dreadicano
Konami was responsible for the creation of the fantastic walking simulator horror experience, P.T., which generated widespread attention and acclaim upon it’s release in 2014. In response to P.T.’s success, CAPCOM released Resident Evil 7: Biohazard, breathing a fresh new perspective that propelled the series back into stardom. Almost a decade since the release of P.T, the Silent Hill dormancy has lifted with the release of Silent Hill The Short Message. This game attempts to utilise the framework of P.T, and deliver a story that addresses sensitive themes of cyberbullying, social media, and suicide. However, while the narrative intentions may have been well-intentioned, the execution left much to be desired, as the themes came across as more of a poorly constructed PSA rather than delivering the impactful horror experience one might have hoped for.
Before addressing the criticism, there are some plaudits I must attribute the game. Undoubtedly, the visual artistic elements of the game stand out as a key highlight. The game presents a dreary abandoned apartment complex and yet somehow strikes a perfect balance with the environment being both strikingly beautiful and oppressively intense. Walls adorned with sticky notes of hate-fuelled messages, the representation of thematic elements through graffiti on the walls all serve to contribute to the immersion of the experience.
Whilst the game only features one monster, it is meticulously designed by the talented Masahiro Ito, renowned for crafting iconic creatures from the early Silent Hill era, including Pyramid Head. Covered in cherry blossom petals that aligns with the narrative and artistic themes, the monster’s design is truly excellent. Despite this, it’s potential remains largely underutilised, making sporadic appearances in specific scripted chase sequences.
Masahiro Ito isn’t the only returning artist to the series, but so too did composer Akira Yamaoka, the man responsible for the wholly unique soundtracks of the previous Silent Hill games. Yamaoka pulls no punches here either, delivering an exceptional soundtrack that elevates the atmosphere even further. Despite the contribution these iconic artists have made, sadly the game falls shorts on all other fronts.
The Short Message’s gameplay doesn’t capitalise on the wonderful atmosphere developed and doesn’t captivate audiences the way it tries to. The on-the-nose dialogue, less than stellar performances, live action cutscenes, and plethora of notes to read leave the delivery of the narrative in an unstable place. You’re ultimately given no reason to feel invested in your character and it doesn’t have the time to marinate that earned investment from the audience. Other Silent Hill protagonists often begin on a journey that allows the player time to warm up to them, the themes of guilt and wrongdoing emerge over time which develop the level of complexity in the narrative. Unfortunately Anita isn’t much developed beyond her mental illness and trauma, making it hard to connect to the themes that it attempts to connect with.
The aforementioned chase sequences also don’t invoke the level of dread that they ultimately should, it becomes a rather mundane affair. Progression throughout the game can feel strange, whilst cutscenes and lore development can feel rewarding when it is well-written here it feels like a punishment, and almost all progression is this linear experience of trial and error until you find the correct escape route or pick up the appropriate newspaper article.
It’s a sad affair to see the state that Silent Hill is in at the moment, after a decade of no releases as discussed earlier, we have been met with the abysmal Silent Hill: Ascension, and the mediocre Silent Hill The Short Message. With Silent Hill 2 remake and Silent Hill f around the corner I am apprehensive and skeptical of the quality of these products but I hope with everything in me it is better than what fans of this iconic series have had delivered to them.
Before addressing the criticism, there are some plaudits I must attribute the game. Undoubtedly, the visual artistic elements of the game stand out as a key highlight. The game presents a dreary abandoned apartment complex and yet somehow strikes a perfect balance with the environment being both strikingly beautiful and oppressively intense. Walls adorned with sticky notes of hate-fuelled messages, the representation of thematic elements through graffiti on the walls all serve to contribute to the immersion of the experience.
Whilst the game only features one monster, it is meticulously designed by the talented Masahiro Ito, renowned for crafting iconic creatures from the early Silent Hill era, including Pyramid Head. Covered in cherry blossom petals that aligns with the narrative and artistic themes, the monster’s design is truly excellent. Despite this, it’s potential remains largely underutilised, making sporadic appearances in specific scripted chase sequences.
Masahiro Ito isn’t the only returning artist to the series, but so too did composer Akira Yamaoka, the man responsible for the wholly unique soundtracks of the previous Silent Hill games. Yamaoka pulls no punches here either, delivering an exceptional soundtrack that elevates the atmosphere even further. Despite the contribution these iconic artists have made, sadly the game falls shorts on all other fronts.
The Short Message’s gameplay doesn’t capitalise on the wonderful atmosphere developed and doesn’t captivate audiences the way it tries to. The on-the-nose dialogue, less than stellar performances, live action cutscenes, and plethora of notes to read leave the delivery of the narrative in an unstable place. You’re ultimately given no reason to feel invested in your character and it doesn’t have the time to marinate that earned investment from the audience. Other Silent Hill protagonists often begin on a journey that allows the player time to warm up to them, the themes of guilt and wrongdoing emerge over time which develop the level of complexity in the narrative. Unfortunately Anita isn’t much developed beyond her mental illness and trauma, making it hard to connect to the themes that it attempts to connect with.
The aforementioned chase sequences also don’t invoke the level of dread that they ultimately should, it becomes a rather mundane affair. Progression throughout the game can feel strange, whilst cutscenes and lore development can feel rewarding when it is well-written here it feels like a punishment, and almost all progression is this linear experience of trial and error until you find the correct escape route or pick up the appropriate newspaper article.
It’s a sad affair to see the state that Silent Hill is in at the moment, after a decade of no releases as discussed earlier, we have been met with the abysmal Silent Hill: Ascension, and the mediocre Silent Hill The Short Message. With Silent Hill 2 remake and Silent Hill f around the corner I am apprehensive and skeptical of the quality of these products but I hope with everything in me it is better than what fans of this iconic series have had delivered to them.
