Knowing this was a decade in the making I feel it’s a bit stuck. It’s a quick play if you can manage figuring out the controls and camera angles.
The puzzles are pretty basic and the narrative isn’t anything really unique.
The positives - the split screen moments. This is what shelved the game for so long. I thought some parts were really interesting with flipping between a spirit and human realm but seeing both on the screen was a unique spin that kept me motivated to play.
I thought the game did top notch use of the ps5 controller with the adaptive triggers and with the haptic feedback. Also interesting use of the speaker on the controller. The motion controls were completely unnecessary though. The gameplay as a result is pretty immersive especially feeling the breeze on parts of the controller and the rain. If you are new to ps5 and find this for free it might be worth trying it out a bit just to see a lot of the features used in a single game. This makes me hopeful to see what else is made that really takes advantage of next gen tech.
I feel like my favorite parts were rare which the game should have just made your character a detective solving paranormal events instead of creating what it did with the story. The two features I called out is why I am ranked it a 3.5.
The creature in chase / sneak sequences is horribly annoying - extremely repetitive. It literally says the same thing any time you get caught and it’s the same cut scene regardless of how you are caught. This is a big reason the game lacks significantly and is rated a lot lower than it could have gotten. The story is pretty average. Nothing special. It’s not really bad just wasn’t compelling.
Having the set camera angles and changing them up without warning makes gameplay clunky - it’s way more reminiscent of Alan Wake. Which is interesting considering they could have had similar release dates. I know the first person was too confusing so they scrapped it and I’m sure being able to spin your own camera on split screens could be extremely nauseating so I’m not sure of the alternative. Maybe fixed cameras that have a predictable setup and not ones that are meant to hide collectibles and make the monster scenes more frustrating.
Some of the graphics are good sometimes they are really funky. I missed some of the collectibles so I didn’t platinum and probably will move it over to my extended storage as I just don’t feel it’s worth playing a second time. At least not any time soon but this is a game that’s definitely possible to 100% that’s not too time consuming and if you do it right you can get it in one play through.
I didn’t not threaten to abandon the game like I did the entire time I pushed myself through Alan Wake (the remastered that one hasn’t held up).
If bloober made a game similar where it’s just solving mysteries like a paranormal detective without the horror sequences that failed and the lack-luster storytelling then I would definitely play it. Its Too bad this one just didn’t hit the mark on many things.
Also - can the characters learn to actually run and not do more of a causal jog? I couldn’t stop laughing at how terrible they were at running and how there would be a scary moment and Marianne would be terrified, out of breath and then look at something that would make her comment about how cute something was or she’d have a chuckle in her voice.
The puzzles are pretty basic and the narrative isn’t anything really unique.
The positives - the split screen moments. This is what shelved the game for so long. I thought some parts were really interesting with flipping between a spirit and human realm but seeing both on the screen was a unique spin that kept me motivated to play.
I thought the game did top notch use of the ps5 controller with the adaptive triggers and with the haptic feedback. Also interesting use of the speaker on the controller. The motion controls were completely unnecessary though. The gameplay as a result is pretty immersive especially feeling the breeze on parts of the controller and the rain. If you are new to ps5 and find this for free it might be worth trying it out a bit just to see a lot of the features used in a single game. This makes me hopeful to see what else is made that really takes advantage of next gen tech.
I feel like my favorite parts were rare which the game should have just made your character a detective solving paranormal events instead of creating what it did with the story. The two features I called out is why I am ranked it a 3.5.
The creature in chase / sneak sequences is horribly annoying - extremely repetitive. It literally says the same thing any time you get caught and it’s the same cut scene regardless of how you are caught. This is a big reason the game lacks significantly and is rated a lot lower than it could have gotten. The story is pretty average. Nothing special. It’s not really bad just wasn’t compelling.
Having the set camera angles and changing them up without warning makes gameplay clunky - it’s way more reminiscent of Alan Wake. Which is interesting considering they could have had similar release dates. I know the first person was too confusing so they scrapped it and I’m sure being able to spin your own camera on split screens could be extremely nauseating so I’m not sure of the alternative. Maybe fixed cameras that have a predictable setup and not ones that are meant to hide collectibles and make the monster scenes more frustrating.
Some of the graphics are good sometimes they are really funky. I missed some of the collectibles so I didn’t platinum and probably will move it over to my extended storage as I just don’t feel it’s worth playing a second time. At least not any time soon but this is a game that’s definitely possible to 100% that’s not too time consuming and if you do it right you can get it in one play through.
I didn’t not threaten to abandon the game like I did the entire time I pushed myself through Alan Wake (the remastered that one hasn’t held up).
If bloober made a game similar where it’s just solving mysteries like a paranormal detective without the horror sequences that failed and the lack-luster storytelling then I would definitely play it. Its Too bad this one just didn’t hit the mark on many things.
Also - can the characters learn to actually run and not do more of a causal jog? I couldn’t stop laughing at how terrible they were at running and how there would be a scary moment and Marianne would be terrified, out of breath and then look at something that would make her comment about how cute something was or she’d have a chuckle in her voice.