Exquisite grand guignol steampunk vibes withstanding, this game’s departure from the bare-bones survivalist elements of the first game into something a little more patient was quite refreshing for a while. Unfortunately that means that all the enemy encounters that DO occur are so awkwardly stitched into this atmospheric and anti-capitalist narrative that they sort of negate the questions of empathy that are posed by the narrator (one of the strangest attempts at a redemption arc if you ask me). I found myself more haunted by the demonizing portrayal of the pig-human atrocities and wondered how much of this is meant to be read as actual thoughtful social critique versus the occasionally goofy and simplistic trashy exploitation that it ends up being. If anything it feels more like empty fan-service to have these monsters loom over every second of the gameplay.. echoing pig squeals and earth shattering booms clouding up much of time you spend navigating the factories, sewers, muggy streets and reading clumsily littered journal entries explaining everything to the player. Per usual, The Chinese Room craft something quite luscious to look at and listen to (Dear Esther and EGTTR are both masterful) but it’s hard to shake the lack of clarity when it comes to the cumulative vision here. It felt most apparent in the chaotic climax when the camera would frequently and violently shake, making the muddy colors of the interiors bleed together into unintelligible masses for periods at a time, or when our “protagonist” would slowly slip into a dark area to hear the fiftieth voiceover monologue and for some reason the game takes away your lamp to make it SpoOkY, or when I fell through the map and bugged out of game’s space for the third time. It’s a beautiful mess I don’t regret playing, but TCR is capable of making bigger and better things than what felt like little more than a franchise sell-out here.

This one’s a doozy. Brutally oppressive in atmosphere, with a dizzyingly labyrinthine map design and truly grotesque sound work. The way that Puppet Combo combines all these harsh elements together makes for a near-excellent title but its ultimately held back by a needlessly obfuscated gameplay loop- a survival simulator that lays out a variety of tools to utilize in an impossibly constructed field. It can at times feel defeating with how janky it is to maneuver these hallways as you run from the killer (and upon recapturing losing everything you’ve found) but by the end I was mostly won over by the inherent imperfections of the game’s design as well its patient structuring- the main objective not making itself apparent until well over a 1/3 into the story. I won’t lie when I say I had to follow a guide for much of this and despite that this remained a crushing, nerve-wracking experience to navigate as I collected supplies and crouched my way through tight vents, German expressionist rooms, and blood tinged exteriors (subliminal jump scares included!). The increasingly surreal and nightmarish aesthetic, already beaten and degraded because of its “VHS formatting” and clearly influenced by the work of Tobe Hooper, does wonders in instilling genuine dread and hopelessness in the player. I walk away with that and think back to my playthrough with fondness. Just never want to hear that animalistic screech ever again lol

Wonderful and immersive walking simulator that puts you in the life of Henry, a man with a lot of trouble in his life who just got a job as a fire lookout in the Wyoming wilderness. You get to spend days alone in the forest, with your only company being Delilah, the supervisor whose cabin you can see in the far distance. As you progress, you get to explore the insanely beautiful forests surrounding Henry's cabin, get to know Delilah a little better and unravel a mystery that only escalates from the first time you come across it. This game is beautiful and it gives you plenty freedom to explore your surroundings which are honestly astounding and I spent more time than necessary just walking around and snapping pictures, which you should do too, if you're playing this game. Lovely experience, from beginning to end.

I usually avoid games like this since I didn't like Amnesia, Outlast, or Devotion. I gave it shot after hearing it was only 2 hours, and I'm trying to make more of an effort with horror games. This is the best one I've played in this style. It's really light on gameplay as it's mainly walking through one floor in an abandoned building reading notes and avoiding a monster, but the story grabbed me enough for that not to bother me. It's a story about teen suicide. The way it's presented through notes, everchanging environments, and even FMV was surprisingly effective. It provides more detail about the environment in which the story takes place than I expected with real world events like COVID-19 playing a part. I appreciated it as that's something many stories avoid, and it only makes this story more fascinating. The playing with reality was another effective tool to pull me into the story. I couldn't just accept details I was given and had to keep questioning what's true or not as the lead character was struggling with low self-esteem possibly making things seem worse than they are along with the supernatural environment that could be messing with her. The finale packed a surprising emotional punch exposing how invested I was in the story. It's pretty well done.

I really think this game truly is something special. While I will say sometimes it could heavy handed with its themes early on, I still think it took a very delicate subject matter and respected it, and personally, as someone who's gone through similar things in life, I think the ending is actually very well executed, I won't spoil it but I urge you to try to view this game in a unbiased manner. I know many people are pessimistic about this series as a whole, but I promise you it's going to be fine. Also I adored the music and the monster and otherworld design so much. For a free 2 hour game, very much worth it.