Posted on: October 3, 2024
pekoeblaze
Verified ownerGames: 382 Reviews: 11
An Acquired Taste
"Sense - A Cyberpunk Ghost Story" is an interesting mixture of the closely-related "Point and Click" and survival horror genres whilst also being it's own thing. And, yes, if you're used to either of these genres, the game's puzzle-logic for the item-based puzzles will take some getting used to (and may be frustrating at first). Instead of hoovering up lots of items and then deciding what to do with them, you can only pick up items when you've learnt where they're supposed to be used. And only in a logical order too. This shifts the emphasis to memorising item locations. And, when it "clicks" for you, it feels surprisingly satisfying. Whilst experienced horror fans won't find this game ultra-terrifying, the horror elements are fairly good and it also feels like a mild survival horror game at times as well. Still, this is primarily a puzzle/exploration game, with a "better than you'll initially think" story and lots of awesome retro-futuristic cyberpunk atmosphere. It's like a cross between "Ghost In The Shell" and "Silent Hill 2" in terms of atmosphere. Although I'm not in the target audience for the - famously controversial - character/costume designs, this didn't really put me off of playing the game. It makes sense in context, but it also adds unintentional comedy which reduces the scariness slightly. But, yes, this game is an acquired taste and a flawed gem. It's frustrating at times, but improves as it goes along. Yes, if you're looking for a more traditional-style cyberpunk-flavoured survival horror game, then "Hollowbody" (2024) would be a better choice. But if you want a more puzzle/narrative-focused game, then this one is better than it might initially appear to be.
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