This is a sad end to what could have been an amazing chapter of horror games. The original title, while sometimes simple, was also simply a classic and something anyone into horror games should play. The first continuation was something interesting, but really unable to stand on it's own two feet so it really should only be played by those who finished the first and want more. But this? This stumbled along telling a descent (and would be great if not for the crime of ret-conning the original) story until it tripped at the end falling to it's doom in the abyss of it's own creation. Don't bother playing this one. Just watch it on youtube.
Corpse Party is one of those rare games that is a competent game, but far more about emersing yourself in the plot and environment. It’s also obvious the developers understand how to tell a ghost story. As such this is a game I have to recommend anyone self-proclaimed horror fan give a shot. However, on the same tone, this is also a very niche game, and everyone else should probably stay away. Even if you are just curious why your friend loves horror games, you might be better starting somewhere else and come back once you “get it” if you do.
In a word, this game is very unbalanced in what it offers the player. When it's at it's best, the game stands with the greats offering cooler arenas and locations then I have seen in just about any other game I have ever played and facing off with interesting and different creatures that are actually fun to figure out, despite it's punishing nature. But it needs time to build up to this and once it's shown you all the enemies it has, the battle quickly loses it's luster and just becomes an obstacle you have to get through before the interesting details can begin leaking out to you again about the world itself. It's a shame, really, but it makes the game both easy and tough to recommend at the same time. If you are a lore-fiend, you will find a lot to love here, but you will likely cheat your way through before you finish to just stop getting aggravated when some guy you didn't know appeared behind you launched a missile up your ass and now you have to trudge all the way back to the battle to try again. If you are an action fiend, you will likely love the challenge at first, but get bored with the same waves of exploding guys followed by flying guys, followed by walking guys you will see for most of the game. While the world building works very well, the action gameplay supporting it stops doing so well before you finish, be it from frustration or boredom, depending on your game-style. And to this end I would say check it out if you can get it on sale. I'd hate to miss that story and some of the coolest battles for the sake of the lamer ones, but I wouldn't want to have spent full price because of them.
As I say in a lot of games I review this is far from a perfect game. However, it is a damn good one with a couple rough spots around stealth sections (one particularly brutal one that will get a lot of people to stop playing). If you can stick with it through those, however there is a truly awesome Lovecraftian horror experience here that many fans of cosmic horror will absolutely love and have been waiting a long time for.
If you like dungeon crawlers, there is no reason not to dig this one up. This is one of the better ones we have seen in a long while, and you will have fun while running around to fix the Bastion… and the world. If you are into old-school action games, you will probably get a lot out of this too, since this is a very action oriented game, complete with the keys to success being to learn the patterns of your enemies. It is a pretty short game, but at $15, this shouldn’t hold you back. It’s worth the price.
To say this game is completely joyless would be a lie. The conversations between the Narrator and the Bard can actually be very funny, but really, that and the songs are about all there is to enjoy in here. I can't be nice about this game. It looks and sounds very good, but the gameplay backing it is terrible. To put it mildly, this is a game that is so bad, I actually found myself actively finding things to do to NOT play this game. I recommend it to absolutely no one, and wish I had not bothered to add it to my collection.
Despite it's quirks at the end, this is a really good horror game. It is a very linear experience that will last you 8-10 hours, keeping you on edge just about the entire time. And while it doesn't try to play with you sigh an insanity system, it uses a different kind of insanity to much higher tension then anything before. If you loved both Amnesia: The Dark Descent and SOMA, you are absolutely gonna love this too. If you are a fan of genuinely tense and scary games, this one will not disappoint you provided you can put up with a slow burn start and maybe a different kind of fucked up at the end for a short time (that seems to be forever). Everyone else, if you want to try horror, this is far from a bad point to start.
I really wish I could have higher regards for this game. Frictional Games proved what they were capable of when they released Amnesia: The Dark Descent upon the world. It was sinister, creepy, disturbing and simply an experience not to miss. Amnesia: A Machine for Pigs, however, does nothing but let the Chinese Room fall short of this in their name. For all the challenge this game will offer, and for all the freedom it lets you have while playing, you might as well just open up Youtube and watch a play-through. I actually recommend you do provided you find one that reads all the details you find, because the story is still awesome and I would be doing you a disservice if I told you to skip that. But as for the game itself, it’s just not worth it… not until it’s in the bargain bin.
Amnesia is not a fun game. I have to be up front about this now. It is immersive as all hell, and it will leave you begging for more every time you leave. It will be sitting there, making you want to load it up and see what’s next, all the while dreading it at the same time. I can only imagine that minus the horror element and allowing for time/technology, this is exactly why Myst hooked so many players. And to this end, this is a game I really heavily recommend EVERY player who is old/mature enough to try this game. It will not be everyone’s choice game when they get out. In fact I imagine most gamers will think it’s either too slow, two scary, or some combination of the two. But this is the kind of game that any gamer becomes a better gamer for having spend an hour or two to experiencing it. And if it leaves you wanting more, then you my friend, are in for a wild ride. I won’t need to explain why you have to have the game at that point.
Honestly, I wish this game either had either been more geared for the action it entails or been less focused on it. It focuses heavily on being assaulted and fighting back the monsters who ambush you when the controls (and sometimes your very supplies) just do not support doing so particularly well. Add to this the game's tendency to use any given space as a monster closet without any real concern about player location or ability to let the player know something just appeared behind them and that same combat is going to be more frustrating then satisfying. But at the same time, if you can stick with these issues there is something really cool here. And it's a shame that for some horror fans, its not going to be worth dealing with that frustration, as the atmosphere, story, and even the layout to make it feel like a mini-series leads up to something special buried within. It's just buried a little too deep.
