The pacing for this game is so fascinating to me. It’s like a job simulator, sort of. You pop in for the shift — in this instance, house-sitting for a local media personality — it all starts normal before things quickly start to escalate, but the main thing of note is how much time the game allocates to these distinct sections. Mainly, you spend over half the game in the period where you’re just… doing your job: exploring the house you’re taking care of, doing odd jobs the homeowner texts you to do, and mostly just… hanging out. Taking in the general atmosphere. Doing all the fun little side things that are around for you to do. It’s honestly rather cozy, which, when the game eventually does start adding horror to the equation, makes the before and after feel like two separate experiences rather than part of the same game. Not to say it isn’t effective, though: there’s a gradual process in stripping away your comfort, a real excellent job at making you realize the danger of the situation even before you actively start being preyed on, and the way the game manages to release that tension — through jumpscare or other big moment — is all really, really, effective. I do think the pacing does leave the horror off to a bit of… whatever the opposite of a head start is once it’s meant to come in, and I think for all the buildup the final do-or-die section could’ve stood to be a little… more, but other than that I liked this. Props for making a job simulator horror game that isn’t just ‘you are working the graveyard shift and are also the only employee in the store for some reason.’ It’s nice to see something that takes a look at a subgenre — and all the little inconsistencies in the tropes they tend to use — and then proceeds to take its own spin on it, making it feel more true to life while at the same time not diluting (or, at points, even enhancing) the horror aspect. And so far this series has been at least two-for-three in capturing that. Consider me impressed. 7/10.