I really enjoyed the game! The environments are gorgeous, music and atmosphere are spot on, and it has lots of the fun stress and "will I survive" doubts that horror games tantalize with. The story is super interesting and I love the characters. The twists were really cool. The world-split mechanics are very cool and an innovation on some of the old approaches. What seems like a game mechanic at first is actually anchored into the main protagonist, and the lore speaks to it as you get deeper in. All hail the mighty bolt cutters! This has been the funnest and most "oh wow" explicit-triggering horror adventure I've played in years. Thank you Bloober! I'm holding back one star because it ended a bit too soon. 22 hours on my first playthrough felt a little short. Could have used another 5 hours of content, and/or the ability to make more choices to unlock different endings. (Unless that's in there and I've missed it? I'll be looking! Got 86% GOG achievements on first play-through.) ---some spoiler risk below--- This is a great entry for previous fans of horror games like Silent Hill. There are many nods to it: -Mirror world transitions (SH:Origins) -Rust world -Stationary and moving wheelchairs -Confused characters that the protagonist triggers and helps render whole (Sadness has end of sentence inflections like Angela in SH2 actually. Not sure if that's intentional, but if so, nice touch!) -Piano puzzle (SH1) -Grandfather clock puzzle (SH1) -Martyred nurse (SH1) -Swimming pool (SH1) -Metatron-like symbols -Running sequences (SH:Downpour, SH:SM) -Children's crayon drawings -It all begins with a dead girl, or *******-******* girl (like Alessa) There are also plenty of fun Easter Eggs to discover from Blair witch, to Monty Python, and Napoleon Dynamite. I'll be looking for more!
