The Skin Stapler

Ok

I write this review of The Skin Stapler as someone who is not very interested in streamers or "walking simulators"; as a matter of fact, I believe this is the first one of those I have played. I found Tainted Pact through the amazing Flesh Made Fear last year, and even though this game isn't in that same vein, it has the same fantastic art style and music so I gave it a try. It's true that the game really piles on the low brow humor, and it's up to you if that is palatable or not. However, it's moreso in the first half of the game, while the second half embraces the more serious side. And that's what I think is wonderful about the game. It balances humor and the unsettling themes nearly to perfection. The Stapler scenes are quite gruesome; I was surprised how disturbing they were even with the PSX art style. It's well voice acted for what it was aiming to be. The soundtrack is absolutely killer. The art style and atmosphere are fantastic. There are great references all throughout the game. Definitely spend some extra time on the game just looking around; I think the game is "only 2 hours" if you want it to be; my playthrough took 5 hours with some extra time spent atmosphere-ing. Overall, it's a game that doesn't take itself too seriously, but at the same time really respects the genre(s) it touches on. My only complaint is I wish it had the controller support and CRT filter Flesh Made Fear had, but it was still manageable on controller through Steam Input. I view the game more as an interactive movie or TV show. It's frankly amazing the lead developer churns out games like this year after year, often changing genres. If you are a horror fan, Tainted Pact is definitely a developer to follow!