https://steamoss.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=3044094409

Here's The Thing:
You assume the role of Ben O’Hara, a private eye with a past, en route to the Pines Hotel after receiving a desperate plea from one Yuhiko Kosuke. The latter, as she’s detailed in her heartfelt letter, claims no one is taking the disappearance of her sister seriously, who was last seen at the place in question. Can the mystery be solved? Should it even be?? Or will Ben succumb to his frailty first!?


As the voice actor for the protagonist AND the lead QA for Ghost at Dawn (GAD), I probably shouldn’t even begin to review it… but I’ll let my words & carefully pondered analysis speak for themself!



You’ve seen it before, breathing down your neck, tugging on your bowels, yet not quite in this fashion. Correct, I’m referencing none other than everybody’s great distant survival horror relative Resident Evil, the most obvious of its lineup of influences. The initial false sense of security, surely you’d be more than acquainted with the genre by now- just aim and fire!? Then sweat trickles down when the unexpected arises, and your clammy hands barely get you out of the paranormal threesome. The inventory dilemma makes a resurgence, a six-slot case tougher to crack than the one you’re working on. Before finally, the eventual slip-up, whether it be out of cockiness or carelessness is unimportant, for the consequences come bearing down on you all the same… until your life gets snuffed out. Sometimes by your own hands and other times by ghostly helping ones.

That’s where the uniqueness of this gem arrives, it offers the familiar in ways that disarm you until you don’t really know how to feel about them. For starters, there is no conventional health bar to mismanage anymore… what you’re met with is an “invisible” sanity that gets drained the longer you let the malevolent spirits near you or if you loiter in the darkness. The latter is how matches become vital, serving not only as waning light sources that you could burn through swiftly, but also the difference between death and… more deaths if you decide to somehow skimp on using the incense burners. Additionally, instead of the plain old restorative items to down by the bulk, you actually have to retreat to a safe- well, as safe a space it can be before relieving yourself! Perhaps my personal favorite is the absence of intrusive puzzles, but make no mistake, for the investigation itself is one constant enigma with not much guidance.

Playtime is literally your call, in that you could cease the sleuthing at any time at the expense of missing out on the truth obviously cause YOLO; in so doing unlocking one of six possible endings. Each of which allows you to neatly pick up from where you last resigned to your fate and earning some goodies to stave off the inevitable. My 1st run ate up roughly 4-5 hours and then some, with the remainder of my time chasing that elusive S rank which would score me something wicked & BLOODY cool~


Can I just point out, I had never seen such a structurally sound setting (except maybe the town of Silent Hill itself), until I laid eyes on the Pines Hotel. Not only did it make sense as a lifelike hotel location with meticulous thought pumped into the architecture as its base, after which it only then decides to have its fun by traversing into the beyond and incorporating more haunting elements. Despite its possessed state, it maintains a regal grandeur, and is never too on-the-nose; it just works.

Almost every new room adds either weight to the history leading up to the tragedy, or authority towards the all-subsuming evil that has firmly set up residence. For example, while it is fixed-camera 85% of the time, your perspective sometime can take on a life of its own, tripping you up in the process. It is just as varied as the restless entities that roam the hall. You just do not know what you will walk into next…!

And the music, self-composed by the developer, seek only to reverberate the rich array of moods behind the already personality-laden places. I swear, it’s as if each track was designed and tailored to a harrowingly specific room; all of which ultimately climax together to create this symphony of pain and pleasure…


The woven narrative was nothing short of excellent, like even way before the game starts, another damning piece of evidence that exhibits the dev’s masterful attention to detail. The first cutscene was simply thought-provoking in that it gracefully eased you into this different, might I add, alluring 40s period while simultaneously grabbing your ears and heart through the realistic acting (mine excluded) played back on spotty tech from a bygone era! As the nostalgia reminiscent of your typical noir films drown out, Yuhiko’s plea to find her sister is all that registers in the back of your mind.

It is that unease and dwindling hope that linger until the case gets wrapped up, if it ever does! Every clue you manage to find chips away at the glamor of this classy joint and reveals a much uglier side. It’s a most rewarding mystery to unfold, and an increasingly dark one at that. Ben’s characterization is a bit of an underdog as well, not that you’ll learn much of him, but the details that do come to light in private spaces only paint him positively and a relatable average joe; he’s troubled but tries his best~


GAD is a true return to the once grim and grievous survival horror as felt by your clenched cheeks 30 years ago. In case we are not appreciative enough of that fact, let’s take a minute for it to sink in… It will keep you on your toes, your mind jumbled, and set a precedent going forward that nostalgia alone isn’t the sole way to pay homage to the beloved genre.

