The Skin Stapler

very creepy, very funny. If theres a second one coming cant wait!

The Skin Stapler is exactly what it seems to be: a cheesy, dirty, love letter to old slashers and media from years ago. If you're a fan of Tainted Pact games by this point, you should have a good idea of what to expect. Other people will have their own takes on this game, so please remember that these are just my opinions on my experience with it and you are free to have your own opinions. What was awesome about the game: 1. The atmosphere. I love the art direction that Tainted Pact has taken with their last few games, particularly Flesh Made Fear. This game kept up that spirit with similar music and backgrounds, as well as ridiculous characters. 2. The voice acting. Whether you like them or hate them, you can't deny that the voice actors all sound like they had fun working on this. Some of the voices were definitely more over the top than others, but when taken into the context of the whole game, I think it's fitting. 3. The minigames. MOST of the minigames were actually quite fun. I've played a bit of the snack bar simulator for Manny's Murderous Movie Theater and this game had some similar gameplay loops--customer service jobs, simple button pressing and "time management" tasks that lull your mind into a false sense of security or at least distract it from the impending horror. 4. The opening apartment sequence. Honestly, this was my favorite part of the game. It felt like something out of Suffer the Night, and provided a really strong showcase of what was to follow in the rest of the game. 5. The pacing. It was short, especially for the price tag, but it didn't outlive its welcome either. I think it was a good length for the experience. 6. The story. It's cheesy, yes, but I was extremely happy to see that there was an actual point to the bloodshed in this game. I mentioned in my review of the demo that I hoped this game wouldn't follow in the footsteps of Massacre at the Mirage, and while the two games are similar in many regards--if you've played both, you'll know what I mean--the Skin Stapler has more of a comprehensible plot. And it ties in nicely to some of Tainted Pact's other games. 7. The protagonist. Detective ♥♥♥♥ was hilariously fun to play as, and I loved his ending fight and conclusion. Horror protagonists everywhere could learn a thing or two from him. What could have been done better/differently: 1. The innuendoes. I know the developer addressed this in the thank-you note that you can find after beating the game, but I'm mentioning it here anyway. This game leaned heavily on the premise that the players would enjoy dirty-minded jokes every two seconds, and I don't think it knocked it out of the park in that regard. There were a few jokes that made me crack a smile, but they were more of the quiet puns than the crackheads performing suggestive gestures at every business in Carrion City. Yes, this was a stylistic choice, but I feel that it could have easily been dialed back without the game losing much. My two favorite portions of the game were ones that had far less sex jokes--the opening apartment sequence and the VHS store. Again, not saying the developer was wrong to include all of this, it's just something that I would have done differently and something that sticks out as being not in his other games. 2. The threat. Spoiler alert, but you're not actually in any danger at any point in this game. Every jumpscare is scripted, every time you get caught or drugged or skinned is all by design, and once you realize this there's really no reason to worry. I found myself mentally tapping out each time dialogue started because there was no real looming threat. The only time I felt tense was during that initial apartment sequence when you have to make a break for the door. To me, this point is neither a pro nor a con, but could be either. If you're looking for an easier, low-stakes game to play and have fun with, then it's great to not constantly feel like you're in danger. If you're more used to these first-person horror games having an actual way that you can fail them or reason to lock in, then you're going to be disappointed. 3. The minigames. Yes, I listed this as a positive, but it's also a missed opportunity. The coolest part about these minigames is how they quiet your brain and provide a perfect opportunity for a scare or something off-putting to happen. But the thing is... the game seems to forget that halfway through? There's a couple hilarious and surprising moments in the Quick Fix chapter, and one decent "the background is different in between tasks" moment in the Gutter's End chapter, but I can't recall there being any other notable minigame related scares after that. It would have been fantastic to have, for example, the last blood jar in the blood bank to not fill right and you'd have to go fix it while the crackhead was still in the room. Or anything like that. 4. The story? Another one I listed as a positive, but it goes both ways. It's supposed to be a cheesy plot full of conveniences and quippy dialogue. But the part that threw me off was the Skin Stapler's motivations seeming to change partway through. At first, going off of his kills and cryptic messages, it seemed like he was only targeting people with tattoos (perhaps I read this wrong, but I could have sworn that most of his victims were tattooed). His note about "the marked" especially seemed to reinforce this. Then the tapes later on reveal (spoilers, I guess) that he was just a cruel person who liked to make people suffer? Is it one or the other or both? No conclusion was really given to this point, so it still bothers me. All in all, solid game that I enjoyed playing. I highly doubt I'll replay it though, as it has far less replay value than some of the others. But maybe some grim Halloween night, I'll turn fondly back to the Skin Stapler and give it another whirl. Huge thanks to the developer for making another fun game, and a congrats to him on sharing it with the world.