Ulasan terkini oleh Faudraline

"The devil's finest trick is to persuade you that he does not exist."― Charles Baudelaire, Paris Spleen

The sequel to JoyBits' wonderous little puzzle game, Doodle God, is here! Doodle Devil may be considered the first continuation to the original game, followed by various other lovely little puzzle games, with different themes yet same mechanics. If you've enjoyed the original, it is simply not possible to dislike this one. If it works, why change it, huh? So, the Doodle God was creating the Doodle Universe, but you didn't think that Doodle Devil was idle in the meanwhile, right? Here is what he's been up to.

As you all may be familiar with the story, he didn't take a vacation after introducing the apple into Doodle Universe. Adam and Eve were already out, so why not tap into their mortal genius just to get a bit inventive for the side of darkness, huh? I mean, what's the harm? As we start, we are already given most basic elements and concepts, which we are familiar with from the first game. From here on, we'll just try and shift things a bit for the devil's favor; inventing sins, wars, fiends, weapons etc. As I said, what can go wrong?

This one builds upon the original concept, by introducing both a philosophical undertone and somewhat violent elements for you to combine. Now, we'll tap into a darker side of our imagination, rich with both science-fiction and fantasy. Accompanying quotes are still a lovely sight for me. The humor is still spot on, and every little bit of absurdity in your element combinations are well rewarded. So, what's actually new? Well, aside the original game which would give you 198 elements to discover this time, you are given three quests with their own stories, and a mini game in which you can go for demon battles! Named fiends that you discover throughout the original game, will serve as your minions in this mini game. Pretty cool, if you'd enjoy Cthulhu going for a showdown with Baal. I know I enjoyed it.

Anything else? Well, that's pretty much it. If you have played the first game, this is a good place to pick up and peek at the other side of the balance in the universe. Sure, the price may be considered a bit steep for the content you are getting - since it doesn't contain much compared to the first game - but as long as you catch it on a sale, all's good to go. If you don’t like paying for it at all, you gotta get a mobile version from one of the appropriate platforms – yet those still use an energy system with microtransactions. I personally recommend getting the game as a whole package here. As a casual puzzle game, I consider this to be simple and rich in context, still being one of the best for its genre in the market. Enjoy, everyone!

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And also Lady Storyteller's HOG Gems here - for casual games and HOGs you may enjoy!

“Real liberation comes not from glossing over or repressing painful states of feeling, but only from experiencing them to the full.” ― C.G. Jung, The Archetypes and the Collective Unconscious

Okay, I am really frustrated with this one, so bear with me. This is one of those indie Unity horrors, which you know for a fact will disappoint, yet you try to be hopeful about until you try, nonetheless. Well, I tried. Both the name of the game and various psychoanalysis quotes thrown around were a selling point for me, but the content is far from being able to deliver anything in that context. It is an interesting enough idea, executed miserably. It has bugs, plot-dumps, logic errors and jump-scare clichés all around - so I'll have a lot of things to say about this one, yet they'll be rarely nice and will probably contain some semblance of spoilers. So, be warned.

Starting the game, our protagonist is a young boy named Archty Tolomei. Apparently he has some kind of a mental illness soup - since the narrative is never definitive enough when it comes to stating what is actually wrong with Archty: sometimes it's your garden variety schizophrenia, sometimes an archaic definition like neurasthenia (really? a condition that's been long disproven?) - and has a ridiculously complicated family background, containing an abusive father, a mother with some kind of satanic heritage, two sisters whom serve to be placeholder figures for the "creepy little girl" cliché and a truck-load of irrelevant other figures dancing around the notions of psychosis, satanism or blatant ignorance (choose already!!!). Since I have been able to complete the game only until the end of Chapter 2 (this infernal thing takes 4 chapters), I have no way of knowing how the story concludes. There, I said it. It has a story, and I didn't bother to finish it. But if my literary education blessed me with any kind of expertise when it comes to story consistency, it cannot be anything revolutionary enough to justify the crap-fest that I've witnessed for 2 chapters.