2024
MILD GAME MECHANIC SPOILERS BELOW
KinitoPet is a charming, deceptive, and surprisingly immersive psychological digital horror video game that is impactful despite it's short runtime. The game presents you with a simulated personal computer, where you find yourself downloading a virtual assistance program, none other than the titular character KinitoPET, a pink axolotl AI companion that is eager to make you their newest friend. Whilst KinitoPET has a friendly demeanour at first, it’s not long until his demeanour changes and you find yourself at the mercy of his antics.
This premise may seem formulaic to other digital horror experiences but I assure you that the metaphorical and literal fourth wall breaks that KinitoPET is able to achieve is incredibly personal and is worth experiencing first-hand. KinitoPET will ask you questions, it wants to learn your name, your address, your fears… and it uses these answers against you. But it also goes one step further, manipulating your peripheral devices such as cameras and monitors, accesses your computer and altering files on your desktop to create a horror experience that transcends the boundary of the simulated computer.
As I mentioned briefly, this creates an incredibly personalised experience that uses your system, your sensitive information, and your responses against you, and combines them with elements more typical of digital horror games to create something unsettling. KinitoPET also has replayability, with multiple endings and secrets that fans of the game will want to discover first-hand.
The audio and visual design is incredibly effective in capturing that early era of personal computers, and the aesthetic of KinitoPET himself, the website, and the interactive games throughout are incredibly endearing to the time period but also subvert drastically in moments to create jarring moments of fear. If you’re a fan of digital horror I think this is a must play and at a fair price I would highly recommend this game to fans of the genre.
KinitoPet is a charming, deceptive, and surprisingly immersive psychological digital horror video game that is impactful despite it's short runtime. The game presents you with a simulated personal computer, where you find yourself downloading a virtual assistance program, none other than the titular character KinitoPET, a pink axolotl AI companion that is eager to make you their newest friend. Whilst KinitoPET has a friendly demeanour at first, it’s not long until his demeanour changes and you find yourself at the mercy of his antics.
This premise may seem formulaic to other digital horror experiences but I assure you that the metaphorical and literal fourth wall breaks that KinitoPET is able to achieve is incredibly personal and is worth experiencing first-hand. KinitoPET will ask you questions, it wants to learn your name, your address, your fears… and it uses these answers against you. But it also goes one step further, manipulating your peripheral devices such as cameras and monitors, accesses your computer and altering files on your desktop to create a horror experience that transcends the boundary of the simulated computer.
As I mentioned briefly, this creates an incredibly personalised experience that uses your system, your sensitive information, and your responses against you, and combines them with elements more typical of digital horror games to create something unsettling. KinitoPET also has replayability, with multiple endings and secrets that fans of the game will want to discover first-hand.
The audio and visual design is incredibly effective in capturing that early era of personal computers, and the aesthetic of KinitoPET himself, the website, and the interactive games throughout are incredibly endearing to the time period but also subvert drastically in moments to create jarring moments of fear. If you’re a fan of digital horror I think this is a must play and at a fair price I would highly recommend this game to fans of the genre.
2017
Fortnite is an incredibly important video game which has been dishevelled from it’s rightful place as a beloved titan of the video game landscape, missing out on the respect and legacy it so dearly deserves. It was a game that encapsulated the hearts of so many upon it’s release, but quickly drew controversy primarily as a result of it’s success. It became a hot topic in discussions around addiction in video games, the controversial use of microtransactions, and on it’s impact on children regarding screen-time and distractions from school. Whilst these criticisms are fair, it’s important to recognise Fortnite is praiseworthy on several fronts, and as a review on the experience it offers I can only find praise swarming my mind when it comes to this video game.
As much as people don’t want to admit, this game is innovative in fun. There are countless opportunities to make fun within the game. Fortnite not only has incredibly satisfying gunplay and unique building gameplay but also innovates on the movement aspect of the game. Since it’s inception, Fortnite has added several opportunities for fun ways to get around the map aside from utilising the building mechanics. This includes a huge array of power ups that grant the ability to move with style, such as flying with a jetpack, swinging with either a grappling hook, ODM Gear from Attack on Titan, or Spiderman’s iconic web shooters, but also use shockwave grenades to launch you or your friends into the action. This in combination with the huge array of vehicles leads to an exciting way to traverse the map in new and interesting ways. You can also vault, grab onto ledges, slide jump, and sprint around the various locales, offering one of the most entertaining movement systems in a video game currently.
The seasonal format keeps the game fresh, introducing new gameplay gimmicks, a brand new arsenal of weaponry to experiment with, the aforementioned new movement techniques, and varied locations to explore and loot. This keeps the game from growing stale as many others in the genre have fallen victim to. There are also live events, that vary from cataclysmic lore-changing battles, to live concerts with some of the most renowned music artists in the world. The cosmetic and seasonal aspect of Fortnite is a breeding ground for excitement and hype, to the point where there will most likely always be a reason to revisit Fortnite even if you decide to take a prolonged break from the game. Fortnite evolves on a regular basis, what began as a fort-building wave-based shooter, turned into an iconic battle royale, but has now established itself as a platform for experiences derived from user creativity. This allows Fortnite to thrive, creating a whole plethora of minigames and modes to experience alike Halo 3 custom games or Roblox, which adds even more replayability and discoverability within the game.
Whilst many players, especially more disgruntled older player bases, will see collaborations with media titans like Marvel, Dragon Ball, and DC as cash-grabs, I see these as a fulfilment of childhood wonder. I would have dreamt for an experience like this as a child, to be able to play as your favourite characters across fiction in a near infinite number of game-modes, its just an opportunity for some innocent joy. I am not an advocate for microtransactional battle-pass oriented games, and a lot of criticism has been directed to Fortnite for these reasons which I completely empathise and understand. However, I think for what the market is, the game offers fair prices, with interesting and varied collaborations with licenced properties sprinkled in with some excellent original designs.
