Over a decade ago, five adventure game episodes were released, based on the Eleventh Doctor (played by Matt Smith). If you lived in the UK, you could download them for free, while the rest of the world had to pay a small fee.
Today, the easiest way to replay these games is by getting your hands on a DVD copy, which can still be found at reasonable prices on sites like eBay. Of course, you’ll need a computer with a DVD drive or an external one to play them.
Back in the day, I wrote about the first two episodes on my old blog (not in English):
- Blood of the Cybermen
- City of the Daleks
Here’s my original review from around 2010:
By now, plenty of fans and gamers have shared their thoughts on the first two games in the Doctor Who series. I’ve read comments about how the games are too short, work best as supplementary episodes, and don’t really stand on their own. Others have pointed out that they’re mostly aimed at children.
Let’s cut to the chase: If you’re a fan of the show but not really into video games, these probably aren’t worth your time. The choice to use the Daleks and Cybermen, the show’s oldest villains, feels predictable and doesn’t bring much new to the table. In fact, if you stitched together all the cutscenes and dialogue, you’d end up with pretty lackluster episodes that lack surprises or meaningful twists.
As for City of the Daleks, the Dalek episode from the show’s fifth season (Victory of the Daleks) also used a “Trojan horse” concept. Despite being written by Steven Moffat, it’s not considered one of his best. Still, with all its flaws, the TV episode had a more engaging storyline than City of the Daleks.
The only real appeal of these games is for die-hard fans who will appreciate the references and nods to the classic series (which I’ll touch on later).
In terms of gameplay, the games borrow heavily from better titles. Each one starts with a new galaxy-threatening crisis (much like the show’s season finales), and you need to complete a series of tasks to uncover the cause and save the day.
A big chunk of the gameplay involves sneaking past enemies by crouching and staying out of their line of sight. These stealth sections are reminiscent of games like Splinter Cell but far easier, as enemies follow predictable paths, and their visible detection zones make it clear where to avoid. That said, if you’re caught, you’d better run fast because your chances of survival are slim.
Other tasks require using items to build gadgets or overcome obstacles. Since you can only carry four items at a time and each area consists of just a few screens, these puzzles aren’t particularly challenging. Plus, the companion character you’re not controlling often gives you obvious hints.
There are also short logic puzzles that tend to repeat, especially in Blood of the Cybermen.
The games were designed to run on older PCs of the time, but even on the highest settings, they look like something straight out of 2007—or even 2006. The character models are detailed but have a plastic-like look that doesn’t feel convincing. Even their facial expressions during dialogue appear stiff.
Musically, there’s nothing memorable here besides the iconic opening theme.
Here are the first 9 minutes from City of the Daleks:
Since both games can be finished in under three hours (even if you take your time), the developers added collectibles: cards featuring characters and enemies from both the new series (2005-present) and the classic series (1960s-1980s).
Scattered throughout the levels, you’ll also find real-world scientific facts, which I actually found quite valuable. It’s a neat touch, considering the early episodes of Doctor Who were initially meant to be part of an educational series.
Looking back, I can’t even remember if I played the remaining three episodes (I bought the first two from Direct2Drive and doubt I can re-download them). According to Wikipedia, Blood of the Cybermen and the last two episodes received generally positive reviews from critics.
That said, I’m not planning to revisit them. Overall, the Matt Smith era is a bit of a blur for me. Even episodes I enjoyed, like Nightmare in Silver, often show up on “worst episode” lists. And don’t even get me started on the mess that was season six.