For the first chapter, you play Archty at age 9, when he has to kill his father in self-defense and somehow summon the devil (yeah, a 9 year old mental patient summons the devil, getting the idea solely based on her mother's diary, lovely) to get rid of her mother's vengeful spirit. Take a breath and keep reading. It gets more frustrating. After the event, the boy is sent to an institution, and he lives there until he is 17, and that is where chapter 2 begins. The day we would leave the institution, another patient gets killed and we take the blame. While everyone tries to investigate what went wrong, we are in isolation. But somehow, we are set free, and neither the nurse that should keep an eye on us, nor anyone else questions what the f*ck we are doing outside, running around. We run around, get rid of various "spiritual" manifestations and are presented with a gigantic plot-dump which consists of texts flying around, telling us who did what and what to do to correct it in a "oh so satanic" manner. I mean, WHAT???? REALLY??? Oh, and it should be noteworthy to mention that this was the point that I've encountered a bug that completely prevents you from going any further. Supposedly, I should be able to go back to the hospital from the end of the labyrinth, but nothing happens. The passage that should bring me back just flashes. That's all.

Okay, I'll go back to gameplay but before that, I have to say that I'm not getting anything psychoanalytical so far, and I'd consider myself knowledgeable about the subject, since my dissertation was on Freud, Jung and Lacan just a week ago. The game is basically about taking everything dark and satanic enough, putting it through a "mental illness" filter and throwing it into a blender with really, really bad stock usage of Unity - and voila, you got yourself The Archetype. The term Archetype actually indicates a notion, an element of the collective subconscious that presents itself with different ornamentations, yet the same context in every society. Like the Innocent, the Wise Old Man, the Trickster, the Hero etc. Here, the namesake character and the series of weirdly dark events enveloping him doesn't fit into any Archetypal narration. It is simply badly done horror that plays a little too much on the theme satanism.

There is not much praiseworthy about the environment - beside the usage of sound effects being if not wholly creative, somewhat ingestible. Whispers, voices being played backwards, drifts and squeaks should be expected. Visually, it is sub-par and if you are familiar with Unity, you would recognize half of the texture packs, items and maps anyway. Game filter is intentionally too dark to hide the lack of environmental detail, and it really doesn't add into the atmosphere. Oh, and keep bugs in mind in everything that you do. Items getting placed oddly, inexplicable loss of items picked, doors not responding while you know for a fact that they should... expect them.

It's WASD, First-Person to the core. You know the drill. One gameplay dynamic that should make the game interesting, which was a neat idea to begin with, is various mood bars concerning our protagonist. As you play, a set of emotions will be triggered depending on what you read, what you look at etc. , filling your bars and making Archty experience the reality differently. There are some medications thrown around to control those bars - which are really dangerous, prescription medication irl btw - just saying - but they are not mandatory if you ask me. Depending on the combination of moods you trigger (anxiety, depression, libido etc.) our boy can get psychotic, neurotic, suicidal or homicidal - which are all necessary to trigger certain events to complete relevant chapters. It all is a neat idea, but as the perceivable environment changes, it becomes a hellish chore to play this game. You either start walking hulkingly slow, or the shaking of the camera angle comes to the point of you getting seasick. The developer tries to add a "plot explanation" for that, declaring Archty "unable to focus sometimes". I think that is a short cut for saying "I didn't know how to handle this, so I will call it an artistic choice". Yay, you've just made an unplayable game. Good for you. Oh, and any time you'd like to try and save, there pops a screen which mocks you and telling you that you cannot save. Lovely, very respectful, I'd say.

By the way, there has been some controversy concerning this game a couple years back, since they've used a real 911 call in the gameplay. Thanks to the uproar it started in the community, that part has since been taken away from the game, but it was a simply disturbing and distasteful choice on the developer's part. As a last verdict, the game is not enjoyable, doesn't contain replay value and any kind of appreciable narrative consistency. I'd really wish I could have some kind words, since this was the developer's first game, but I have failed to recognize either ability or even good intention in this execution. So, not much to see here. Please, carry on.