The art style that Fortnite has embodied is colourful and vibrant, setting itself apart from other shooters and battle royale games that focus on realism. The visual design allows for the game to achieve a timeless look that facilitates crossovers with various franchises whereby the characters are well-represented but also means that the game is accessible to more people on more systems with lower specs and allows cross-play so friends aren’t locked out of playing together. Although a certain portion of the video game community as a result sees the game as childish, it is insecure to think that of the game purely because of the art style especially in spite of the fact that it tends to look and function better than most.
Fortnite’s reputation was soured following updates and the increase in skill-level of those devoted to playing, especially when it came to the building mechanics. For those who struggle to meet the pace of experienced builders in the default battle royale mode, Fortnite also offers a no-build mode which is structured entirely around the gunplay and movement of the game. This focuses on the aforementioned movement and gunplay taking the spotlight, providing even more opportunities for casuals or newer players to enjoy the experience without the added pressure of learning the unique building mechanics that are specific to Fortnite. This is also a testament to the committed development team at EPIC that listen extensively to the community to bring new and exciting ways to play to their player base.
Despite the high skill cap within the player base it remains a game whereby anyone can win. It encourages different playstyles, you can play aggressively running in any direction you hear gun fire to get involved in the action, or you can play mostly passively, avoiding confrontation and waiting for your time to strike. Fortnite is a fantastic vessel for entertainment for both competitive players and casuals alike. It accommodates those who play videogames for fun and those who compete at the highest level to win. It is accessible to all ages.
Aside from the extremely valid criticisms around the monetary issues of Fortnite, I feel the vast majority of resentment towards the game is unfounded and unfair. Video games like Fortnite wouldn’t stick around simply due to having licenced characters and following hot trends, look at Fall Guys for example. The truth is the fundamentals of Fortnite are enjoyable to their core, it is filled to the seams with content, challenges, lore, and makes for an excellent game to play with friends or solo. I will defend this game to the death of me, it is a generational game and excels in everything it wants to be and more.
As much as people don’t want to admit, this game is innovative in fun. There are countless opportunities to make fun within the game. Fortnite not only has incredibly satisfying gunplay and unique building gameplay but also innovates on the movement aspect of the game. Since it’s inception, Fortnite has added several opportunities for fun ways to get around the map aside from utilising the building mechanics. This includes a huge array of power ups that grant the ability to move with style, such as flying with a jetpack, swinging with either a grappling hook, ODM Gear from Attack on Titan, or Spiderman’s iconic web shooters, but also use shockwave grenades to launch you or your friends into the action. This in combination with the huge array of vehicles leads to an exciting way to traverse the map in new and interesting ways. You can also vault, grab onto ledges, slide jump, and sprint around the various locales, offering one of the most entertaining movement systems in a video game currently.
The seasonal format keeps the game fresh, introducing new gameplay gimmicks, a brand new arsenal of weaponry to experiment with, the aforementioned new movement techniques, and varied locations to explore and loot. This keeps the game from growing stale as many others in the genre have fallen victim to. There are also live events, that vary from cataclysmic lore-changing battles, to live concerts with some of the most renowned music artists in the world. The cosmetic and seasonal aspect of Fortnite is a breeding ground for excitement and hype, to the point where there will most likely always be a reason to revisit Fortnite even if you decide to take a prolonged break from the game. Fortnite evolves on a regular basis, what began as a fort-building wave-based shooter, turned into an iconic battle royale, but has now established itself as a platform for experiences derived from user creativity. This allows Fortnite to thrive, creating a whole plethora of minigames and modes to experience alike Halo 3 custom games or Roblox, which adds even more replayability and discoverability within the game.
Whilst many players, especially more disgruntled older player bases, will see collaborations with media titans like Marvel, Dragon Ball, and DC as cash-grabs, I see these as a fulfilment of childhood wonder. I would have dreamt for an experience like this as a child, to be able to play as your favourite characters across fiction in a near infinite number of game-modes, its just an opportunity for some innocent joy. I am not an advocate for microtransactional battle-pass oriented games, and a lot of criticism has been directed to Fortnite for these reasons which I completely empathise and understand. However, I think for what the market is, the game offers fair prices, with interesting and varied collaborations with licenced properties sprinkled in with some excellent original designs.
The art style that Fortnite has embodied is colourful and vibrant, setting itself apart from other shooters and battle royale games that focus on realism. The visual design allows for the game to achieve a timeless look that facilitates crossovers with various franchises whereby the characters are well-represented but also means that the game is accessible to more people on more systems with lower specs and allows cross-play so friends aren’t locked out of playing together. Although a certain portion of the video game community as a result sees the game as childish, it is insecure to think that of the game purely because of the art style especially in spite of the fact that it tends to look and function better than most.
Fortnite’s reputation was soured following updates and the increase in skill-level of those devoted to playing, especially when it came to the building mechanics. For those who struggle to meet the pace of experienced builders in the default battle royale mode, Fortnite also offers a no-build mode which is structured entirely around the gunplay and movement of the game. This focuses on the aforementioned movement and gunplay taking the spotlight, providing even more opportunities for casuals or newer players to enjoy the experience without the added pressure of learning the unique building mechanics that are specific to Fortnite. This is also a testament to the committed development team at EPIC that listen extensively to the community to bring new and exciting ways to play to their player base.
Despite the high skill cap within the player base it remains a game whereby anyone can win. It encourages different playstyles, you can play aggressively running in any direction you hear gun fire to get involved in the action, or you can play mostly passively, avoiding confrontation and waiting for your time to strike. Fortnite is a fantastic vessel for entertainment for both competitive players and casuals alike. It accommodates those who play videogames for fun and those who compete at the highest level to win. It is accessible to all ages.
