This is probably Frictional Game's 2nd best outing, right behind SOMA.
Gameplay-wise, I was pleasantly surprised by how robust and fun and satisfying it was--probably their best game to date from that perspective. It's basically a first-person Resident Evil 1, complete with fuel management, ammo scarcity, and VERY limited backpack space that you can gradually upgrade. The Beast was fun to navigate, opening up segments of the titular bunker was tickled my Metroidvania side, and the scares were constant and well-earned. There're no pre-determined jump scares, just your tools, your wits, and an open level.
Story-wise, I found it lacking. The presentation was excellent, from the gorey corpses to Henri's hands; I particularly loved the manual ammo checks you have to do. The game was very easy to fall into and let the immersive nature wash over you. But, it wasn't in service to a great story.
The ending in particular was lacking, but it wasn't all bad; it wasn't even terrible or deflating, just lacking. The journals were fine and I loved the visual connections to Amnesia 1 and Rebirth (albeit I couldn't finish the latter), and the realization of what or who the monster is was fun. But it wasn't in service to any greater or even personal narrative, it was just... fine. There. This is a gameplay-focused Frictional game, and I can't fault them for that choice. I would love to see this classic Resident Evil-inspired exploration gameplay expounded upon even further.
Gameplay-wise, I was pleasantly surprised by how robust and fun and satisfying it was--probably their best game to date from that perspective. It's basically a first-person Resident Evil 1, complete with fuel management, ammo scarcity, and VERY limited backpack space that you can gradually upgrade. The Beast was fun to navigate, opening up segments of the titular bunker was tickled my Metroidvania side, and the scares were constant and well-earned. There're no pre-determined jump scares, just your tools, your wits, and an open level.
Story-wise, I found it lacking. The presentation was excellent, from the gorey corpses to Henri's hands; I particularly loved the manual ammo checks you have to do. The game was very easy to fall into and let the immersive nature wash over you. But, it wasn't in service to a great story.
The ending in particular was lacking, but it wasn't all bad; it wasn't even terrible or deflating, just lacking. The journals were fine and I loved the visual connections to Amnesia 1 and Rebirth (albeit I couldn't finish the latter), and the realization of what or who the monster is was fun. But it wasn't in service to any greater or even personal narrative, it was just... fine. There. This is a gameplay-focused Frictional game, and I can't fault them for that choice. I would love to see this classic Resident Evil-inspired exploration gameplay expounded upon even further.