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“People leave traces of themselves where they feel most comfortable, most worthwhile.” ― Haruki Murakami, Dance Dance Dance

The Antidote has been an interesting experience for me, to say the least. This is one of those moments that I'd really wish Steam would offer the option for a "neutral" review, but we'll do with what we have. Coming from the newly sprouted developer team Innovative Underdogs, The Antidote is their first game and the young developer team has been nothing but enthusiastic and attentive on community feedbacks - which is a praiseworthy sign. Our game is a P&C adventure, with a tip of hat to old school Sierra style; being intentionally ridiculous and challenging at all times. Is it enjoyable? Well, let's see.

Let's start with one downside - and a big one for me: the story. Our protagonist, Roger leaves the office after a long day and being slightly ridiculed by his coworkers. The next thing he knows is that he gets smacked on the head and loses consciousness. As he wakes up, he finds himself in an old castle with a somewhat distorted, brightly colored environment. He meets another poor sod, who claims that he has been there for some time. Apparently, they both were drugged and brought here - thus, the oddly lsd induced looking environment. Our newly found friend claims that there is an antidote here around, so you start looking for the said antidote and possibly a way out. At this point, I must declare some failing in all logic - aside humor itself - that makes the storyline goofy, but not in the lovable way old Sierra games were used to be.

Well, apparently Roger is GeNiUs enough to figure out the solution to various physics, chemistry, language and narrative puzzles yet fails in the most basic intuitive endeavors: WHO THE F*CK IS THIS GUY, AND WHY DOES HE TRUST HIM IMMEDIATELY AFTER SUCH AN ENCOUNTER??? He is drugged, in a foreign place, even plants and wells do speak to us; and we are prone to take every word of the only living human being in the premises granted? The guy simply disappears immediately after telling us about the antidote and reappears only to check on our progression. He doesn't do anything! Look, Roger being drugged may be the main explanation to everything in the game, but some shouldn't simply pass. If he is smart enough to go through all those puzzles and odd defenses, he should be smart enough to at least figure out something is off. As we progress through the game, we'll be having odd flashbacks - supposedly related to this encounter, yet nothing will make sense until the end of the game, where the villain would finally be revealed. And behold, nothing will make sense from that point either. Let's just note that all characters involved are dimwits with improbable IQ sparks from time to time.

Taking a look at the environment design, it is more than obvious that lots of love and labor went into this game, so I'll give you that. Atmosphere is interesting enough to make you keep playing this thing. It is a bit disappointing that there is no voice-acting but stop-motion character animations were appropriately creepy and a nice touch on design. Item combinations, oddly creative dialogue options and various functions of our faithful mouse button reminds you the preface of many P&C classics. I'd say that humor fails on delivering on that department though, and the script can really, really use some proof-reading.

Gameplay doesn't bear much explanation: it is a point and click adventure, nonetheless. Puzzles may be categorized into two: heh, "that was kinda creative, fun and challenging" kind of puzzles (example: the language puzzle near the end), and "what the f*ck they were thinking?" kind of puzzles (example: dimension puzzle, concerning how to get aluminum pieces). I tried my very best to avoid the walkthrough for the first hour - then I gave up for the sake of running through the story. Another veteran adventure reviewer currently undertakes the feat of playing it without the walkthrough, and I wish her the best, and some herculean feat of patience.

Last word? It is a neat little trial as a first game and it has its "heh, that's cool" moments, but overall, it will need a lot of polishing, especially on its script and with some puzzle choices. Still, I strongly recommend watching this team closely in the future, and giving The Antidote a try nonetheless.

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So, we are already at the third game in the series, huh? 12 Labours of Hercules III: Girl Power is simply more of the time management goodness, with a slight change in narrative: this time, Hercules is abducted, and his brave wife Megara needs to save him! Ready for going through a series of automated actions to reach certain conditions in a time limit? Because that's it for this game: simple and mindless fun, which allows you to not think for a while.

