[h2]Overall: 4.5/10[/h2]
[h3]Story:[/h3]
This is a game that had been sitting in my library for YEARS, and although horror games aren't really one of my favorite genres, I finally decided to give it a shot because the premise genuinely intrigued me. The idea of swapping between two protagonists from different eras seemed like a unique way to tell a story, and I was curious to see how the narrative would connect their experiences. Unfortunately, my investment in the plot faded fairly quickly as the story became increasingly muddled and convoluted.
The constant perspective shifts actually end up being the narrative's biggest weakness, as this game struggles to balance a supernatural ghost story with a Cold War spy thriller while simultaneously failing to tie both plots together in any satisfying way. Rather than creating intrigue, the frequent jumps between timelines completely disrupt the pacing and constantly kill any momentum that either storyline manages to build. As a result, the plot never felt immersive, and it often became difficult to stay engaged because it felt like the game was repeatedly pulling me away from whatever was happening before it had a chance to develop naturally. There's also a surprising amount of [spoiler]information/exposition that either goes nowhere or adds very little to the overall experience, making the story feel unfocused and unnecessarily bloated.[/spoiler]
Nicholas's chapters are easily the stronger half of the story, but that's not exactly high praise. His segments at least contain some mild suspense and narrative intrigue, mainly thanks to the nature of a murder mystery wrapped in psychological horror/thriller elements rather than the writing, but there were occasional moments early on where I found myself actually curious about what had happened. The problem is that those moments are few and far between, and even worse, they're usually cut short just as they begin because the next chapter always immediately shifts back to Adam's perspective.
Speaking of which, Adam's chapters were hands down the least interesting. Not only do they strip away basically [b]ALL[/b] of the horror atmosphere that initially drew me in, but they're also painfully monotonous and lacking in tension, making them feel more like an obligation to get through than a compelling part of the story.
Worst of all, after asking you to endure an already exhausting and difficult-to-follow narrative, it concludes with an incredibly obvious and overused cliche ending. Instead of tying everything together in a satisfying manner, it was the last scoop of an already subpar dish that only left me with a bad taste in my mouth while confidently reinforcing the feeling that the entire plot was far more interested in being convoluted than compelling.
[h3]Gameplay:[/h3]
The gameplay has very few redeeming factors as well. Throughout Adam's chapters, I spent an excessive amount of time walking through empty environments, interacting with mundane objects, and solving incredibly boring puzzles that rarely felt meaningful. As if that wasn't enough, this game eventually introduces a "quantum location device" that allows you to scan for traces of people who were recently nearby. While it sounds like a creative investigative mechanic on paper, in practice it felt like little more than a superficial tool designed to pad out the runtime rather than provide an engaging gameplay hook. Furthermore, I already naturally dislike puzzles in most games, but the puzzles here were especially frustrating because they're often unintuitive, unrewarding, and, once again, simply boring.
The biggest issue with the gameplay overall is that even if you have the patience to drag yourself through the slog that is Adam's side of the story in hopes of finally reaching the actual HORROR content in this HORROR GAME, Nicholas's chapters do very little to justify the effort. The first couple manage to build some genuine suspense, but it quickly devolves into a watered-down mess of overused jump scares, clunky stealth sections with painfully scripted patrol routes, and enemy chases that are more annoying than frightening due to the trial-and-error aspect they introduce.
On top of all that, this game really isn't all that dark, so you'll more than likely end up with such an abundance of matches and kerosene for the lantern that it literally eliminates any sense of resource management, making the darkness element feel more like a minor inconvenience rather than something seriously eerie.
[h3]World:[/h3]
The world/level design is strictly linear, and honestly, that's probably for the best. While some of Adam's sections occasionally place you in larger stretches of forest or open-feeling countryside that create the illusion of freedom, this game never actually offers branching story paths, meaningful exploration, or multiple ways to approach progression. Considering I was already ready for things to end by about the halfway point, I can't say I was disappointed by that. One aspect I did find genuinely impressive, however, was how interactive the environments were. Unlike many horror games that fill rooms with static props that exist purely as decoration, a surprising number of objects throughout the house and surrounding areas can actually be examined, manipulated, or interacted with in some way.
Unfortunately, that novelty only goes so far. For a game that heavily advertises its use of real-world photogrammetry and environmental scans, I found the actual locations themselves to be fairly generic and underwhelming. I fully understand that this was an indie production with a limited budget, and I respect what the developers were able to accomplish within those constraints, but that doesn't change the end result. The visual identity constantly screams "low-budget Unreal Engine 4 horror game," and it's such a distinct aesthetic that it immediately reveals both the project's budgetary limitations and the technology behind it.
[h3]Visuals:[/h3]
My feelings regarding the graphics are basically the same as my feelings about the general design of the world itself: they aren't inherently awful, but the game never manages to establish a distinctive visual identity of its own. The environments are generally detailed enough and there are certainly moments where things can look genuinely impressive thanks to strong lighting effects, atmospheric fog, and some well-composed scenery, but those highlights never evolve into a memorable artistic style that separates this game from its peers. Instead, I constantly felt like I was exploring a collection of visually competent but ultimately interchangeable horror game locations.
[h3]Music/Sound Design:[/h3]
The music and sound design is serviceable enough for a player like me who doesn't usually play a lot of horror games, but even I could tell that this aspect of the experience was also a little, say it with me: generic. The OST does an adequate job of signaling when something "unsettling" is about to happen and occasionally creates a decent sense of tension, but none of it left a lasting impression on me once I stopped playing. Maybe it's because by the time I actually started paying close attention to the audio I was already completely uninvested due to the lackluster gameplay, but regardless of the reason, the music never resonated with me or elevated my playthrough in any meaningful way. The same can be said for the general sound design, which is functional but largely forgettable, relying on familiar horror-game tricks, sudden loud noises, and "scares" that feel pulled from a template rather than crafted with any unique identity.
And to end things off, the voice acting was the biggest offender for me. While there are a few acceptable, intense performances scattered throughout, MOST of the deliveries feel stiff, unnatural, and/or overly dramatic, making it difficult to take the majority of cutscenes seriously in an already shallow and lackluster game.
