So, what do you get when a David Cage game goes wrong and turns into a horror flick? Well, you get this game. Really, these are the types of games I normally don't play, as I really view these as "interactive fiction" more than a game, even though this one is more akin to old adventure games you play on PC. In this style of game, though, I think the horror aspect of it helps it out.
One reason I think that is that controls are limited, and that's fine by me. All you really have in this game is a walking stick and an interact button. You barely have control of the camera, but the in- game camera angles aren't that bad. Just think of it as early Resident Evil with no weapons or zombies. Some places do have you ping-ponging from one wall to another, but with this game, it's not necessarily a big concern. Heck, most of the is just interacting and quick time events anyway.
Now, when it comes to story, what would you think about when you think about most horror movies? Bunch of teenagers? Check! Jumpscares? Check! A guy, or thing, just "making a killing" somewhere? Check, and I apologize for the pun. Couldn't resist! Anyway, as you can tell, this game plays a lot with horror movie tropes, but it's still a lot of fun to play through, even when you can choose, or be punished in some ways, what happens to the characters. In fact, it is possible to keep all the characters alive, at least the ones after the beginning of the game, during their return stay at a cabin, a year after a death of a few friends, gone horribly wrong, and the butterfly effect can cause for some interesting changes. Another mechanic, though playing a smaller part, is the way the game learns about your fears. After some chapters, you meet a psychologist name Dr. Alan Hill, and his involvement is pretty much asking you questions, such as how you feel for the characters. I don't want to spoil too much, but I can say that whoever plays his roll, it feels like he had some fun playing the role. In fact, all the characters were acted perfectly, even the guy from the show Mr. Show. Overall, story is just a campy horror story, but it's fun to play through. The jump scares do get tiring after a while, but it can keep you along for the ride easily.
Now, the best part of the game is the graphics, and let me tell you, if the developers tried to make it anymore realistic looking than it does now, the PlayStation 4 might've not been able to run it. It's just that good looking. What helps even more is that the faces were motion captured, and the actors did an excellent job with making the characters look real. Still better than Cole Phelps performance on L.A. Noire, which wasn't bad but just felt like the actor was nervous at some parts, and I'm glad none of the characters were like that.
While I wouldn't have recommended the game while it was at $60, this is worth at least checking out. This is the only game of it's kind I felt like buying, as I really wasn't a fan of the David Cage games, but this was the one exception I made. If you find it at a good price, get it. It's also worth noting that it does have PlayStation Camera functionality, but before you go out and buy one, just know it just record your reaction to a jump scare, which thinking about it now, that's a bit creepy.