Let's see... Being the brave hero he is, Hercules is fighting against Scylla this time, yet gets ambushed by Charybdis - and gets abducted at the middle of the battle, alongside his faithful companion (!) Cerberus. So, it's Megara's time to play heroics and save her husband. Boy, these series both make me smile and cringe at the same time. I smile, 'cause I like the game mechanics, yet the literature nerd within me wails for the extent of simplification of mythological characters to make a kid friendly game narrative out of it. I'd kinda prefer seeing a violent and authentic version of these series. Maybe I'm simply getting bored at this point, considering this is the same game for the third time.

As the gem of Jetdog Studios' catalogue, not much changed since previous game. 'cause if it works, don't fix it, right? Same mechanics go for this game, alongside Megara's newly found power to raise shrubs to collect food. Collecting resources, building roads and shrines, reaching goals in a timely manner again; alongside some bonus episodes, if you've played the small HOG sequence within each level. Environment design starts to get a bit diverse in this one, considering some parts have underwater and volcanic maps. Oh, and our villain for this chapter is Zeus, yet it eludes me why the father god would like to cause a problem for his beloved son, especially using amazons to do his bidding. Amazons were daughters of Ares, the last time I've checked?

Yup, that's basically it. If you ask me, the nameless servant of Hercules is the actual hero in these series, since he and his brothers are the ones who go through all the hard work. Megara waters some plants, and Hercules throws some rocks. Brilliant. Do I recommend? Well, if you've enjoyed previous games... you know the drill. Just enjoy!

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And also Lady Storyteller's HOG Gems here - for casual games and HOGs you may enjoy!

"The only secrets are the secrets that keep themselves." - George Bernard Shaw

The 111th Soul is the first game made by Ricardo Pratas, and it is a short little gem which nicely distinguishes itself from the mass of badly done Unity games. The atmosphere is strong within this one, and one should congratulate the success on making a thousand-time told story, somewhat interesting. As a first-time trial at the indie market, it makes you appreciate the effort put into making it.

Here, we are in the shoes of Richard Silver, who was raised by his grandparents, alongside his brother. After the passing of said grandparents under questionable circumstances, Richard and his brother David start on renovating the house to put it on the market. One evening, Richard arrives to the old country house and fails to find David around. This is where and when things get inexplicably weird. Soon, Richard will discover a vile secret kept within the confines of this small family home.

Plotwise, it is not groundbreaking, yet the display itself is refreshing and chosen symbolisms are somewhat unique. The game is made in Unity; that is already said. But the atmosphere is still well constructed, and the decor gives an ominous sense, appropriate for our satanic little story. Sound effects are a success at directing you towards the next point of interest within the environment, and for a game made in Unity, 2-3 jump scares placed within the pace are a brimming success. At one point, I really felt that little heart attack, when it was least expected.

Speaking of gameplay, there is no action part into this one; but some minor yet well thought puzzles in a good old P&C way and a small memory challenge at the end are a satisfying enough collection for your dollar. Considering the game would take 20 minutes to complete and has 3 different endings depending on your choice just before the end - raising the 20-minute game time to 45 minutes for the completionist- that is one well deserving dollar.

On a night when you'd like to give an indie title a chance, this would make you appreciate someone's vision and effort. I sincerely wish the best of luck to Ricardo Pratas on his career as a developer. I didn't play it yet, but his next game, Not in Heaven is already in the Steam store, if you feel like giving it a try. I know I will do so sometime in the future.

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"Guard yourself and your conscience. No one else will, and know that a bad decision at the right time can destroy you far more surely than any bullet!" - James Clavell, King Rat

103 is Dystopia Interactive's first game, and it is a short yet alluring walking simulation with some puzzles and psychological horror elements. As a beginning to the developer's career, it is lovely, yet still bears some elements that can be invested in more. Let's see, shall we?

