Ad Infinitum is an atmospheric single-player horror game, which puts you into a World War I setting seen through a first-person perspective. You find yourself in the trenches of a forlorn battlefield where your are being hunted by vicious creatures. Solve puzzles to clear pathways and sneak through trenches to hide from vicious creatures. Avoid dangerous threats and try to escape this world of pain and death. Besides the realistic graphics, the game features a stealth system, puzzle-solving and exploration of the vicious game world which all culminates in a subtle yet intense story.
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I love the WW1 period and seeing a walking simulator set in that time with a soldier it's really something. Love the story, unfortunately the game on xbox series x it's not running always fine.
The game is broken up into two gameplay styles. An adventure/walking simulator-style mansion exploration where you solve puzzles. This part of the game is rather dull and uninteresting. Many other games do house explorations better (Layers of Fear, Gone Home, What Remains of Edith Finch) as the game slowly opens the house to you, but the key is to find objects to solve puzzles and find something that triggers a dive into Paul's mind and thoughts. Each chapter (there are three) consists of one of his family members represented as a horrific monster. You can either choose to kill them or let them live to get different endings. Most of these "boss fights" require you to flip switches and run away for the most part, but they are rather intense, so I didn't mind them.
The second part of the game is the trenches gameplay, in which the horror part sets in. You need to run around solving the occasional puzzle while also hiding from enemies. There is no combat in this game, so you have to sneak around and find your way through the dark in various environments. The creature designs are awesome, but this is probably the most exciting part of the game. It was intense sneaking past enemies, and thankfully there's only one small section in each chapter, but the horror elements that are actually good can be counted on one hand. There are moments in which each main monster is introduced, and these scenes are fairly creepy, and outside of weird sound effects and haunting ambience, there's not much else here. The game does portray the gruesome horrors of the war, with bodies spread everywhere, the barbaric medical practices, and the overall brutal nature of everything people endured during that time.
With the game being as linear as it is, there isn't a lot of room for exploration outside of finding dog tags, and this only grants an achievement. There are a few extra gameplay items you can find, such as a pickaxe to break down walls, a dynamo flashlight, a gas mask, and wire cutters to cut down barbed wire, which is actually quite annoying. The barbed wire moves and is related to the story (I won't spoil why), and you have to cut the non-moving wire or it will grab you, and that will trigger a quick-time event. This could have been done better. To be completely honest, all of these items don't really add anything to the game. The gas mask is used a few times to get through corridors with some gas, and it lasts a few seconds. The flashlight is annoying to use, as it only lights up for a few seconds before needing to be charged again.
The game overall isn't very exciting. The horror elements fall flat, and the walking simulator-style gameplay is void of almost any gameplay. The story itself is convoluted and difficult to figure out if you don't read the papers spread throughout the game. The visuals are at least good, if not necessarily unique or interesting, because of the monster designs. There are nice lighting effects, but the character models are something to be desired. The mansion areas are also a chore to play through, and it just feels like mindless wandering through rooms to find objects.
Overall, Ad Infinitum doesn't do anything particularly well or is interesting enough to not be forgettable. There are some good horror moments, but they aren't anything special, and the game overall lacks a cohesive story or a way to tell it. There are many games out there that are similar and do a better job of everything listed.
The second part of the game is the trenches gameplay, in which the horror part sets in. You need to run around solving the occasional puzzle while also hiding from enemies. There is no combat in this game, so you have to sneak around and find your way through the dark in various environments. The creature designs are awesome, but this is probably the most exciting part of the game. It was intense sneaking past enemies, and thankfully there's only one small section in each chapter, but the horror elements that are actually good can be counted on one hand. There are moments in which each main monster is introduced, and these scenes are fairly creepy, and outside of weird sound effects and haunting ambience, there's not much else here. The game does portray the gruesome horrors of the war, with bodies spread everywhere, the barbaric medical practices, and the overall brutal nature of everything people endured during that time.
With the game being as linear as it is, there isn't a lot of room for exploration outside of finding dog tags, and this only grants an achievement. There are a few extra gameplay items you can find, such as a pickaxe to break down walls, a dynamo flashlight, a gas mask, and wire cutters to cut down barbed wire, which is actually quite annoying. The barbed wire moves and is related to the story (I won't spoil why), and you have to cut the non-moving wire or it will grab you, and that will trigger a quick-time event. This could have been done better. To be completely honest, all of these items don't really add anything to the game. The gas mask is used a few times to get through corridors with some gas, and it lasts a few seconds. The flashlight is annoying to use, as it only lights up for a few seconds before needing to be charged again.
