Not a great game, but far from being bad.
At first glance, you see the visual side of the game delivers... Great water effects, scenarios fully transmitting the pirate-like depressive mood of a cursed island, characters' detailed clothing and faces...
Then, when all things look well, you hear the main character, Amadeu Finvinero (quite possibly the worst name ever to be given to a hero), and his calm, soothing voice. Every single action he takes, whether intimidating a suspect, or simply being surprised at some evidence, he comments with the same tone of voice. He seems almost pleased at what he says, no matter how grim the issue may be. Though, as a whole, the voice acting is not that bad, as the secondary characters' voices are well made, their rough accents further immersing the player on the 18th century atmosphere of the island. The overall sound effects are well made, both in background music (a sinister tune, that eventually becomes quite repetitive) and environmental effects (everything you touch sounds damp and rotten, much like a pirate island).
Some claim the keyboard-only controls are a problem. At first they are somewhat confusing, but quite frankly it's not something adventure gamers have never seen before. If you've played Broken Sword 3 on the PS2 you'll know what I'm talking about. Grim Fandango (adventure classic) and Monkey Island 4 have also used similar controls, the only significant difference being in the arrow-based interactive options (up for talk, left for seeing, right for action, down for inventory), but after a while, you get used to it, and it even makes it easier for you to play. Agreed, cameras are often a problem, but that's too little a fault to blast the game on it.
If you're into puzzle solving, this game may very well be what you were looking for. Dead Reefs varies from simple matchstick puzzles, to complicated riddles you must decipher in order to figure out how to advance in the game. Finding items rarely became a problem, and the good old 'try everything, look everywhere' adventure gamers are so familiar with will solve at least half the puzzles in the game.
But then comes Dead Reef's greatest flaw: The plot.
Remember when I said my expectations were high? Well, it ends there. Throughout the entire game you gather clues about a Necromantic cult, witchery, murder, magic, demons, everything that would make a 'fair adventure game' into a 'great adventure game'. Unfortunately, the plot touches ever so slightly on those subjects, leaving a great 'And then?' feeling on the player that carries out until the end of the game. A storyline that was supposed to immerse you into a sinister feeling with logical conclusions coming out of every puzzle fails to make you feel anything. A sense of danger everywhere? Nope. The feeling of satisfaction after solving a puzzle and revealing an important story element? Nope. All in all, the plot of Dead Reefs feels like filling for a sequence of puzzles, and nothing seems there to 'stick' them together.
Overall, if your experience with adventure gaming is limited to ''Monkey Island/Sam and Max/Day of the Tentacle" type of games, Dead Reefs will provide an interesting change of style. If you have played more 'adult' games, as the Gabriel Knight series, Dead Reefs comes as a disappointment. Truly analyzing it, it's a bridge between the two. Liked the sinister 'plot'? How about playing 'The Beast Within'? Liked a lighter plot? How about trying 'Sam and Max'?
Dead Reefs has something for everyone. Unfortunately it's not enough to fully please those players on its own.