Aside from the extremely valid criticisms around the monetary issues of Fortnite, I feel the vast majority of resentment towards the game is unfounded and unfair. Video games like Fortnite wouldn’t stick around simply due to having licenced characters and following hot trends, look at Fall Guys for example. The truth is the fundamentals of Fortnite are enjoyable to their core, it is filled to the seams with content, challenges, lore, and makes for an excellent game to play with friends or solo. I will defend this game to the death of me, it is a generational game and excels in everything it wants to be and more.
2022
Ravenous Devils is a short Victorian era management game that has an interesting menu of concepts, mixed presentation and overall lacks in substance. You play as Percival and Hildred, a cannibalistic couple who arrive in London to open a business in tailoring and serving meat dishes. The interesting twist is that all of the meat and resources used to make the food and articles of clothing are recycled from the corpses of customers that the couple murder.
Dressing a management game in these horror-adjacent themes is a huge credit to the developers as it makes for an exciting concept. Unfortunately, as you dig deeper into this game, it is dressed with a weak narrative and an easy to crack gameplay loop and does little to add challenge or subversion. As you earn money, the couple can upgrade the establishment, some upgrades offer quality of life improvements but others just add further resources to balance. Despite the freedom of choice to progress how you want, I still found the game relatively easy, and once you get the rhythm down you become a pretty unstoppable force pumping out products at the rate of a factory.
I think the lack of challenge in the gameplay is a huge detriment to the experience. Despite the narrative highlighting the risk of external threats to the business and the fact you are literally killing customers in this establishment, this doesn’t come into the gameplay at all. I think this is a huge miss. Avoiding law enforcement and keeping customer suspicions low are concepts could have been introduced into the game to keep the gameplay loop fresh as the only threat to failure is due an error in the player’s engagement with the game rather than having a theoretical spanner thrown in the works.
Regarding it’s presentation, I think thematically the game does strike something good. It entirely embraces the gothic Victorian atmosphere. Whilst I do not like the cheap-looking assets used in the game, they are able to fully display some pretty graphic gore-filled animations. One that stands out to me is the preparation of meat steaks with the human corpses. Watching the breakdown of the human body into it’s fundamentals by Hildred caught me off guard the first time I saw it.
Ravenous Devils is unapologetic of leaning into these themes, this grants me a little favour towards the game, as it has dark humour and charming moments that kept me engaged with the experience. A final touch on the presentation was the voice acting, not my cup of tea personally. I found their voices were… too much and if you’re reading this having heard the performances I’m sure you can understand where I’m coming from.
As I mentioned, the narrative is extremely weak and feels like a detractor from the experience and I found myself wishing cutscenes away so I could get back to preparing the shop for the next day. However, I don’t think people play management games for the narrative and it’s inoffensive enough to where I don’t see it is a major negative, more-so a whimpering feature.
Conclusively, Ravenous Devils feels like a demo for a fantastic concept that could have been executed on a grander and more complex scale. For what it is, the game is enjoyable despite it’s simplicity and for the price I can’t recommend against it if you’re curious in any capacity. I hope the developers can someday tap-in to this reservoir once more to provide a more fleshed-out experience that better represents what they so clearly wanted to make.
Dressing a management game in these horror-adjacent themes is a huge credit to the developers as it makes for an exciting concept. Unfortunately, as you dig deeper into this game, it is dressed with a weak narrative and an easy to crack gameplay loop and does little to add challenge or subversion. As you earn money, the couple can upgrade the establishment, some upgrades offer quality of life improvements but others just add further resources to balance. Despite the freedom of choice to progress how you want, I still found the game relatively easy, and once you get the rhythm down you become a pretty unstoppable force pumping out products at the rate of a factory.
I think the lack of challenge in the gameplay is a huge detriment to the experience. Despite the narrative highlighting the risk of external threats to the business and the fact you are literally killing customers in this establishment, this doesn’t come into the gameplay at all. I think this is a huge miss. Avoiding law enforcement and keeping customer suspicions low are concepts could have been introduced into the game to keep the gameplay loop fresh as the only threat to failure is due an error in the player’s engagement with the game rather than having a theoretical spanner thrown in the works.
Regarding it’s presentation, I think thematically the game does strike something good. It entirely embraces the gothic Victorian atmosphere. Whilst I do not like the cheap-looking assets used in the game, they are able to fully display some pretty graphic gore-filled animations. One that stands out to me is the preparation of meat steaks with the human corpses. Watching the breakdown of the human body into it’s fundamentals by Hildred caught me off guard the first time I saw it.
Ravenous Devils is unapologetic of leaning into these themes, this grants me a little favour towards the game, as it has dark humour and charming moments that kept me engaged with the experience. A final touch on the presentation was the voice acting, not my cup of tea personally. I found their voices were… too much and if you’re reading this having heard the performances I’m sure you can understand where I’m coming from.
As I mentioned, the narrative is extremely weak and feels like a detractor from the experience and I found myself wishing cutscenes away so I could get back to preparing the shop for the next day. However, I don’t think people play management games for the narrative and it’s inoffensive enough to where I don’t see it is a major negative, more-so a whimpering feature.
Conclusively, Ravenous Devils feels like a demo for a fantastic concept that could have been executed on a grander and more complex scale. For what it is, the game is enjoyable despite it’s simplicity and for the price I can’t recommend against it if you’re curious in any capacity. I hope the developers can someday tap-in to this reservoir once more to provide a more fleshed-out experience that better represents what they so clearly wanted to make.