Just as it’s easy to get swept up by the dealing with the supernatural, it’s near effortless to forget the core of GAD’s terror . It’s not quite as in-your-face about it, but the trail of breadcrumbs is there; if you thought the “antagonist” was the owner of the Pines Hotel, then you have another thing coming. It is so much bigger than that, realizing who’s indirectly complicit due to their individual prejudices was a wake-up call~
https://steamoss.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=3044099157


Highly subjective take, but one that needs to be raised. GAD can be a tad merciless; instant kills, scarce ammo, and default “hard” difficulty are the pressing ones. But really modern gamers are just testy and accustomed to the good life~


x Ben’s auto-aim sometimes decides to do its own thing.
x Animations get skipped over mid-action.
x Reload sound effect not syncing.


~ Sanity-draining AOE vary from ghost to ghost. Cool but frustrating!


https://steamoss.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=3044103107

Last Words?
Even with odds and ends curtailing the case, this first-rate survival horror actively hounds you with its ancestors; unafraid to stand out, take risks, and stick to its guns. It’s GAD a lot more otw~

[code]Curator page here-->[url=https://steamoss.com/steamstore/curator/37670120/] DaRevieweD #233 [/url]<-- [i]New review whenever[/i][/code] [h1]"THIS. IS. WHAT. I’VE BEN LOOKING FOR~"[/h1] https://steamoss.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=3044094409 [u]Here's The Thing:[/u] You assume the role of Ben O’Hara, a private eye with a past, en route to the Pines Hotel after receiving a desperate plea from one Yuhiko Kosuke. The latter, as she’s detailed in her heartfelt letter, claims no one is taking the disappearance of her sister seriously, who was last seen at the place in question. Can the mystery be solved? Should it even be?? Or will Ben succumb to his frailty first!? [h1] ! DISCLAIMER ![/h1] As the voice actor for the protagonist AND the lead QA for Ghost at Dawn (GAD), I probably shouldn’t even begin to review it… but I’ll let my words & carefully pondered analysis speak for themself! [h1][u][+] PROS;[/u][/h1] [h1]:) ENTER O’ THE SURVIVAL HARA~[/h1] You’ve seen it before, breathing down your neck, tugging on your bowels, yet not quite in this fashion. Correct, I’m referencing none other than everybody’s great distant survival horror relative[url=https://steamoss.com/id/DeadeGuard98/recommended/304240/] Resident Evil[/url], the most obvious of its lineup of influences. The initial false sense of security, surely you’d be more than acquainted with the genre by now- just aim and fire!? Then sweat trickles down when the unexpected arises, and your clammy hands barely get you out of the paranormal threesome. The inventory dilemma makes a resurgence, a six-slot case tougher to crack than the one you’re working on. Before finally, the eventual slip-up, whether it be out of cockiness or carelessness is unimportant, for the consequences come bearing down on you all the same… until your life gets snuffed out. Sometimes by your own hands and other times by ghostly helping ones. That’s where the uniqueness of this gem arrives, it offers the familiar in ways that disarm you until you don’t really know how to feel about them. For starters, there is no conventional health bar to mismanage anymore… what you’re met with is an “invisible” sanity that gets drained the longer you let the malevolent spirits near you or if you loiter in the darkness. The latter is how matches become vital, serving not only as waning light sources that you could burn through swiftly, but also the difference between death and… more deaths if you decide to somehow skimp on using the incense burners. Additionally, instead of the plain old restorative items to down by the bulk, you actually have to retreat to a safe- well, as safe a space it can be before relieving yourself! Perhaps my personal favorite is the absence of intrusive puzzles, but make no mistake, for the investigation itself is one constant enigma with not much guidance. Playtime is literally your call, in that you could cease the sleuthing at any time at the expense of missing out on the truth obviously cause YOLO; in so doing unlocking one of six possible endings. Each of which allows you to neatly pick up from where you last resigned to your fate and earning some goodies to stave off the inevitable. My 1st run ate up roughly 4-5 hours and then some, with the remainder of my time chasing that elusive S