After an opening that promises a mature & macabre exploration of depression, all the game devolves into is a sadistic marathon that exploits mental illness as a crutch for its grim visuals. Gameplay is in typical adventure game style. (ie. walk around trying different 'keys' on different 'doors' to progress) but the puzzles aren't exactly challenging or interesting to begin with. What the game truly depends on is the highly praised story which -in my opinion- is undeserved. The plot never truly goes anywhere and instead of a story of a woman overcoming her own illness; we are instead treated to her fighting off psycopaths each chapter (like it's some rubbish superhero show) until the game finally remembers what it's supposed to be about in the last chapter. Also for a game that focuses so much on the story being told, both the voice acting and audio design are atrocious. Voice actor's are obviously untrained leading to performances that are both dull and hilarious (Sometimes this appears to be intentional, other times not so much) and you can tell all of them were using different microphones. This leads to Susan (protagonist) sounding like she's right next to you whereas other character's (like the psychiatrist) sound like they are whispering in the distance. Apart from the first and last chapter, the only other thing the game truly nails is the art which does create a tense atmosphere. At times. All before it is ruined by some garbage rock song that kills any sense of tension that this game truly has. Overall this game is nothing but overrated tripe. The story spins its wheels for too long before all momentum from the opening has disappeared. Gameplay is uninteresting and all technical aspects are underdeveloped. All this game has truly accomplished is enhanced the stigma that the mentally ill are just nutjobs while giving a half-baked message that only reveals a slight glimpse into the true struggles with living with depression.
