Beyond Hanwell

Decent. I didn't realize it was a sequel when I started playing so I'll have to give the first game a playthrough. The Good: Atmospheric -London feels properly dank and misty, the interiors of each location are properly unnerving in places and make you want to explore more. Pacing -The contained locations combined with a small open world leave it feeling much tighter than many games feel now with giant sandboxes and collectibles. A solid game to pick up and play for a weekend without worrying too much about missing something. Combat - Combat at various levels feels solid with the difficulty ratcheting up as you progress in a way that never really feels unfair. Preparation and conserving resources goes a long way to making fights easier. Vibes- This game feels very much like a love letter to survival horror games that came before it. Without going into too much detail that might spoil the plot you can see the influence of games like Half-Life, Prey, Bioshock, and Five Nights at Freddy's. Some in gameplay, all in presentation. The Bad: Movement - Unless you're running full speed you are crawling through the streets of London at a snails pace, and running itself greatly reduces the accuracy of your movements. Variety - Aside from enemies that appear in story required missions there's not a lot of variety in the enemies you face. Once you learn the right tool for the job, there isn't a ton of memorable combat moments even after just finishing the game at the time of this review. Overall: There's plenty to enjoy about Beyond Hanwell, but there's many other games that have done the same thing but better. If you like the games I referenced above, you'll have a good time with this one and its not costing you the $70 dollar price tag AAA publishers are trying to push, even at full price. Overall, I'd recommend the title for a good quick weekend game that doesn't hurt the wallet.