rank which would score me something wicked & BLOODY cool~ [h1]:) WHERE YOU’LL NEVER OUTSTAY YOUR WELCOME; CUZ Y’KNOW YOU’LL BE DE-[/h1] Can I just point out, I had never seen such a structurally sound setting (except maybe the town of Silent Hill itself), until I laid eyes on the Pines Hotel. Not only did it make sense as a lifelike hotel location with meticulous thought pumped into the architecture as its base, after which it only then decides to have its fun by traversing into the beyond and incorporating more haunting elements. Despite its possessed state, it maintains a regal grandeur, and is never too on-the-nose; it just works. Almost every new room adds either weight to the history leading up to the tragedy, or authority towards the all-subsuming evil that has firmly set up residence. For example, while it is fixed-camera 85% of the time, your perspective sometime can take on a life of its own, tripping you up in the process. It is just as varied as the restless entities that roam the hall. You just do not know what you will walk into next…! And the music, self-composed by the developer, seek only to reverberate the rich array of moods behind the already personality-laden places. I swear, it’s as if each track was designed and tailored to a harrowingly specific room; all of which ultimately climax together to create this symphony of pain and pleasure… [h1]:) DESERVES. AN. EMI!!![/h1] The woven narrative was nothing short of excellent, like even way before the game starts, another damning piece of evidence that exhibits the dev’s masterful attention to detail. The first cutscene was simply thought-provoking in that it gracefully eased you into this different, might I add, alluring 40s period while simultaneously grabbing your ears and heart through the realistic acting (mine excluded) played back on spotty tech from a bygone era! As the nostalgia reminiscent of your typical noir films drown out, Yuhiko’s plea to find her sister is all that registers in the back of your mind. It is that unease and dwindling hope that linger until the case gets wrapped up, if it ever does! Every clue you manage to find chips away at the glamor of this classy joint and reveals a much uglier side. It’s a most rewarding mystery to unfold, and an increasingly dark one at that. Ben’s characterization is a bit of an underdog as well, not that you’ll learn much of him, but the details that do come to light in private spaces only paint him positively and a relatable average joe; he’s troubled but tries his best~ [h1]:) IT’S PINES-TINGLING…![/h1] GAD is a true return to the once grim and grievous survival horror as felt by your clenched cheeks 30 years ago. In case we are not appreciative enough of that fact, let’s take a minute for it to sink in… It will keep you on your toes, your mind jumbled, and set a precedent going forward that nostalgia alone isn’t the sole way to pay homage to the beloved genre. Just as it’s easy to get swept up by the dealing with the supernatural, it’s near effortless to forget the core of GAD’s terror . It’s not quite as in-your-face about it, but the trail of breadcrumbs is there; if you thought the “antagonist” was the owner of the Pines Hotel, then you have another thing coming. It is so much bigger than that, realizing who’s indirectly complicit due to their individual prejudices was a wake-up call~ https://steamoss.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=3044099157 [h1][u][-] CONS;[/u][/h1] [h1]:( PFFT, SHOOT I NOT HAVE SAID THAT!? WELL, HOLEY SHI*[/h1] Highly subjective take, but one that needs to be raised. GAD can be a tad merciless; instant kills, scarce ammo, and default “hard” difficulty are the pressing ones. But really modern gamers are just testy and accustomed to the good life~ [h1]BUGS:[/h1] x Ben’s auto-aim sometimes decides to do its own thing. x Animations get skipped over mid-action. x Reload sound effect not syncing. [h1]NITPICKS:[/h1] ~ Sanity-draining AOE vary from ghost to ghost. Cool but frustrating! [h1]"AND IT’S ANYTHING BUT DAWN FOR!!"[/h1] https://steamoss.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=3044103107 [u]Last Words?[/u] Even with odds and ends curtailing the case, this first-rate survival horror actively hounds you with its ancestors; unafraid to stand out, take risks, and stick to its guns. It’s GAD a lot more otw~ [h1]9.6 / 10[/h1] [code]Do check out a video review collaboration I did with my BFF [b]Gaming Blanket[/b] also of GAD over on YT [url=https://youtu.be/aDl8P1rqS98?feature=shared]here![/url] Leave a subscribe![/code]