The scariest game I've yet played. Highly recommended for anyone who likes to experience terror in the dark. This game is exhilarating and tense throughout, rarely giving you a breather before sending you off into another dark corridor with some demented variant. It's not a perfect game, by far. The level design is very plain and linear, and it has annoying design features like no toggle button for crouch, not placing notes and documents at the top of your notebook list, etc. More significantly, the game does not allow for any creativity in how you evade monsters. There's really only one way to do so in a given monster chase, so you either do it, or not. The player cannot really experiment with different hiding options beyond those provided in the game (beds and lockers). The game is still fun, I just wish that the hiding feature, the main point of the game, was more open-ended. Nonetheless, these shortfalls do not compromise the game's central motif. There are few things scarier than pushing around in the dark, looking through a grainy camcorder, in a fantastically freakish haunted asylum. The textures and atmosphere are so good; it's clear how much effort the team put into creating a compelling mood and immersive sound selection. The mnusic is chilling, the voice acting is strong, and this game will have you sweaing bullets. Play it in the dark, play it with headphones, and most of all, don't read walkthroughs. Just let the game's surprises come to you. Visually arresting, Outlast is definitely an essential addition to the great titles of PC horror lore.
Imagine if someone took the best elements of Half-Life 2, System Shock 2, Thief, Deus Ex, Bioshock, and Alien Isolation, and put them into one game. Imagine no more, because Prey is that game. While not the most original, as it draws heavily from these titles, it is certainly the most complete. Prey learns its lessons well from its predessors, creating an open level experience that is not only fun, but evolves over the course of the game as the player avatar grows. The gameworld is gorgeous. If you loved the terrifying exploration of Alien Isolation, this space station is for you. It's so much fun to explore every nook and cranny, in part because you CAN explore them. This is a game where I often found myself wondering "I wonder if I can. . . " and then I'd try it, and discover I could! The game is completely rendered, allowing you to use your many abilities to climb, fly, and sneak into every possible space. The gameplay mecahnics are so smooth. Climbing is effortless, and you can climb on everything, and if you can't, use your GLOO gun. You also get to go weightless, both inside and outside the station. The freedom to just thrust around in free space is simply awesome and terrifying. Additionally, finding objects is incredibly rewarding, as this game has a brilliantly streamlined crafting system. All of the complexity of System Shock 2 is here, but without the obscurity and clunky mechanics. It's so easy to interact with this world, collect items, recycle, fabricate new items, and install upgrades. The combat is quite difficult until late in the game, requiring a lot of strategy and planning, and use of the environment. But it's always fun and challenging. The story only has a couple twists to it, early on and at the end, but it's engaging because of its deep philosophical undertones, which are allowed to come to the forefront many times.
What a gem. This is a game for those who like creepy, horror-driven game experiences but who don't want puzzle or combat based gameplay (which is most horror stories these days). Through the Woods meets these expectations wonderfully. What's scarier than wandering through the woods at night in the dark? The game is brimming with Norse folklore, and it's set in a beautiful Norwegian forest. Yes, other reviewers are correct that the human character models aren't very good, but it hardly matters as they are rarely onscreen, and the rest of the game is eye-popping on max settings. It's atmosphere is super creepy and immersive, and the dread the environment causes in the player is satisfied by multiple mythical monster encounters in which the threat is quite real - these beasties will kill you. You have to learn how to sneak by them or to expose their weakness to temporarily ward them off. Some have commented on the game's short length, but I suspect those reviewers are not letting themselves play the game as intended. This narrative is all about exploration, and there are lots of secret areas to find that enrich the story. I clocked in at over 5 hrs of gameplay before I finished, which is more than enough for a solid game. But I also didn't rush through the game. This game never imposes a deadline on you, and it shouldn't be approached as a list of tasks to complete, but as a world to enjoy. The more you let yourself just experience the world, and react the way your avatar would realistically react in each context, the more satisfying the experience will be. I also lvoe that this is a totally non-American narrative; it's pretty terrifying in places, and this being horror, you will not find a happy ending by the end. Let it be what it is, in all its mythical glory. Not a perfect game, but a very satisfying experience.
Immersive, enjoyable, relaxing, and unconventional. Firewatch is a game you play if you're looking for down-to-earth characters in an outdoor adventure that lacks both puzzles and combat. The game is dialogue driven, and the story is less important than the relationship you choose through the dialogue. The game constantly provides the player with choices, both in your responses during conversation, and with which trails you take around the map and where you explore. There are no right or wrong decisions - nothing will kill your avatar in the game. Firewatch is an existential story, an exploration about the meaning, or lack thereof, in the choices we make. Some reviewers have complained about the ending, but I think it's actually quite fitting. It's a game about fantasy and reality, about how reality intrudes on fantasy. It has a lot of emotion, drama, humor, and occasional suspense. It's light-hearted and heavy at the same time. All of this is embedded within a visually arresting world, complete with textured sounds and splendid voice-acting. It's not a game for those looking for stimulation or craft-heavy open worlds. It's a relaxing game. It took me about 5 hrs to complete, and i just enjoyed the scenery and the walk and the speculation and the banter and the mystery. Let the game take you away, set aside your expectations, and be absorbed into a very unique, charming, and satisfying world.
SOMA is amazing. It is a perfect blend of mystery, dread, and terror. The mystery comes from a fascinating philosophical narrative that unspoils itself at a patient pace, with tons of hidden details made possible by richly-drawn characters supported by great voice acting. The dread is a product of both the intensely detailed levels and lighting, combined with some of the best sound effects and music I've ever encountered in a game. They absolutely suck you into the experience and never let up until they soak your bones and chill your blood. The terror comes from the monsters. Some have criticized this aspect of the game, leading the developers to produce a safe mode. While I'm all for player freedom, the monsters are an essential part of the experience. They make the dread pay off with real threats, that will either brutally maime you or outright kill you. The monsters work brilliantly through two dimensions. The first is that each monster is quite different in how it interacts with the environment and you, so that strategies which worked on a previous monster are doomed on the next. It forces the player to constantly adapt. The second is that monster encounters are magnified with fantastic visual effects, player heartbeat and breathing, and dramatic music. They work perfectly together to make the encounters visceral to the player, so that you feel the monster proximity and the degree of the threat. Freaked me out so many times throughout this game, to the point of holding my breath and sweating profusely. The world they have created is so much fun to explore, and I especially loved the aesthetics of walking on the ocean floor. They design the maps just right to have sufficient linearity to tell the story, but the illusion of openness to help you feel lost and terrorized. I can't recommend this game enough. Great story, terrifying gameplay, gorgeous world, and a very satisfying double ending (stay for the credits!).