When I first tried The Texas Chain Saw Massacre it was a video game that I wanted to like but found very little enjoyment in playing. On the surface level, this game appeared shallow, it was met with criticisms from fans of this genre who would draw superficial comparisons to Dead By Daylight. However, after investing some time I was heavily mistaken and I truly believe Sumo Digital have an asymmetrical multiplayer horror game that could cultivate a sizeable playerbase going forward.
The Texas Chain Saw Massacre perfectly captures the atmosphere and visceral emotions of the original 1974 horror movie. Visually in graphical fidelity and art direction the game is incredibly faithful to the movie. The objectives of the developers were to represent and build upon the original movie, bringing some of the iconic members of the Family back as playable characters and introducing a brand new set of victims to play as. The level of finite detail and attention to care regarding the authenticity of the original movie is astounding. From recreating the iconic chainsaw, to the design of the environments and characters, the crunchy sound design and masterful soundtrack contribute to an oppressive atmosphere that reflects a truly excellent experience.
Sumo Digital also took some creative liberty with the property, introducing entirely original members of the Family to the experience which are certainly welcome. Every Family member and victim is extremely fun to play, encouraging different strategies in playstyle. Of course, this comes with balancing issues but I wouldn't say this causes any of the characters to be broken, it's more so a personal preference of certain characters being exceptional at particular tasks.
The map design is extremely fun, offering several methods of escape which prevents the encouragement of camping behaviour. Somehow they manage to capture the iconic environments of the original movie but appropriating them to offer a fun multi-routed playground offering opportunities for hiding and evading the family, but also offering narrow obstacle-filled hallways which lead to high octane chases. There are also a huge array of perks within skill trees across a variety of different characters that offer unique playstyles and gameplay choices that can tailor to the individual player.
There are some shortcomings however, mostly technical issues and glitches regarding in-game lobbies, player progression bugs, and performance issues. However, despite this, I am convinced this is one of the most interesting premises for not only an asymmetrical horror game but it is yet again another example of a fantastic recent licenced video game, showing that developer passion is key to delivering a successful product.
What I love about this game is that it is entirely a horror experience. Where other asymmetrical horror video games encourage the survivors to interact and engage in chase with the killer, The Texas Chain Saw Massacre's victims are encouraged to be as stealthy as possible, doing your absolute best to avoid the Family. The 4v3 dynamic is also an incredibly good decision in terms of balance and enjoyment. Whilst my time with the game is limited, I have found it incredibly fun to play as either side which I think is difficult for most video games to achieve.
The Texas Chain Saw Massacre perfectly captures the atmosphere and visceral emotions of the original 1974 horror movie. Visually in graphical fidelity and art direction the game is incredibly faithful to the movie. The objectives of the developers were to represent and build upon the original movie, bringing some of the iconic members of the Family back as playable characters and introducing a brand new set of victims to play as. The level of finite detail and attention to care regarding the authenticity of the original movie is astounding. From recreating the iconic chainsaw, to the design of the environments and characters, the crunchy sound design and masterful soundtrack contribute to an oppressive atmosphere that reflects a truly excellent experience.
Sumo Digital also took some creative liberty with the property, introducing entirely original members of the Family to the experience which are certainly welcome. Every Family member and victim is extremely fun to play, encouraging different strategies in playstyle. Of course, this comes with balancing issues but I wouldn't say this causes any of the characters to be broken, it's more so a personal preference of certain characters being exceptional at particular tasks.
The map design is extremely fun, offering several methods of escape which prevents the encouragement of camping behaviour. Somehow they manage to capture the iconic environments of the original movie but appropriating them to offer a fun multi-routed playground offering opportunities for hiding and evading the family, but also offering narrow obstacle-filled hallways which lead to high octane chases. There are also a huge array of perks within skill trees across a variety of different characters that offer unique playstyles and gameplay choices that can tailor to the individual player.
There are some shortcomings however, mostly technical issues and glitches regarding in-game lobbies, player progression bugs, and performance issues. However, despite this, I am convinced this is one of the most interesting premises for not only an asymmetrical horror game but it is yet again another example of a fantastic recent licenced video game, showing that developer passion is key to delivering a successful product.
What I love about this game is that it is entirely a horror experience. Where other asymmetrical horror video games encourage the survivors to interact and engage in chase with the killer, The Texas Chain Saw Massacre's victims are encouraged to be as stealthy as possible, doing your absolute best to avoid the Family. The 4v3 dynamic is also an incredibly good decision in terms of balance and enjoyment. Whilst my time with the game is limited, I have found it incredibly fun to play as either side which I think is difficult for most video games to achieve.
These Trees Are Spectral Fingers relies heavily on it's oppressive atmosphere, but otherwise lacks any meaningful threat. Published by Puppet Combo but developed by kavvkka, this appears to be the only video game that they've worked on. Although the story is relatively convoluted, I do think the mystery surrounding the local area is interesting. I think the title of the game is also an absolute banger, but unfortunately this game is exceedingly disappointing.
If you've read my previous reviews covering Puppet Combo games, you’ll notice that there seems to be a running theme with a lot of them. That being the contrast between a fantastic atmosphere supplemented by well-crafted visual and auditory design choices, with a sheer lack of threat or urgency present in the experience.
Throughout the majority of the game you are navigating dimly lit streets hearing the crinkle of leaves around you as if something lurks beyond your vision. You manouvre through industrial tunnels, a maze-like logging complex, and a snowfallen forest. Here the atmosphere is at it’s strongest, but it is subsided by the fact that there is no threat. What’s intriguing is the mystery surrounding why this area is abandoned, and the notes do a very good job of enticing your curiosity.
The most impressive moment of the game comes following this atmospheric build-up, approaching some kind of unnatural plant-like structure, mimicking the outreached desperation of a human hand struggling for something to hold onto. This is visually really effective, as the player approaches, you’ll notice a burrowing hole in the centre of this structure, enticing the player to jump down.
