As someone who has frenetically consumed the first two seasons of the show Dexter (or close to 24 hours of viewing) in a little over a week, I feel that I can describe myself as a fan of the show. Now, I am not quite caught up yet, still having two seasons to watch, but that fact is irrelevant as regards my review for the day. Dexter: The Game covers only the first season of the series, and given how fresh it is in my memory, this was an ideal time for me to pick this game up for the iPhone.

The game opens just like the show does: everyone’s favorite serial killer is stalking his prey of the evening with intent to kill. From there, you begin to gather evidence, set the stage, hunt your victim, and finally make the ritualistic kill. What I liked about this introductory phase is that the cut scenes perfectly supplanted aspects of the plot that would have been clumsy or unnecessary to add, not to mention the high production value of the scenes themselves. You get a nice feeling of being in the world of Dexter without it seeming tedious.

I’ve only just begun the game at this point, but I’ve formulated enough of an opinion to give a quick recap of what I’ve seen so far and what I anticipate from the game.

What I like: First off, most of the actors from the show are reprising their characters in the game, which cannot be overstated as it relates to adding to the immersion feeling. Hearing the voices in Dexter’s head narrated by Michael C. Hall is worth the price tag for the game, especially when taken with the cut scenes. The game is also abundant with Easter eggs, mini games, ‘choose your own adventure’ style dialogue, and opportunities for exploration.

What I don’t like: The controls are a tad cumbersome, which is probably more a result of playing a game on an iPhone than anything else. Also, the non-cut scene graphics are not the greatest, and the characters’ likenesses are hit or miss (I have no idea what happened to Deb’s character). Finally, a significant aspect of the game is Dexter’s mask vs. dark passenger status; basically his control over his killer instinct. I always find emphasis on status bars obnoxious—probably my least favorite part of GTA: San Andreas—so we’ll see how this plays out later in the game.

All in all, the game sufficiently feeds my addiction to Dexter and gives me an app for the iPhone that goes beyond puzzle games and physics engines (not that I don’t love these games as well). I think it’s time to stalk my next prey…

–Casimir