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This is a review originally written for [url= https://www.opiumpulses.com] Opium Pulses [/url]. The full article can be found [url= https://www.opiumpulses.com/article/831/ad-infernum-review] HERE [/url]. Feel free to take a look at the Opium Pulse Steam Curation page [url= https://store.steampowered.com/curator/3800356/] HERE [/url] as well.
Waking up within the mysterious confines of what simply seems like a stranded desert gas station, you must use your brains, brawn, and finesse to make it long enough to find enough answers to help you escape. Unsure of what is quite reality or a horrible, dusty delusion- struggle to get your bearings and simply survive as you delve deeper into this survival/psychological horror immersive sim by Glass Knuckle Games. With only your flashlight and hammer in hand, seek a way out- hopefully without loosing your head, physically or mentally, in the process.
Ad Infernum combines both immersive sim along with psychological horror, crafting what can be a fairly short format game. In this case, it works incredibly well- despite the game taking places within a quite small perimeter of a gas station. Armed with initially only a flashlight and hammer, you can find and utilize weapons and other items found around you to restore your nerve (sanity meter) and health, ultimately helping you to find your way to the bottom of this mystery you’ve found your way into.
While this game is crafted by an exceptionally small team, the controls feel tight and fine tuned. Jump vault crouch, and slide your way to safety, avoiding the gruesome monsters in hot pursuit. Weapons feel responsive and weighty, as well as firearms feeling accurate, and are easy to aim. The graphics are somewhere between modern and retro. While the art style works well, it could leave some to be desired, falling in a strange middle-ground. Just providing enough detail to sate, you won’t be finding yourself scouring over mass details and intricate environments. Just about any clue you may need is going to be blatant- but left for you to figure out.
You will find yourself pondering over multiple puzzles- all of them relying on number-play and common sense. This leave some to be desired, as none of them require all too much brain power- and offer little-to-no variance. The puzzles provided, also often provide no substance to the core story- only a welcome boost to the state of your game. While this is pleasant, it also proves to be somewhat disappointing- requiring no real effort to advance the story, sans the immediate task at hand.
The music really takes a back burner on this title- sadly the most enjoyable track I found was the unbelievably short credit roll. I really wish that kind of musical prowess had carried through the length of the game. The music is fairly minimal, likely to try and lend to the eerie silence, but I feel like the sound direction could have been better. Any actual music fades only moments after initially playing. Effectively leaving not much for your ears to feast on. While there are some very interesting or well timed audio ques, ultimately the lack of music did seem to flatten the mood.
Enemies have some variance, but are overall forgettable- mainly consisting of re-skins of which I noted 4 in total. The AI also feels like a weak point in the game, as most enemies find the most basic and direct way forward, not boasting very much true ability to adapt to the situation. Disappointingly, on hard difficulty, I found some of the creatures merely standing at a complete rest, not even bothering to walk patrols that were frequent on Normal. While some enemies may exist to be dispatched permanently, some are only temporarily downy before resuming the chase. Think quickly, and be sure you always allow yourself an out! Even seeming slightly dim, you can and will be caught by surprise.
The story that Glass Knuckle Games is telling with Ad Infernum, while somewhat cliché in appearance- boast some though entertainment, while also remaining somewhat vague. While the story is the main driving factory, especially within the first run of the game, the real meat and bones of this title lies within it’s New Game + system. Completing the game is really just the springboard into much deeper, darker, far more entertaining depths.
Overall, while having some glaring shortcomings, Ad Infernum is easy to sink your teeth into, as well as a fair amount of hours. Rewarding New Game+ features, as well as the challenge of mastering the game really make it an enjoyable, easy play. Far from perfect but an obvious passion project, I would absolutely giving Ad Infernum a run, especially if you are a fan of Survivor Horror titles. The folks over at Glass Knuckles are highly active, constantly listening and improving on issues they find- constantly seeing to improve the overall player experience.