Doing so brings you to the worst segment of the game, finding yourself disjointedly present in a strange interior. You’ll emerge into a cathedral, looked down upon by several lumbermen, I do like this set-piece but at this stage all of the tension the game worked so hard to develop earlier has evaporated. Beyond the cathedral, an extensive narrow hallway lies before you, there are several rooms you can enter but the majority are locked and you’re encouraged to pursue forward. Towards the end of the hallway you’ll see the very same outreached hands from earlier, static in their position. Walking into them will abruptly end the game.
The biggest issue with These Trees Are Spectral Fingers is that it looks good, sounds good, and builds up well, but falls flat on it’s delivery. It’s like biting into an appetising looking slice of pizza to find it undercooked and cold in the middle. There’s just not a lot of substance beyond the design choices, and for an unbeknownst reason this seems to be a common issue in indie-horror titles like this. Unfortunately, the game represents more of an immersive creepy walking simulator than a horror game, which I find myself stating a lot when it comes to Puppet Combo published titles.
I simply think the ending of this game is incredibly weak. Nothing else in the environment ever moves. These outstretched hands don’t pursue you in the hallway, which would at least relieve some of the criticism of it’s abrupt nature. It’s just an odd design choice to have these static hands that won’t even end the game unless the player willingly walks into them, after asking them to navigate an ugly maze, walk through a cathedral, and then down a seemingly neverending hallway. It just isn’t fantastic game design. I feel like some of the concepts here are definitely interesting, but there’s such little explored here, and I believe that this experience could have been better represented through a different medium. I don’t think the genre of video games served the horror experience intended here too well. Especially as there is almost nothing interactable or challenging about this game. Whilst I don’t think horror games need to rely on jumpscares, and horror games can absolutely rely on it’s atmosphere to carry it. I do think that having little consequence or pressure on the player hurts this game. Even if it was for a few short sequences, having some hands desperately claw their way to grab at you in some of the tighter claustrophobic areas of the game would have been a great addition.
If you've read my previous reviews covering Puppet Combo games, you’ll notice that there seems to be a running theme with a lot of them. That being the contrast between a fantastic atmosphere supplemented by well-crafted visual and auditory design choices, with a sheer lack of threat or urgency present in the experience.
Throughout the majority of the game you are navigating dimly lit streets hearing the crinkle of leaves around you as if something lurks beyond your vision. You manouvre through industrial tunnels, a maze-like logging complex, and a snowfallen forest. Here the atmosphere is at it’s strongest, but it is subsided by the fact that there is no threat. What’s intriguing is the mystery surrounding why this area is abandoned, and the notes do a very good job of enticing your curiosity.
The most impressive moment of the game comes following this atmospheric build-up, approaching some kind of unnatural plant-like structure, mimicking the outreached desperation of a human hand struggling for something to hold onto. This is visually really effective, as the player approaches, you’ll notice a burrowing hole in the centre of this structure, enticing the player to jump down.
Doing so brings you to the worst segment of the game, finding yourself disjointedly present in a strange interior. You’ll emerge into a cathedral, looked down upon by several lumbermen, I do like this set-piece but at this stage all of the tension the game worked so hard to develop earlier has evaporated. Beyond the cathedral, an extensive narrow hallway lies before you, there are several rooms you can enter but the majority are locked and you’re encouraged to pursue forward. Towards the end of the hallway you’ll see the very same outreached hands from earlier, static in their position. Walking into them will abruptly end the game.
The biggest issue with These Trees Are Spectral Fingers is that it looks good, sounds good, and builds up well, but falls flat on it’s delivery. It’s like biting into an appetising looking slice of pizza to find it undercooked and cold in the middle. There’s just not a lot of substance beyond the design choices, and for an unbeknownst reason this seems to be a common issue in indie-horror titles like this. Unfortunately, the game represents more of an immersive creepy walking simulator than a horror game, which I find myself stating a lot when it comes to Puppet Combo published titles.
I simply think the ending of this game is incredibly weak. Nothing else in the environment ever moves. These outstretched hands don’t pursue you in the hallway, which would at least relieve some of the criticism of it’s abrupt nature. It’s just an odd design choice to have these static hands that won’t even end the game unless the player willingly walks into them, after asking them to navigate an ugly maze, walk through a cathedral, and then down a seemingly neverending hallway. It just isn’t fantastic game design. I feel like some of the concepts here are definitely interesting, but there’s such little explored here, and I believe that this experience could have been better represented through a different medium. I don’t think the genre of video games served the horror experience intended here too well. Especially as there is almost nothing interactable or challenging about this game. Whilst I don’t think horror games need to rely on jumpscares, and horror games can absolutely rely on it’s atmosphere to carry it. I do think that having little consequence or pressure on the player hurts this game. Even if it was for a few short sequences, having some hands desperately claw their way to grab at you in some of the tighter claustrophobic areas of the game would have been a great addition.
2019
Samhain is the Gaelic cultural festival that celebrates the end of the harvest season. It would later merge with the Christian holiday of All Hallow's Eve, eventually becoming Halloween. Samhain is responsible for aspects of Halloween that celebrate all things scary and spooky. The festival honours the spirit world, occurring at a time of the year where it was believed the veil between the spirit and corporeal world was at it's thinnest.
Samhain is also heavily referenced throughout the Halloween franchise, especially with Michael Myers being the embodiment of evil itself. To anyone who has watched Halloween III: Season of the Witch, some similarities will be immediately familiar within this game. Similarities include horror surrounding trick-or-treating, and the masks worn by the children in the game. Although you don't see your player character, we do get a glimpse of their costume as they pet the cat before leaving, appearing as a witch by my assumption. Your brothers are wearing a pumpkin mask and a skull mask, all three of these outfits are the cursed masks of the aforementioned movie.
