Spoiler-Free Review
Ok, so there's a lot that can be criticized here. It kinda overstays its welcome towards the end (It took me almost 2 hours!), some areas are easy to overlook, it can get frustrating at times, it has very little replay value to motivate you to try the other modes and the actual storyline of Brian and the simulation's past is pretty uninteresting. But you know what? None of that really matters all that much. Because this is one of those projects where the ambition to do something new and exciting actually pays off. Like, REALLY pays off.
SMILE SIMULATION is unlike anything Vidas has made so far. The closest comparison is Theater Unrest, with both games set in a virtual/simulated reality and also putting horror on the forefront rather than story. In a way, SMILE SIMULATION finally feels like the game that will take Theater Unrest's place as the iconicly terrifying Vidas experience while also demonstrating where he has arrived as a developer since then.
But even then, that's not all that it is. In this latest release, Vidas for the first time tries his hand on analog horror. (Yes, technically Analog Sammelot came out before this, but that game was so short and simple that I don't count it). Being a step in a new direction, I didn't really expect it to be very refined, but rather experimental and maybe even charmingly clumsy.
I was wrong.
Vidas uses the setting of the titular simulation to blend numerous types of horror together into one big, beautiful cocktail of fear. There's survival horror, introduced through the different mechanics, monsters and tricks that you encounter in the simulation, which really reach their full potential when Vidas combines them. There's horror of the unknown as the simulation changes and hits you with new dangers unfamilar to you. There's classic analog horror provided by the simulation and evoked through Brians comments and Vivians announcements. And finally there's even a sense of cosmic horror, with Brian describing his experiences in the simulation and with his partner, Marshall. And the most amazing part is how the game flows between these types of horror so easily, without ever feeling overstuffed or tonally off-putting. This is the reason it manages to stay scary throughout its entire runtime. As the different aspects escalate, you find yourself ever unprepared for what might hit you next, as you're likely still processing the last piece of horror.
Visually, it's very Vidas. He limits himself to very few colors, keeps the style simplistic and off-puttingly familiar yet unrecognizable. The stand out this time are of course the pictures. Over fourty horror creators have lend their pretty faces to the simulation. Now, Vidas could've easily given everyone very similar instructions, but it's clear that he gave them as much freedom as possible instead. This gives the pictures an amount of variety that is both very fitting for the setting and also way more fun to look at. Some creators went for standard selfies, others went more with the unsetteling vibe and some even went full goof-mode. There's also a couple of iterations for all three states that a picture can be in, which makes it more interesting and also difficult. Overall it was a fantastic idea both in terms of marketing and game design. (My favorites were William, Marcus, Matze, Samme and Marie)
SMILE SIMULATION marks a new direction for Vidas and is very unique even for his standards. It claims the top spot when it comes to being scary and ranks among Vidas' best works in general.