The store page description is short and to the point: "Help Lily use her imagination to unlock her memories and relive the events of a night that changed her life. Discover what happened and what is 103." Sadly, through our half-hour playthrough not much that amplifies the narrative further will take place. We will never hear the name of Lily again or have any indication what this ominous 103 can be until the very end. I personally would prefer seeing more narrative pieces within the game, rather than encountering only two diary pieces. Yet, the symbolic narrative on what memories those can be becomes elegantly apparent once you reach the part. I wouldn't like to give out spoilers but let’s say that Lily is a young woman with an artistic mind, who makes one dreadful mistake at some point. If you care to spare that half hour of discovery, I think most things will be cleared about the story by the end. It is depressive and even a bit existentialist, but hey, marionettes at the trailer should have been an indication anyway.

The display qualities of this short game are most assuredly breathtaking. Unreal engine makes wonders on the cute but creepy vibe emanating from the environment design. Candles, little play blocks, quotations and photographs on walls display the subconscious of our protagonist perfectly. The color palette and the utilization of light changes according to the mood of the memory, and sound effects are also one of the high points. Giggles, murmurs, footsteps echoing in the halls keep you on your toes, keep you interested. Everything within the small, 2 rooms and a 5-piece hallway environment keep surprising you with small, yet creepy changes. Soundtrack is also quite fitting and may even be considered a good buy after the completion.

Considering this is a really, really short game; there are only three actual puzzles to go through and only the first one can be considered somewhat as a challenge. Aside that, you have to walk around and take notice what has changed since the previous moment of realization. Sometimes a new line appears on a message board, sometimes the marionette starts to go through a new movement pattern, and you know a mood swing in the memory is on its way. The only mechanic that you should be aware of, is that you must look at things 2-3 seconds at every given time, for them to register in the story progression. If it doesn't register at the first time you've discovered it, try looking away and looking at it again. You'll know that it registered with a change in the sound or the light. Then, you start walking around again, to see what changed.

At the end of the day, 10 dollars is really steep for your purchase here, but on a decent sale, it is something you can enjoy as a walking simulation with psychological horror elements. Oh, and the soundtrack is a must, if you ask me.

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"On the instant that the final guttural sound had left his lips, there began a sequence of events no human eye was ever destined to witness. For suddenly the darkness was gone, giving way to a fearsome amber glow; simultaneously the flute-like music ceased, and in its place rose cries of rage and terror." - August Derleth, The Dweller in Darkness

Astray is a decent little horror adventure, and the only one of Aegon Games' catalogue that stroke me remotely interesting, so here we are. Is it the next best thing since sliced bread? Surely not. But Astray is a decent enough horror story with a Lovecraftian vibe, and some interesting enough puzzles along the way. Shall we?

According to the opening narrative, our uncle is a museum curator and he's been working on some installations for the museum's grand opening. It's been a couple weeks since we have been able to get any news of him though, so we decide to drop by to check on him. Traveling to this museum, which conveniently takes place in an isolated part of the mainland, we discover not a single breathing soul around. So, we -again, conveniently - break in to further investigate. As we continue with our exploration, we encounter various documents that would reveal obscure happenings within the building as the opening date comes close, even some disappearances. Yet, as we keep investigating, it becomes darker, obscurer and even a tad more supernatural than we would expect it to be. You have guessed right! This whole shebang is Lovecraftian!

What can I say? The story isn't marvelously exciting or fresh, but the narrative and pace of events presented to us through documents we find around, are intriguing enough for you to keep playing the game once you start. The mystery is well-woven, and the carefully designed atmosphere keeps you on your toes while you run from room to room, looking for your next objective. If you are a fan of Lovecraftian narrative and Cthulhu Mythos, you may even encounter some familiar figures as the end approaches. Aside that part, the lore presented within exhibits indicate a carefully done research of the occult and the mythological. Kudos on completing a reading before making a horror game!

