel, I love it so far. IMO a worthy sequel! What I also like in this game is the rat lady Blob.
positive · AI labelView post →I couldn’t just go with a 3” template on the battlefield for my magical vortex, so with an #AoS endless spell I upped my game and now Phantasmagoria is going to be fantastic on the tabletop. #wtow #theoldworld #warhammer #wargaming #warhammercommunity
neutral · AI labelView post →We made it! @darkcrowind.bsky.social and I solved Phantasmagoria 2: A Puzzle of Flesh! 🥳 Glad I could play with him on my Mac Mini! It was a cool game, despite some moon logic puzzles, but the two endings ended so abruptly. Check out convoscurtis.bsky.social for more infos about Phantasmagoria 2.
neutral · AI labelView post →this game not only has mature themes but they're actually portrayed with dignity? that's how you know a woman made this game
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Roberta Williams of King's Quest fame produced a gothic horror inspired adventure that captivated my imagination. A married couple searches to find the chilling secret hidden beneath a newly acquired haunted mansion that has a sordid history. The dialogue's pacing can drag on a bit. Moving from plot point to plot point can take some time. But Phantasmagoria's premise is solid, and produces a story that holds the players attention. Rated 7 out of 10.
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Since we're bringing every possible microgenre back in indie game form now, let me suggest: The Phantasmagoria/Gabriel Knight 2 FMV graphical adventure is ripe for re-examination.
neutral · AI labelView post →Even if 30 years have passed since it's original release, this is still one of the best point and click games ever made in full motion video.
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Got absolutely shocked on stream by playing Phantasmagoria, a game from 30 years ago 🤯
neutral · AI labelView post →Had another awesome adventure with my friend @darkcrowind.bsky.social! 😊 We played Phantasmagoria together - and now we're on Chapter 5! 🙌 Phantasmagoria has excellent storytelling and a good puzzle design so far! #game #Sierra #adventure
positive · AI labelView post →It's an old JRPG for the PS2, I've kinda become obsessed with the universe the game takes place in, the music, and the unique mechanics that the game has. Basically the world is post-apocalyptic, and a mixture of fantasy and sci fi elements, there's a new type of artificial being called reyvateils who using some very convoluted in game science are able to perform magic by singing in a constructed language that was made entirely for the game world called hymnnos. And in the game the way you…
neutral · AI labelView post →Going live with Touhou 3: Phantasmagoria of Dim Dream! Decided to move Touhou games to tuesdays since I'm more comfy with it. This is the game I sunk more time into and you'll see why! www.twitch.tv/omegashironeko
neutral · AI labelView post →The game glitched on the final chapter and then wiped my save >:(
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →I've never played this game before until 2024. However, I have have 50+ completions of other Sierra adventure games (some games multiple times) and really enjoyed this old school adventure game. While I've only tested a few games with FMV (Full Motion Video) from the 1990's, I've always stopped playing them within the first hour because the graphics looked muddy and the acting was "corny" or just down right poor. Perhaps it is because I played this game fully expecting these elements to be…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →
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