Posted on: December 23, 2017
skidmarx
Verified ownerGames: 1366 Reviews: 11
A new approach, extremely well done, but limited
While TWOM is one of my all time favourite games, mostly for the simplicity of playing and powerful emotional engagement, this DLC raises mixed feelings for me. It uses the TWOM system to direct a story. You are limited, looking after your sick daughter. For the first three nights, you can't scavenge, forced to stand guard over Amelia. You pass out on the third night, and Amelia vanishes. From then on, you're a distraught detective. Depression interrupts your tasks with hopelessness. As you follow the trail, new venues open up. The story is very narrowly scripted, but you can always choose where to go at night, so you can "prepare" before blindly chasing after the mystery abducter(s). It is impossible to say much about the ending without giving away horrendous spoilers. There is only one ending, so replayability is virtually nil. It will shock you, perhaps disappoint you. You wish it was different. Then the reason is explained. And the more you think about it, the more you realise (intellectually) that the game just made you experience something you would probably never experience. Never want to experience it And that it was crafted to deliver that, in an incredibly mature and sensitive way. The dilemma is this: that experience is something money can't buy. But I can't help feeling disappointed, and frustrated. Cheated out of an alternative ending, perhaps. The way I feel after the finish, is at odds with the intellectual assessment of what it was all about. And that's what makes it hard to give 5 stars. I love TWOM, and suspect that this DLC is as good as it could ever be. It is an extremely worthy add-on. But be prepared for a full on emotional experience, and something that will live with you forevermore. It's a genie that can't be put back in the bottle, no matter how much you want to. But if everyone experiences this, the world will be a more compassionate and understanding place. Unless you're disappointed by the lack of instant gratification.
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