The game overall isn't very exciting. The horror elements fall flat, and the walking simulator-style gameplay is void of almost any gameplay. The story itself is convoluted and difficult to figure out if you don't read the papers spread throughout the game. The visuals are at least good, if not necessarily unique or interesting, because of the monster designs. There are nice lighting effects, but the character models are something to be desired. The mansion areas are also a chore to play through, and it just feels like mindless wandering through rooms to find objects.
Overall, Ad Infinitum doesn't do anything particularly well or is interesting enough to not be forgettable. There are some good horror moments, but they aren't anything special, and the game overall lacks a cohesive story or a way to tell it. There are many games out there that are similar and do a better job of everything listed.
Qualquer jogo que trate da segunda guerra é um terror indireto, Ad infinitum tem bons elementos e sua história é o ponto alto, algumas mecânicas poderiam ser melhores.
This review contains spoilers
Why yes, I didn't finish the game at the last chapter and I still say it's actually good.
Let me explain:
I hate parts in which I cannot see SHIT and the only thing that can remedy this is an unreliable flashlight. Which have to point at enemies so they don't chase and kill me. While I cut away at living barb wire that wants to eat me. While trying to find my way through a maze. (a tiny one admittedly but still.) SO when I got to this part, I quit.
The game is not exactly brilliant in it's gameplay. But it's servicable. It does what it's supposed to do and that's fine. But the part as described above puts me in so much stress that I simply don't enjoy the game anymore and would rather chew on barbed wire than finish it.
So until this part I played it and then watched the rest from a let's player.
So what's to like about this game?
For me, it's how authentic it feels. I am german so, yes, the german they speak feels very much like the one people used at that time. This is a big plus. Even for the short time the player gets to know the people in the company gives one an impression of them and their struggles.
It is also remarkable how it talked about Germany's colonial history. I don't know a single other game that does this (doesn't mean they aren't out there. I just can't name any). This - again - won't mean much to other people but I am glad a game did this and not only as a side note. So kudos for this!
I love the monster designs! The soundtrack was really good! The family mansion is gorgeous even though I got lost in it too many times to count.
My main complain would be the sometimes finicky gameplay and the fact that it is sometimes simply too dark. Especially in the last chapter. Again, this is frustrating.
And yes, this doesn't treat knew ground story wise but I am personally fine with this. It's a well told story, looks good, plays... FINE (HMPF...!)...and sounds good.
It's also the first game from the studio. There is room for improvement and I hope they put out more games.
I might not have finished this one but if they promise to never ever do this light- sensitive-monster shit again, I will play it.
And probable love it. :)
Let me explain:
I hate parts in which I cannot see SHIT and the only thing that can remedy this is an unreliable flashlight. Which have to point at enemies so they don't chase and kill me. While I cut away at living barb wire that wants to eat me. While trying to find my way through a maze. (a tiny one admittedly but still.) SO when I got to this part, I quit.
The game is not exactly brilliant in it's gameplay. But it's servicable. It does what it's supposed to do and that's fine. But the part as described above puts me in so much stress that I simply don't enjoy the game anymore and would rather chew on barbed wire than finish it.
So until this part I played it and then watched the rest from a let's player.
So what's to like about this game?
For me, it's how authentic it feels. I am german so, yes, the german they speak feels very much like the one people used at that time. This is a big plus. Even for the short time the player gets to know the people in the company gives one an impression of them and their struggles.
It is also remarkable how it talked about Germany's colonial history. I don't know a single other game that does this (doesn't mean they aren't out there. I just can't name any). This - again - won't mean much to other people but I am glad a game did this and not only as a side note. So kudos for this!
I love the monster designs! The soundtrack was really good! The family mansion is gorgeous even though I got lost in it too many times to count.
My main complain would be the sometimes finicky gameplay and the fact that it is sometimes simply too dark. Especially in the last chapter. Again, this is frustrating.
And yes, this doesn't treat knew ground story wise but I am personally fine with this. It's a well told story, looks good, plays... FINE (HMPF...!)...and sounds good.
It's also the first game from the studio. There is room for improvement and I hope they put out more games.
I might not have finished this one but if they promise to never ever do this light- sensitive-monster shit again, I will play it.
And probable love it. :)
I bought the game hoping to get a good scare or two and was very much disappointed by how fast the game became annoying and monotonous. Lack of animations for actions taken, generic sneaking mechanics, and the overall gameplay was lackluster. The story was great, very dark but well put together, but not enough to make up for the rest.
You can view my entire review here: https://youtu.be/glNcVDJ_uGU
You can view my entire review here: https://youtu.be/glNcVDJ_uGU