"A Game That Captures The Dullness Of School, Without The Fear"
Most people are terrified of school, with some having that common recurring nightmare of waking up late for an important exam. Well, for you masochists out there, The Coma: Recut is here to have you play through that exact nightmare! At least, that's how the game presents itself initially. While this title started off on the right foot with me, not even an hour or two later I felt like I had seen enough of the game to grow very, very tired of it. Just like school itself!
The gameplay is quite straightforward: search for items of interest, read notes scrawled throughout the world, hide from a murderous stalker, and occasionally use items to replenish health and/or stamina. Yet...that is all that ever happens within this game. A few other reviews have painted this game as a "Korean Boarding School" version of Outlast , and I would have to agree to some level. The gameplay is similar, with The Coma: Recut sacrificing many of the cheaper scares found within Outlast (a game I originally loved and grew to dislike for many similar reasons) for a simple inventory system with some healing/stamina replenishment. These new, less than mediocre elements add little to the simplistic gameplay loop of "Explore, Run, Hide", and actually make the game feel really unrefined and clunky.
I also was disappointed with the game's story. I thought that more commentary would be made on how the education systems in most countries, especially South Korea, is selfishly designed to conform many students to the class-based societies that many of these countries have existing within their borders (this includes the United States as well, for anyone who thinks I am trying to speak from a biased perspective). What I found instead, was what felt like a dragged on teenage-horror film that took place within a school. While I admit that I may have expected too much going into the game, the story it gave me wasn't very great either. The characters failed to intrigue me, and felt like typical stereotypes: nerdy boy who is obsessed with popular girl, jock who is maniacally evil, and a main character that felt bland and unidentifiable. It was really a shockingly bad plot to experience, and these elements led to me dropping the game less than 2 hours in. With what I read of the plot synopsis, I am glad I didn't continue.
The art is okay enough, and has a slick style to it that somewhat intrigues the eye. However, the color scheme is horridly bland, with a lot of grays, blacks, and blues. Additionally, the soundtrack is empty, with a few repeating tracks that do very little to the ambiance the game looks to develop. The lack of voice acting is also disappointing, as it would have helped to shore up the game's glaring weaknesses with its sound design. While the characters would have likely sounded like the cliches they represent, it would have at least given this title some more entertainment value at the end of the day.
If you want a simplistic horror game that involves light elements of exploration, story, and is drawn pretty well, go ahead and pick this game up. I wouldn't suggest you do so, but if you are really that desperate, by all means try it out. If you desire an experience with much more to chew on and that is much scarier, there are many horror games out there that involve much more complex stories, more atmospheric settings, and puzzles to change up the pace of the game. I mean hell, I could suggest Outlast over this title, and I find that game to be very subpar. The Coma: Recut is a boring low-budget horror title, and a game I would personally Not Recommend.
Final Verdict: 2/10 (Bad)
Most people are terrified of school, with some having that common recurring nightmare of waking up late for an important exam. Well, for you masochists out there, The Coma: Recut is here to have you play through that exact nightmare! At least, that's how the game presents itself initially. While this title started off on the right foot with me, not even an hour or two later I felt like I had seen enough of the game to grow very, very tired of it. Just like school itself!
The gameplay is quite straightforward: search for items of interest, read notes scrawled throughout the world, hide from a murderous stalker, and occasionally use items to replenish health and/or stamina. Yet...that is all that ever happens within this game. A few other reviews have painted this game as a "Korean Boarding School" version of Outlast , and I would have to agree to some level. The gameplay is similar, with The Coma: Recut sacrificing many of the cheaper scares found within Outlast (a game I originally loved and grew to dislike for many similar reasons) for a simple inventory system with some healing/stamina replenishment. These new, less than mediocre elements add little to the simplistic gameplay loop of "Explore, Run, Hide", and actually make the game feel really unrefined and clunky.
I also was disappointed with the game's story. I thought that more commentary would be made on how the education systems in most countries, especially South Korea, is selfishly designed to conform many students to the class-based societies that many of these countries have existing within their borders (this includes the United States as well, for anyone who thinks I am trying to speak from a biased perspective). What I found instead, was what felt like a dragged on teenage-horror film that took place within a school. While I admit that I may have expected too much going into the game, the story it gave me wasn't very great either. The characters failed to intrigue me, and felt like typical stereotypes: nerdy boy who is obsessed with popular girl, jock who is maniacally evil, and a main character that felt bland and unidentifiable. It was really a shockingly bad plot to experience, and these elements led to me dropping the game less than 2 hours in. With what I read of the plot synopsis, I am glad I didn't continue.
The art is okay enough, and has a slick style to it that somewhat intrigues the eye. However, the color scheme is horridly bland, with a lot of grays, blacks, and blues. Additionally, the soundtrack is empty, with a few repeating tracks that do very little to the ambiance the game looks to develop. The lack of voice acting is also disappointing, as it would have helped to shore up the game's glaring weaknesses with its sound design. While the characters would have likely sounded like the cliches they represent, it would have at least given this title some more entertainment value at the end of the day.
If you want a simplistic horror game that involves light elements of exploration, story, and is drawn pretty well, go ahead and pick this game up. I wouldn't suggest you do so, but if you are really that desperate, by all means try it out. If you desire an experience with much more to chew on and that is much scarier, there are many horror games out there that involve much more complex stories, more atmospheric settings, and puzzles to change up the pace of the game. I mean hell, I could suggest Outlast over this title, and I find that game to be very subpar. The Coma: Recut is a boring low-budget horror title, and a game I would personally Not Recommend.
Final Verdict: 2/10 (Bad)