Hailing from the visual quality of Unreal Engine 3, the game presents you a basic horror setting - one you may even recall from Amnesia: The Dark Descent. Design of the levels are interesting enough, yet some sections of the game – especially Egyptian Exhibition – are really cut short. It leaves you with the sense that it could have been much more. Sound effects are quite successful on unnerving you though, and they bear some importance for identifying whether it is safe to move around or not. If there is a monster on the premises – and believe me, there will be as you manage to delve deeper into the building - you'd like to listen your environment carefully.

Puzzles... Hmmm. Now this is noteworthy subject matter. Some of the puzzles within the game are the 1000th time reimagined versions of classical ones: like pipe puzzles. Those are cozily familiar and never get old. But some original ones, especially ones that would force you to take a closer look at the environment are a breath of fresh air. I liked the hieroglyph puzzle, for example.

Nearing the end of our review, if you have 3-4 hours to kill and fond of horror adventures, this one is a short, yet entertaining enough game to pick. Considering the whole thing is made by 2 people, it is one great effort you may enjoy. Good day, and good gaming to you!

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The test of any good fiction is that you should care something for the characters; the good to succeed, the bad to fail. The trouble with most fiction is that you want them all to land in hell, together, as quickly as possible. - Mark Twain

This is the first of Michaela Laws' games, and apparently, there is a whole fandom around it. It also was one of the earliest examples of the otome genre here on Steam. I wanted to see what the fuss was about for myself, and started playing it years ago, got bored and dropped it - and now I've revisited it for the sake of completion and making a decent review out of it. Guess what, I was right the first time around. There REALLY is nothing interesting here. It simply is some bad writing, with adolescent pheromones attached to it.

Our character, Mika Anderson is a high schooler, and an overall good girl. She has a complicated and somewhat loveless relationship with her father, yet a loving enough grandfather - and not so surprisingly, her life turns upside down with the passing of her grandfather under mysterious circumstances. Weirder enough, her father immediately forces Mika to start living at her grandfather's mansion, by herself, which she recently inherited. Okay... high schooler, parents with questionable ethics, a mystery grandpa with apparently truckload of money and a tragedy to start things happening. We all got it, right? Here is where things get interesting: the moment we are dropped off at the mansion, five ♥♥♥♥ and bloody boys lying at the main hall meet us. Apparently, they are incubus - male versions of succubus, pretty demons who feed from ♥♥♥♥♥♥ energy - and they've been using our place as some kind of a shelter...

Okay, is it me, or have all of Michaela Laws' games this kind of lackluster, high schooler minded fanfiction air to them? 'cause this is the second one that I've managed to finish - my first was My Lady: how to woo the image of my butler simulator - and now this. I know that this is a freeware, and I'm most certainly not trying to simply trash any kind of project which consists of someone's work and effort; but I wonder whether they actually tried here or not?

Narrative is really, really bad - with typos everywhere, and the same plot is rinsed and repeated for every friggin' story arc! You meet boys, learn a bit about demons, get things hot and make out, get the true name so he can save you from a villain, you come together, and he confesses his undying love to you before another villain. Voila! Here is your happy ending. This is ridiculous. And here is the worst part: all these arcs use same narrative, same exact sentences with only characters' names changing! This kills any differentiation, any possibility of a well-written personality for any character involved. Side characters - your friends and one non-magical romance interest have more character depth than these demon boys! I will not even start talking about the bugs in the storyline here. It's like someone draw the outline of an interesting enough setting and mismatched all its pieces to make a framework for a teenage fanfiction. It is simply bad.

I won't speak ill on the display qualities, yet it should be noted that neither character art - which is some of the worst in this genre, that I've seen - nor the supposed English voice acting is something even decent. Maybe one or two of the dubbers were somewhat believable, yet nearly all characters sounded disgustingly exaggerated, like they were performing for an adult oriented kindergarten play. That sounded completely wrong, huh? Exactly like this game. It is trying to be lewd and fluff at the same time, failing at being either.

