CAYNE

It was short and gave a little bit more lore and some hints of what happened to the ship at the end of Stasis. Along with CAYNE corps. primary goal regarding genetic experementation. It wasn't as smooth to transition to areas like Stasis was, and the environment was creepy and had gore but not like Stasis. Also there were a couple open ended plot holes that need elaboration or closure on with the way the game ended. Almost seems like it would have been better to play this first then Stasis. But all in all it was short and to the point and FREE.

The atmosphere and ambiance is spot on, however the gaming and voice acting is tortured.

The good side : Great gameplay, good puzzles, and overall it's a good story. It's free. For those who like gore, it's full of it. The bad side though, while most of the puzzles are good, for some of the critical ones they are from the Thanks-God-There's-a-Walkthrough type. At least one of those were even "okay, I'll do that but why ?". The worst though, is while the story is overall good, the ending makes the whole thing pointless to play as there are no answers, no reason, just a bad way to end a game. As it is a showcase for the Stasis series, it had failed for me. No interest to play those now.

Puzzles were mostly good, but a couple that were a bit obscure to waste time on. Didn't feel the ending was very satisfying. Overall horror tone was definitely there, production was well done, but just can't say I was overly satisfied with the experience. A lot of rather grossness to it.

I’ve just finished 'Stasis' and jumped straight into this one, and yeah, it wasn’t difficult to immediately recognize the signature grim atmosphere, detailed isometric environments, and unsettling body horror from the previous installment. However, 'Cayne' takes a slightly different approach: it’s a standalone side story (sequel or prequel, I’m not even sure) with a new protagonist, a tighter runtime, and a sharper focus on narrative intensity. Instead of John’s desperate search for his family, this time we follow Hadley, a young, expectant lady who wakes up in a mysterious medical facility and quickly realizes she’s the unwilling subject of a grotesque experiment. I have to admit, I find it always extremely uncomfortable watching a pregnant woman suffer in a game, especially if I’m the one controlling her… This was my main issue with 'Amnesia: Rebirth', too, and it’s not any better here. That said, the game’s writing is just as strong as 'Stasis', delivering a disturbing yet compelling mystery full of grotesque biotech and morally bankrupt corporations. Hadley is more vocal and snarky than John, which gives the whole experience a different tone, with less bleak introspection and more defiant survival. As a matter of fact, her jokes quite often undermine some dramatic and/or creepy scenes, so I’m not sure if they were really needed here. You know, horror works on building tension, and humor breaks it. The puzzles are well-designed, though some solutions require a bit of trial and error, just like in the previous chapter. The atmosphere, enhanced by the excellent sound design and eerie visuals, keeps the tension high throughout the short runtime. So yes, this is an interesting standalone experience that expands the universe in new and terrifying ways, I guess it’s worth your time, the story is much easier to follow, too. Just don’t expect too much from it, or a direct continuation of John’s story.