Imagine waking up by falling out of a stasis pod on what seems to be a derelict spaceship with several broken ribs, among other injuries. This is not even your ship. You have NO idea how you got there. This is a GREAT way to start off a Sci-Fi Horror game, and it continues to deliver with a great mix of jump scares and grotesque psychological horror. The non-stop psychological brain-punches help to keep you disoriented, so you'll take a bit longer than normal just to come to grips with what's actually going on, which definitely works in its favor. The dark, dismal, sometimes disgusting atmosphere of the ship does a good job of keeping you on edge, as do the things that you have to see and do. In fact, sometimes, it's the things that you don't see that creep into your mind the most. A lot of the game's backstory is told through journal entries in abandoned PDAs, which is interesting, because now that smartphones are a thing (and certainly were in 2015), I don't even know if they make PDAs anymore. Of course, we went from making phone calls to sending text messages as our primary means of long-distance communication, so maybe the developers were poking fun at weird voluntary backslides in technology. The only glaring flaw is about half of the puzzle selection. You have some puzzles that are logical, satisfying and interesting, but there are more than enough that are just infuriatingly off-the-wall. Sometimes, it's not even that you don't know the solution; it's more that you don't know how the game wants you to go about the solution. Some of the things that the game thinks to be a very logical conclusion are reckless, or downright dangerous; stuff that wouldn't even work in a Tom & Jerry cartoon. I'd still recommend Stasis, though; it's a great example of Sci-Fi Horror done right, and they've built a very interesting world that would be enough for me to buy a sequel on that merit alone.
Exploring the Maridia region of Super Metroid left me with an insatiable desire to experience Horror in an underwater setting. For years, I had to be satisfied with mere memories of dreams I'd had of horrifying monstrosities chasing me along the bottom of the ocean... and running from Emerald Weapon in Final Fantasy 7. Finally, some genius decides to make SOMA, and really, what could be a more perfect setting for the genre? Have you SEEN what a real-life anglerfish looks like!? All sorts of horrifying creatures exist in the deep ocean in our own world, right here! There are long stretches where you're not in some futuristic structure, but just roaming the open depths of the watery darkness, and it is so beautiful. As well as the horror aspect is handled, the actual story is nothing short of magnificent. The "WTF even happened!?"; the strange surroundings; the sudden realization of what happened to you; the sudden realization of what happened to the rest of the world; the horrifying shriek of a plan going horribly wrong; keeping someone company in their final moments of life; that moment when you thing you've achieved your goal. SOMA mixes horror with deep emotion and abject wonder, and in a setting that's far more unique than it really should be. This game is a dream come true for me (somewhat literally, as seen above), and I can't recommend it enough.
This Point-and-Click Adventure is not without its problems. The controls aren't quite as intiutive as you might expect for the genre, and it goes so far as to have combat! That said, the combat works well enough, but the very first encounter catches you with your pants down, and is, perhaps, the most complicated fight in the game. There are also a few moments where it's not entirely clear what to do, some of which involve looking for some magic pixel that gives you a hard-to-see item that makes everything finally click. Put all of that aside, and you'll see that the writing is simply exquisite; every thread of the plot is so intricately interwoven, that when you step back and look at the whole picture, you have an unbelievable tapestry before you. The whole "Is the protagonist really insane or not?" concept is always fascinating, but often mismanaged, leaving a mangled wreck of a statement, but Sanitarium handles it extremely well, going so far as to take steps toward destigmatizing mental illness by showing that this sort of thing can happen to most anyone. That's showing; not telling; this isn't some preachy, pretentious, in-your-face diatribe, but a well-crafted eye-opener. Though it's hard to understand how some of the puzzles even work, once you do, most of them are quite clever; very stimulating. If you're a fan of the genre, I highly recommend putting aside its gameplay issues and giving it a go.
This is the first first-person Horror game I've ever played, and the first game I've ever played with mouselook, but even without that, I think it's safe to say that it's still a little awkward, especially when it comes to combat. It seemed a bit like my hands were made of rubber noodles, and everything I held flopped around in the air like a dying fish. It was worth it, though, because it caused some pretty hilarious calamities to befall me; Wile E. Coyote would be proud. This doesn't matter as much as you'd think, however, because running past an enemy is almost always an option. An old battleaxe like me doesn't usually back down from a fight, so I don't generally do well at Horror when combat is present, but I did just fine here. The horror aspect is what really matters in a game like this, and it certainly delivers; it all takes place in a creepy underground mine, and you don't know what you're going to find down there. Of course, it doesn't take all that long to find out, but the game is still really good at keeping the tension alive. Sure, you have a good view of the monster, but going up against some unspeakable horror as a normal dude armed with only a claw hammer is pretty hardcore; not something you really want to do if you can avoid it. There's also a pervasive voice that you're never really sure whether it's an ally or an enemy. Puzzles seem like they wouldn't fit into something like this, and yet, they're implemented in very natural ways. The horror never really gives way to anything else, but that's because the game doesn't really end properly. Of course, the sequel is a direct continuation, so it was meant that way. It's a little rough around the edges, but great for newcomers and long-time Horror fans alike!
