[code]Curator page here-->[url=https://store.steampowered.com/curator/37670120/] DaRevieweD #43 [/url]<-- [i]New review every Sunday[/i][/code]
Tainted Games- who was my first ever (I meant as a Steam curator) is back once more with [i]Agoraphobia[/i] and has graciously offered me a key to test and review, oooh I have chills already.. Some background, this was made at the same time with [url=https://steamcommunity.com/id/DeadeGuard98/recommended/1311990/]'Little Terror'[/url], and so if you're wondering why there's no updates, they're on the way!
Anyhoo, this dev has a unique flair with horror and frankly no, I still have yet to play his earlier games but I do believe people can improve. Which is why it definitely shows here~ A more mainstream experience in the style of P.T. and other walking simulators.
[h1]"They're. BACK. Again."[/h1]
[u]The Gist:[/u]
You start off in a room and things rapidly go wrong before you know it. Voices scream out and visions creep up on you. What is to become of this individual? Why here...?? Why now!!!?
[spoiler] ! You're doing okay now, aren't you? [/spoiler]
[h1][+] PROS;[/h1]
[b](a) Devil's in The Details[/b]
Visit several locations where obstacles in the form of locked doors prevent you from seeking closure. Examine each area very carefully by finding and picking up objects, interact- knock doors, blow out candles basically everything clickable.
Being an agoraphobe, there's also a fitting feature where you gaze intently for a few, at some otherwise "irrelevant" items which will then make them usable or to advance puzzles. Illumination sources are not always available but even when they are- will either be temporary or run out.
[b](b) Remnants[/b]
The story is creepy to say the least. Keeping in mind that your character has agoraphobia (or does he); there may be some instances that are "not real" but then why are they so vivid? There's a massacre in the woods, a looping hallway and some figures constantly haunting him and within eyeshot, to point out a few.
Not much is said, yet the voices and noises that can be heard are grating... From what I've gathered,[spoiler]he may either be a past victim, witness of the slaying mentioned or is in fact the killer himself[/spoiler]. Either way, it doesn't look good.
[b](c) Broken Record[/b]
I've been using the term but what is "agoraphobia"? It's a disorder involving panic and an intense need to escape overwhelming feelings of fear characterised by heartbeat racing, hyperventilating. The actual cause is complicated and so already sets the premise... We don't know exactly what the protagonist is avoiding or who he is... Coupled with the imagery of candles often used in vigils, there's a theme of loss that's pertinent as everything slowly unfolds.
Preying on your insatiable need to escape, there are many locked doors and sights that will try to offset your calm. It's all these little things of playing a VHS tape, taking a picture to reveal a horror that further illustrates the disconnect between reality. The good news (I guess if you wanna label) is that the room [spoiler] you start off in is a mental institution and you're just reenacting an episode[/spoiler]. But I suppose that's just even sadder. It's not such a leap then, to assume the character also has other mental issues as stated in a diagnosis file.
[h1][-] CONS;[/h1]
[b](i) Not as You Remember[/b]
It's skin-crawling yes but execution is another matter entirely. Some (actually most) got me jumping, that said the orchestration of scares need some do-overs. Every sighting of the bloody patient will always trigger a heartbeat and irregular breathing. Yes, it's symptomatic of the disorder but it also sucks the whole impact out! It also doesn't help that this figure only disappears way too long after you've spotted and approached closer to him. Worse? The animation of this figure is a little rigid, I know he’s a corpse, I get ded.
The transitions between areas, though instantaneous are also anticlimactic as they usually incur simply with a "loading" icon with no proper buildup. There are also mhmm moments where you can’t seem to grab a light source until you actually choose to embark on your exploration only for a “don’t forget to pick up the…” to appear. Let’s not forget some areas; oh the looping hallway, morgue which are already quite dark lets you examine those light sources like it’s your first time seeing them and do not give you the option to use them. It simply becomes a matter of interacting for the bloody sake of interacting with them :’D
[b](ii) No Matter How Hard You Look Away[/b]
Lighting is an issue that's carried forward from Little Terror. Apart from the occasional very dim areas (morgue is glaring) where you have to resort to tweaking the shadows, post-processing to artificially manipulate them... I actually mean for when you're inspecting objects. The light just doesn't seem to bounce off the object and you have to angle it unnaturally to the light source directly... to some unflattering success. :'( A related issue that’s not so much lighting, but rather filter is the static that envelopes full-screen for VHS tapes playbacks. It’s way too much and I’d hate to miss anything because of it!!
[b](iii) Relapse[/b]
Now I was absolutely intrigued by the story, with its burning, slow pace and incremental escalation. But spoiler alert[spoiler]there is no resolution and it sort of ends abruptly[/spoiler], that I didn't even see it coming. It just happened... Perhaps I'm missing something? Has everything that’s needed to be said, out and over with?
[b](iv) It's In The Head[/b]
Some final things of note. One, the solutions- I know many people got stuck but trust me the answers may lie right at the top of your head, kinda like a lightbulb moment! Though, I do agree they're sometimes inconsistent and could simply work on a timer of sorts. With every playthrough I do, I know what actions to do but the exact sequence is still a mystery. But that's just something you have to live with :O
Another matter would be bugs, thankfully no game-breaking ones this time around but it’s become sort of a staple for me to mention. There's some spelling issues and capitalization (lol, coming from me). Others include some low to moderate height objects that can be vaulted and thereby leaving you floating unintentionally.
The zoom feature makes the whole screen out of focus- much like the wacky cursor. The knocking mechanic (right-click) has a cooldown period that's unpredictable. A piece of document (ID, I think and maybe it’s just me) but it’s completely garbled, blurry whereas other text I read are perfectly legible. Changing the resolution don’t help either *sighs*
[h1]"Is It Finally Over...?"[/h1]
In closing, Agoraphobia may be your run of the mill first-person horror game but if you cast aside your tired eyes and beef with the genre- you can see something different entirely. Some "rip-off" familiar reused assets (engine-based; [b]Locked Up[/b]) and mechanics from a previous title but there's enough by way of a deeply disturbing framing of the plot to make it stand on its own. From the name itself, the whole game posits you in the shoes of this afflicted individual and you explore the warped world and how he perceives it.
The scares sure could use better coordination but it's the thought and concept that matters, right!? Yeah certain areas need a shine (literally, because of the looming brightness), but the bugs are almost non-existent for a release launch. Same disclaimer appears; people expecting fast-paced, cheap adrenaline please steer clear. This is first and foremost an experience! Much like the character's very real demons, they plagued me too!!
[h1]6.8/10[/h1]
[b]He's taking a break from horror for his next title. But we'll (who's we O_o) always be waiting![/b]