At the end of the day, it is free and has some wasted potential. But would it be enough for me to recommend it? Hell, no. Carry on, and try Cinderella Phenomenon or Cupid if you are looking for a free visual novel with some standards, in different genres. Have a good day.

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“Beware the dark pool at the bottom of our hearts. In its icy, black depths dwell strange and twisted creatures it is best not to disturb.” ― Sue Grafton, I is for Innocent

Beastiarium is the first of Fazan's games, and I must say that it is highly exaggerated, based on its Steam Store description. Nope, there is nothing adventurous about it. Nope, there is no horror factor into it - and nope, calling it a puzzle game would be a downright lie. It is basically a glorified waste for Unreal Engine 4, since the same effect could have been achieved in Unity, for much cheaper. Talking of price, the game is also overpriced for your "an hour" playthrough.

To begin with, the only story narrative about the game resides in the store description: "The action takes place in underground Petersburg in the beginning of 20th century, one hundred years later since the monsters invaded the planet". Sounds at least a bit intriguing, yes? Not really. Throughout the whole game, this is the only bit of lore that you will get. There is no decent plot, no story explanation, no character that would even speculate about any depth. There is neither any hero, nor journey into it! It is a complete loss of time, plain and simple.

As you start, an ambiguous creature introduces itself as an embodiment of curiosity and decides to tag along with you for some reason. For another reason completely unknown to us, there is a monster raid and we are - somehow - out during the attack. We keep looking for a safehouse and deal with creatures that consist of a diamond eating shrub, crawling zombies, stalking patches of grass, a walking table - yup - and flying electric fish. According to the game lore, those are the monsters that drove all humanity underground! Aside dealing with these, you get to solve some primary school level riddles; and that's it. You finish the game, only to listen to the most irrelevant sage advice - and that's literally it. There is no why, where, how to anything!

The game is available in various languages, yet I would guess the original would be in Russian - since there are quite so many Russian posters or books - oh, and the game takes place in Russia. There is a shallow totalitarian air as you start, which soon dissolves into a "okay, what's that supposed be now?" atmosphere. Developers, apparently, were too lazy to model and animate people! All characters that you encounter, will be talking to you behind closed doors. You never, ever, even once, see a person throughout your playthrough - even though the store claims that there would be "Charismatic characters — each one with its own personality and background". Fair warning: developers lied to you. You have just paid 15 dollars for total time loss.

Gameplay? First person camera, WASD. You run around a bit, combine some items. Atmosphere? Well, it's nothing extraordinary - or even interesting. Horror? What horror? You'd get scared of flying fish? Really? Creatures are somewhat cute even, at least momentarily. Puzzles? Please tell me you'd have an IQ higher than room temperature. Yes? Then there is no puzzle in this game. Even if you'd get this game at a sale - which gets around for 3 dollars - you'd be cheated out of your money. There is nothing to enjoy here, even hypothetically. Please carry on.

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If we feel our way into the human secrets of the sick person, the madness also reveals its system, and we recognize in the mental illness merely an exceptional reaction to emotional problems which are not strange to us. -- Carl G. Jung, "The Content of the Psychoses"

This is going to be one of those reviews that one would have a truckload to say about, yet when it comes to actually saying something, one ends up empty handed. I will try nonetheless. One thing is sure: playing Hellblade: Senua's Sacrifice, was both a magnificent and harrowing experience. Ninja Theory, a development studio based on Cambridge, UK - one we may remember from Enslaved: Odyssey to the West and the latest part of Devil May Cry series, DmC: Devil May Cry - even though being relatively young in the market, accomplished an exceptional task with this game.