This Point-and-Click Adventure has you guiding 5 different characters through their respective stories. They're all looking to overcome something horrific from their pasts, whether they be quests for redemption or coming face to face with traumatic events in their lives. They're pretty diverse, too, with a wide variety of personalities and themes; Ellen was my favorite. There's a lot of trial and error, and there are a lot of opportunities to royally screw yourself over, but having 5 self-contained scenarios means that repeat attempts will be mercifully short. This is also the era inn which the genre had a lot of this sort of thing, so it's a bit more forgivable, but they had the good sense to give you a subtle visual indicator when you did something right, and with that, you can at least attempt to figure out what you're supposed to do. Of course, there are some times when it's still really unclear what you're supposed to do. Generally speaking, you're supposed to make the moral choices, but one of the characters is a Nazi doctor from World War II; how do you even come to grips with the idea of trying to earn redemption from something like that!? The scenario was pretty unintuitive, and even counter-intuitive at times. Ultimately, the game's horrific theme and chilling atmosphere more than make up for its flaws. It may not be the best in the genre, but it takes a wild left turn that makes it a very worthwhile experience. They even got Harlan Ellison, the author of the short story upon which it was based to voice the main villain, which was a nice touch.
Prior to Fallout, I'd never played any WRPG very far, much less to completion, unless you'd count Drakkhen. Truthfully, I'd always found them very intimidating: they're so open, and combat is so different from what you'd see in JRPGs. Fallout is definitely a challenge, but it doesn't seem so insurmountable to an outsider. You can do almost anything you want, but most choices are valid options, so you have true freedom. I had a great time exploring the wastelands left behind by the nuclear apocalypse, and discovering hidden little areas was always exciting; The Glow is particularly haunting. I was worried about the more tactical combat, and by how there's such a strong emphasis on guns with limited ammunition, but running out of ammo or money never once became a concern of mine. Oh, and the guns... I have stereo quality speakers for my PC, so your mileage may vary, but some of those guns fire with such a bang that I felt like the subwoofer was kicking me in the chest every time I shot something; SO satisfying. It's far from perfect, though, and that's mostly in the story. You do have a lot of options, but in terms of story, they're not terribly deep. Save a village, or skip it to devote your time to saving your own people? Well, since you don't know how the latter is going to pan out, maybe it's a good idea to get on the village's good side; it's not really much of a choice. Sometimes, characters would shoot me in the head for seemingly no reason, and if you accidentally attack an ally, because the targeting system can be kinda bad sometimes, you have an enemy for LIFE. The interface is extremely unfriendly, too, but once you learn how it works, it's pretty easy to get used to. I still managed to finish the game without knowing you could unload guns for extra ammo, though. I'd recommend this game to most anyone, because despite its flaws, it's an absolute blast to play, and an experience you'll remember for a lifetime.
This Point-and-Click Adventure allows you to hack most any environmental object and change its basic properties. This is a great idea, which can lead to some clever solutions, and can teach you basic programming skills. Unfortunately, the game doesn't quite pull it off. The game is almost a complete sandbox, which is fine, but the problem is that there is a set goal to achieve, and nothing really points you in that direction. In fact, the game seems to do everything it can to lead you away from doing what you're supposed to do. I got the ability to hack by literally stalking some girl I'd just met (and wasn't interesting enough for me to even care about; I had to find in a walkthrough that I was supposed to find her interesting), following her as she stumbled half-drunk to her apartment, and then forcing my way into the underground resistance. Was I supposed to gather from the fact that my actual job was to walk up to random strangers and try to sell them cans of soda for $5 apiece that this was a creep simulator? Even after that, I wasn't sure what to do, what to hack, or why my code only worked about 40% of the time; I have experience in coding, and I know how it's supposed to work. The only character I found interesting at all is this strange old woman (unlike the characters I'm supposed to care about, she doesn't even have a name) who hangs out at the hotel dining hall all day. I started trying to develop a relationship with her, only to have her ask me to sit down with her one night. I couldn't, though; the game completely froze on me, and that was the last straw. The game also has a strange obsession with wanting you to tell people that your nickname is Seb. Why would I do that, when I've never once heard a Sebastian call himself that? I really wanted to rate this higher, because there are some great ideas here, but with the deeply flawed execution and numerous game-breaking glitches, I just can't recommend it.
