CompUSA and other retailers declined to carry it, religious organizations and politicians condemned it, and it was banned altogether in Australia. The game drew controversy, particularly due to a rape scene. It received positive to mixed reviews, earning praise for its graphics and suspenseful tone, but received criticism for its slow pacing and easy puzzles.

Released on seven discs after multiple delays, Phantasmagoria was a financial success, grossing $12 million in its opening weekend and becoming one of the best-selling games of 1995. The company willingly submitted it to a ratings system, and included a password-protected censoring option within the game to tone down the graphic content. Sierra stressed it was intended for adult audiences. A professional Hollywood special effects house worked on the game, and the musical score includes a neo- Gregorian chant performed by a 135-voice choir. While most games at the time featured 80 to 100 backgrounds, Phantasmagoria includes more than 1,000. Though originally budgeted for US$800,000, the game ultimately cost $4.5 million to develop, and it was filmed in a $1.5 million studio Sierra built specifically for the game.ĭirected by Peter Maris, the game features a cast of 25 actors, all performing in front of a blue screen. It took more than two years to develop and four months to film. More than 200 people were involved in the making of Phantasmagoria, which was based on Williams' 550-page script, about four times the length of an average Hollywood screenplay. Williams had long planned to design a horror game, but waited eight years for software technology to improve before doing so.

Download fantasmagoria computer game