Samhain's premise is as follows. On the night of Halloween, Alice, an older sister, is entrusted by her mother to accompany her younger brothers on a trick-or-treating adventure. With a firm reminder to avoid talking to strangers and to stay on the designated path, Alice leads her two brothers through the neighborhood, gathering treats along the way. The game follows the themes I discussed earlier surrounding the origin of Samhain the festival and it's relevance in the Halloween franchise.
The music OST is extremely well composed, lasting approximately 15 minutes total. Samhain's menu theme blends themes of the Halloween soundtrack with that iconic Stranger Things-esque synthwave 80s motif. The main theme is also exceptionally good, invoking trepedation with synth supplemented with woodwind instruments that blend so well together to create a really effective eerie sound. Although the ambient track serves its purpose well, the offkey notes remind me of wind chimes perhaps in the porch of the houses you visit throughout the night. When you reach The Hill, the ambiance is filled with the piercing sounds of wind, blowing aggressively which I think is probably the laziest aspect of the soundtrack. Darkness creeps is such a fantastic track that scratches the brain well, it's unsettling yet for some reason pleasant to listen to. Finally, the Final Samhain sounds like an exceedingly fast heartbeat which seems to contribute to the heightened anxiety the player character is experiencing.
I adore the colour palette of this game. Capturing the retro horror feel that Puppet Combo is reknowned for, except again stylistically experimenting. The environments are piercingly bright with eccentric colours like red and blue, however, they're still able to invoke an unsettling atmosphere. It feels like experiencing an Atari game from a first person perspective. Gothic stylised text throughout conveys to me that the horrors within this game are much older than you might initially anticipate.
The first significant moment in the game comes when you surmount the Hill, with the aforementioned soundtrack accompanying you. At this stage, you realise that one of your brothers has completely vanished, much to the dismay of Alice and her brother. At the precipice of the hill, you encounter a scarecrow, who encourages Alice to stray off the broken path. There are some dialogue options here, but this scarecrow isn't a threat, and the choices in dialogue don't affect the game whatsoever.
As you stray further and further from home, the soundtrack as I mentioned earlier, grows more and more ominous. Lurking eyeballs can be spotted through the gaps in the trees momentarily and the residents who's houses you knock on become more abrasive to the player.
Eventually you'll find yourself passing through a graveyard, seemingly approaching a tower in the distance. At this stage you realise you've lost your other brother, and now it is you alone traversing the unsettling environment. Here the gifts are also stranger, receiving bones, hearts, and tongues rather than candy and toys that we came for.
Straying off the broken path following a dead-end we find ourselves at a ritualistic campsite. Stakes adorned with human heads, and a campfire where we can offer the parts we collected from previous households. Doing so reveals the following text before ending immediately after:
The ritual was complete
The end came quickly as the four horsemen galloped
across the autumn sky and the seas turned into poison.
As fire rain down from above and the dead rose from their graves
it was the final Samhain.
Following the completion of Samhain, I can safely say that it is closer to a celebration of Halloween itself, rather than something truly akin to a horror game. Whilst it's effective in building tension, and accompanied by a fantastic soundtrack, Samhain doesn't offer a threat, and to all of my exploration I couldn't find any alternative secrets or endings. It's essentially a stylish 20 minute walking sim, that is dressed with old-school Halloween aesthetics. I find this game charming, but charm and a soundtrack can't carry the game to a great score and it lacks a lot of effective fear that we have come to associate with Puppet Combo titles.
Samhain is also heavily referenced throughout the Halloween franchise, especially with Michael Myers being the embodiment of evil itself. To anyone who has watched Halloween III: Season of the Witch, some similarities will be immediately familiar within this game. Similarities include horror surrounding trick-or-treating, and the masks worn by the children in the game. Although you don't see your player character, we do get a glimpse of their costume as they pet the cat before leaving, appearing as a witch by my assumption. Your brothers are wearing a pumpkin mask and a skull mask, all three of these outfits are the cursed masks of the aforementioned movie.
Samhain's premise is as follows. On the night of Halloween, Alice, an older sister, is entrusted by her mother to accompany her younger brothers on a trick-or-treating adventure. With a firm reminder to avoid talking to strangers and to stay on the designated path, Alice leads her two brothers through the neighborhood, gathering treats along the way. The game follows the themes I discussed earlier surrounding the origin of Samhain the festival and it's relevance in the Halloween franchise.
The music OST is extremely well composed, lasting approximately 15 minutes total. Samhain's menu theme blends themes of the Halloween soundtrack with that iconic Stranger Things-esque synthwave 80s motif. The main theme is also exceptionally good, invoking trepedation with synth supplemented with woodwind instruments that blend so well together to create a really effective eerie sound. Although the ambient track serves its purpose well, the offkey notes remind me of wind chimes perhaps in the porch of the houses you visit throughout the night. When you reach The Hill, the ambiance is filled with the piercing sounds of wind, blowing aggressively which I think is probably the laziest aspect of the soundtrack. Darkness creeps is such a fantastic track that scratches the brain well, it's unsettling yet for some reason pleasant to listen to. Finally, the Final Samhain sounds like an exceedingly fast heartbeat which seems to contribute to the heightened anxiety the player character is experiencing.
I adore the colour palette of this game. Capturing the retro horror feel that Puppet Combo is reknowned for, except again stylistically experimenting. The environments are piercingly bright with eccentric colours like red and blue, however, they're still able to invoke an unsettling atmosphere. It feels like experiencing an Atari game from a first person perspective. Gothic stylised text throughout conveys to me that the horrors within this game are much older than you might initially anticipate.