This is both better and worse than its predecessor, Shadow of the Comet, but overall, I feel that it's a better experience. To get the bad out of the way, the graphics are very reminiscent of an era where rendered graphics were all the rage, but weren't really that good yet; the visuals are a mix of rendered objects and spritework, creating a weird juxtaposition, and needless to say, the rendered objects don't look that great. The whole experience is so over-the-top that it's often just silly, and that includes the voice acting. The gameplay was riddled with timed deaths (that you won't necessarily know are timed) and puzzles so counter-intuitive that I frequently didn't have any idea why I was doing what I was doing. The story also has one of those plot twists that plague modern writing: the kind that are just thrown in with no thought, add nothing to the story, and don't actually go anywhere; the twist happens, and... they just don't really do anything with it. On the other hand, a lot of this works in its favor. Yes, with the new visuals, gone was the creepy, intriguing atmosphere of Shadow of the Comet, but what Shadow of the Comet needed more of was surreal, horrific creatures, which this game has in spades. The interface is a lot less awful than in the previous game, too; simple point-and-click. Though the timed deaths are a total drag, at least you don't have to actively avoid enemies with bad controls. What Prisoner of Ice suffers the most is the misfortune of taking things too far in the opposite direction, leaving it a bit south of its potential. And hey, at least half of the voice actors actually pronounce Cthulhu correctly; I was very impressed by that! Just not much else. While I felt little more than frustration with most of Shadow of the Comet, Prisoner of Ice was overwhelmingly meh, but that's an improvement, at least.
I begin with the disclaimer that I've never read any of Lovecraft's works, aside from owning a copy of the Necronomicon, so maybe there's something I'm missing something, but when not a single voice actor can properly pronounce the titular Eldritch Horror's name, you're already in for a rough ride. I did like the visuals, especially the town, and the music sets the tone very well, but unfortunately, the game fails to actually have that tone. At a select few points, some surreal and horrific things occur, but much of the game's story just drags with nothing much going on. You'll meet a lot of important characters, and be expected to remember them all, as well as where they live, without ever setting foot in most of their houses or even talking to many of them. Worse than anything, though, is the gameplay: it's outright marinated in everything that turns people away from the genre. I'm more than familiar with it, and I've been playing Point-and-Click Adventures since the first King's Quest, but this takes it to a whole new level. Lots of enemies to avoid in the caves, and sometimes, they'll just spawn right on top of you as you enter a room, or get stuck in the exit. You'll be dying a lot, and the Game Over screen mourns the loss of poor "Carter". Your name is Parker. Yes, the voice-over guy gets it right. You know the rest: moon logic puzzles, vague hints, illogical item combinations; the works. They even managed to screw up the interface. I'll save you a lot of hassle: ditch the mouse and just use your keyboard. The speeds are all wrong, too; the game is incredibly sluggish at most speeds, but regardless of which one you choose, the timing on the speech and animations are always off, sometimes even cutting off a voice-over in mid-sentence. This game is required reading for the genre, but it's less Canterbury Tales and more A Separate Peace.
This is a pretty short Point-and-Click Adventure that's a distant sequel to Stasis. If you haven't played Stasis, all you'll really miss is a little context and a few nods to the original game. At the time of this writing, it's free, so you don't have much to lose. It has the same basic mechanics as Stasis, so if you have played it, you'll be in very familiar territory. Cayne follows Stasis to a fault, and as such, the puzzles swing back and forth between satisfying and infuriating, and they certainly dip much lower on the scale than its predecessor. Of course, a walkthrough is a pretty easy solution to this kind of problem. The horror starts strong, and far more dark and brutal than its predecessor, further compounded by the fact that you're pregnant and wearing nothing but a pair of jeans and an almost-literal breastplate. I really like the main character; she's a very strong, believable protagonist, who's snarky and cynical, but not one of those annoying characters, who MUST throw a one-liner at every situation, no matter how unfunny or inappropriate. Though they don't have a lot of screen time, the supporting characters are generally well-written. In most instances with horror, however, the horror subsides, giving way to something else as you get closer to its conclusion; it's a natural progression. Theresia has deep, conflicting emotion; Resident Evil has Chris Redfield punching a volcano. You'll puzzle over this as you play Cayne, and as Hadley struggles through her environments, doubles over at the odd labor pain, and trudges barefoot through a very diverse array of unspeakably disgusting dirts and sludges, you'll slowly come to the realization that when Cayne's horror subsides, it gives way to torture porn, and it certainly does well with that. Hey, maybe you're into that sort of thing. Cayne has its flaws and feels a bit rushed, but it has a lot of heart and soul. It's nobody's masterpiece, but is definitely worth playing.