Here, we take on the role of Senua, a Pict warrior, hailing from Northern Scotland. All we know about her at the beginning of the game, is that Senua has lost her lover, Dillion, to a Viking raid and now she must take on a journey to the Nordic underworld: Helheim, to rescue him. The opening cinematic closely follows Senua as she journeys from the banks of Orkney to this supposed entrance to the underworld. A far away, soft and feminine voice starts talking about Senua's tragedy, and her unique, disturbing nature... and only when she hears the voice talking, and turns back towards the camera, directly looking at us, we realize Senua's sense of what is real may not be the reality that we all are aware of.

Okay, here, I'll start about that part which may be considered as spoilers, so be warned. Senua is a young Celtic warrior like no other: she is schizophrenic. This whole game, is much, much more than simply being a game. It is a direct medium designed to present the player the very experience of being schizophrenic. Our heroine will keep hearing voices, experience hallucinations, collect meaning from most trivial of natural occurrences and will go through periods of dire anxiety and paranoia. All that we encounter within the game, is how Senua interprets and experiences the reality, rather than an objective reality. Her journey to the underworld, her battles against the darkness, her combats with various gods, the challenges she continuously and ferociously overcome: are simply metaphors for her battle against the psychosis itself. At the end of the day, what actually happened to Senua is tragically simple: yet how she overcomes it, is a Herculean task nonetheless.

What is downright marvelous about this game, is the character Senua herself. Melina Juergens, who performed Senua's voice acting and motion capturing throughout the game, presents an astonishing feat of acting. Her mimics, her tone, her gaze, her whole-body language continuously display a typhoon of emotions, practically enforcing you to live Senua's dark, horrific, painful reality. I strongly recommend watching the short documentary on the game after completing it, so you can witness the whole process yourself. Apparently, the developmental team worked with not only history professors for setting authenticity concerning Norse mythology and Celtic culture, yet they also worked with psychiatrists, specialists on psychosis and even psychotic patients themselves for an accurate representation. This whole creative process in no less than being fascinating!

I've already mentioned that the motion capture was used to enact characters. At this point, I also must note the Unreal Engine 4 presents a majestic scene when it comes to display a sense of realism. Textures, lights, colors and animations are no less than being breath-taking. This has been one VR worthy experience. I sadly lack the equipment, yet if you have a VR device, I strongly recommend trying. Another incredible display quality is the audio atmosphere of the game. As you keep playing, you'll keep hearing various voices, continuously commenting on your mood, your actions, your situation to better simulate paracusia, or auditory hallucinations. Thus, playing the game with headphones on will hugely benefit to the atmosphere.

Let's talk gameplay at this point, shall we? The game may be categorized as an adventure game with action elements. You will travel through various parts of the said geography and handle endless visual and some auditory puzzles. Every now and then, you will face adversaries in the form of grotesque Viking warriors and even some of their gods. Puzzles are incredibly creative, yet some require an obsessive amount of attention to detail. I loved it since it adds to the atmosphere, yet I agree that it is not everyone’s cup of tea. You just should know what you'll be in for, when you are playing this game. It is a simulation and an experience, enwrapped within a historical setting and a story of tragedy. It is not your casual action-adventure; and it surely isn't the next God of War. If you are looking for simply a bad-as s game, this is not it. If you are looking for a challenging experience which will test not only your skills, but your own psych: please try it. You won't be disappointed.

At the very beginning of the game, you will be warned that every time you fail, the rot on Senua's body will progress; and if you fail enough times, that would be the end of Senua's journey. This warning immediately started a rumor about a permadeath function about the game. According to the rumor, if you die enough times, your save games will be automatically erased, and you'll have to start over. Now, that is a brilliant hoax. The game says nothing about permadeath. You reach that conclusion based on a false impression yourself. There is no permadeath in the game. Yet, the warning and various following scenes are brilliantly places there to create that kind of assumption to feed into the horror factor. The game literally forces you to share Senua's reality, even though that might not be what is objectively real. I call that simply brilliant.

At the end of the day, Hellblade: Senua's Sacrifice is a unique yet highly disturbing game, and one you won't soon forget. Please be warned, and try it, if you are willing to appreciate video games as a medium for art and a simulation on the more disturbing side.

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