If you're a fan of old school survival horror - you've played Alyssa and Tormented Souls and pine for the days of the OG Silent Hill and Fatal Frame and can't find a new fix - SENSEs:Midnight might be what you're after. It's a smaller project, a little unpolished and rough around the edges, and lacking some of the modern conveniences of the horror genre. But if you push through - it's a fairly unique and memorable experience you may even find yourself coming back to (I've finished it half a dozen times and I'm still looking for a few photos I've missed).
The lore is interesting, but not overly heavy handed, with more to discover if you're interested, pulling from the same japanese folktale sources as games like Fatal Frame, and even including a ghost photo hunting side-quest. The puzzles are mostly what you'd expect, but finding what you need to use can be a challenge, especially when you're dealing with the constant threat of the main antagonist. There is no combat to speak of, with the main threat being a ghost that can one hit kill you, who spawns in random locations, and constantly pursues you akin to Mr. X - but a scattering of hiding spots and protective one use charms send her packing if you're in a bind (and there are a LOT of hidden charms so seek them out if you're struggling). And something I especially like - sidequests. They're short and not overly complicated, but they lead to extra lore, photos, collectables, and events that flesh out the world, and makes them satisfying.
The game is also somewhat non-linear in its design, which I appreciate. It isn't a series of hallways that guides you by the hand as you move from set-piece to set-piece. It's more like a big open escape room that takes place in a neon drenched park after dark. You're scouring for items, clues, and ways to escape, and amassing a collection of things that may help you find the way out. Yes, you only get four inventory slots, which is painful - but you can drop items anywhere ala Resident Evil 0, and you're not changing location so much as expanding the location as you progress, so you're not stuck carting a dozen items from one section of the game to the other like in zero. Just remember where you put them, and come back as you need them, its a part of the puzzle. The park itself has a ton of little shortcuts that you can unlock and ways to bypass segments if the ghost is hunting nearby, so if you're quick on your feet you can usually get to where you need to be in one piece.
I'm not going to lie though, the first time I played this I gave up an hour or so in. It's a big environment, there isn't a lot of guidance, and the ghost that hunts you can be very frustrating. I messed up a sidequest, and ended up in a really bad spot and just threw in the towel. But the second time I tried, I got super engaged. It took me longer than I'd like to admit knowing the progression now, around 8 hours, but it takes a while to get used to how the game works, dodging ghosts, finding items, hiding, taking photos, reading notes, solving puzzles - it builds up. Subsequent playthroughs were about two hours when shooting for the true ending, but that's only once you know exactly what you have to do.
The atmosphere and vibe of the park is perfect, it's spooky in places, picturesque in others, and while some people don't like the look of the protag, I thought she was super cute and likable in the texts, and her unlockable outfits are great. The music and sfx are also wonderful and really help build a tense environment. This isn't a jumpscare simulator, its an old school tank controlled horror exploration game, and it's the whole package if you lean in to some of the jank - some interactions don't always work, sometimes you lose a charm when you feel you shouldnt have, the menus can be buggy, taking photos can be painful, sometimes you cant pick up an item you dropped (save often) and there are some strange bugs that havent been fixed (like being unable to finish a sidequest if you do one of the puzzles beforehand, even though they have nothing to do with each other) but its indie - embrace the occasional suck and you'll find overall it's a solid experience, with tons of extra content. Unlockable outfits, multiple sidequests, different endings, and a new game+ mode - well worth the price imo. Especially if you've been craving this sort of game. I just hope we continue to get support and updates. B+