The first significant moment in the game comes when you surmount the Hill, with the aforementioned soundtrack accompanying you. At this stage, you realise that one of your brothers has completely vanished, much to the dismay of Alice and her brother. At the precipice of the hill, you encounter a scarecrow, who encourages Alice to stray off the broken path. There are some dialogue options here, but this scarecrow isn't a threat, and the choices in dialogue don't affect the game whatsoever.
As you stray further and further from home, the soundtrack as I mentioned earlier, grows more and more ominous. Lurking eyeballs can be spotted through the gaps in the trees momentarily and the residents who's houses you knock on become more abrasive to the player.
Eventually you'll find yourself passing through a graveyard, seemingly approaching a tower in the distance. At this stage you realise you've lost your other brother, and now it is you alone traversing the unsettling environment. Here the gifts are also stranger, receiving bones, hearts, and tongues rather than candy and toys that we came for.
Straying off the broken path following a dead-end we find ourselves at a ritualistic campsite. Stakes adorned with human heads, and a campfire where we can offer the parts we collected from previous households. Doing so reveals the following text before ending immediately after:
The ritual was complete
The end came quickly as the four horsemen galloped
across the autumn sky and the seas turned into poison.
As fire rain down from above and the dead rose from their graves
it was the final Samhain.
Following the completion of Samhain, I can safely say that it is closer to a celebration of Halloween itself, rather than something truly akin to a horror game. Whilst it's effective in building tension, and accompanied by a fantastic soundtrack, Samhain doesn't offer a threat, and to all of my exploration I couldn't find any alternative secrets or endings. It's essentially a stylish 20 minute walking sim, that is dressed with old-school Halloween aesthetics. I find this game charming, but charm and a soundtrack can't carry the game to a great score and it lacks a lot of effective fear that we have come to associate with Puppet Combo titles.
2019
Scary Tales Vol 1 is a Puppet Combo anthology title that packages four retro horror titles in one product at a very reasonable price. These titles are Night Shift, Spiders, Feed Me Billy, and The Riverside Incident. I have reviewed these titles on their respective dedicated pages and I see no point in reviewing these experiences again.
What's new to Scary Tales Vol 1 is a story mode, which provides reasoning as to why these experiences are in a bundle. I actually like this addition a lot, and it's an entirely optional experience. If the player wants to jump directly into a particular game they can do so on the main menu, but Puppet Combo put some extra care into the game and introduced a pretty fun narrative to neatly wrap this up in a nice package.
The following is going to cover this brief narrative and give some thoughts along the way. Woken abruptly to the sound of the doorbell, the player makes their way to the door to find an ominous box with four VHS tapes inside. Each tape represents one of the four aforementioned Puppet Combo games. You can play these tapes in any order you choose.
After finishing your first tape, strange things begin to occur throughout your home. Your kitty cat is missing, your refrigerator is open, crawling with bugs. In the bathroom you find a peephole, something is in the microwave but it appears jammed. The player can kill the bugs with bugspray, interact with these various changes throughout the house. This does a good job of building tension, it's not something you expected following the completion of the first tape, however, it now leads to this dread following the insertion of the second tape as you don't know what will be awaiting you after completion.
With the second tape completed things have taken a drastic turn, the infestation has gotten worse, the peep hole has turned into a vast tunnel, and the power is completely out which means no more tapes. Now comes one of the most heartbreaking moments in a Puppet Combo game. You receive a phonecall urging you to check the microwave. Upon opening it you find your kitty cat completely disfigured yet somehow still alive. I physically remember puckering my bottom lip with sadness, I'm a sucker for animals.
Equipped with a knife you can traverse through the peep hole and down into the basement to reignite the power. Throughout you'll see various references to cats, such as cat carriers littered throughout the area, pliers and cat claws are present on a table too. Upon restoring power and returning to your apartment you are met with three humanoid fleshless cat figures. After dispatching of them, they melt into a gooey mess. Just before you can put the third tape in, a knock at the door urges you to open, it's the police. However, too preoccupied with the contents of the tapes, you choose to enter the third experience.
Awakening from your third tape you appear in a police interrogation room. Choosing to recount your story the officer results in a beligerant attitude as he doesn't believe you. The interrogator, convinced by your desire to watch the fourth tape, allows you to do so. Upon completing the final tape you awaken, locked in a padded room, and hearing banging on the door. Following this really effective tension building scene you are met with a jumpscare from Billy, from Feed Me Billy, and the game abruptly ends.
Although a simple narrative, I actually really think this is a creative way of presenting an anthology release. Most anthology games, even from AAA studios simply provide the player with a menu whereby you select the appropriate experience. It's refreshing to see an attempt to introduce an overarching narrative that connects these games together, presenting an additional horror experience. In a way, Scary Tales Vol 1 contains five games as a result of this.
I applaud Puppet Combo for displaying their variety once more. Choosing to explore themes of the guilt of animal abuse is an interesting choice considering none of these experiences are really focused on any animals other than the arachnids of Spiders. This anthology is a good introduction to the Puppet Combo experience, with each game exceedingly different. You get a lot of bang for your buck with the price point. I'd love to see even more anthology releases from the studio, and I'm eagerly awaiting a Scary Tales Vol 2, it would be cool to see each of these games connected as fictional stories within a shared overarching world that we see in Scary Tales Vol 1.
What's new to Scary Tales Vol 1 is a story mode, which provides reasoning as to why these experiences are in a bundle. I actually like this addition a lot, and it's an entirely optional experience. If the player wants to jump directly into a particular game they can do so on the main menu, but Puppet Combo put some extra care into the game and introduced a pretty fun narrative to neatly wrap this up in a nice package.
The following is going to cover this brief narrative and give some thoughts along the way. Woken abruptly to the sound of the doorbell, the player makes their way to the door to find an ominous box with four VHS tapes inside. Each tape represents one of the four aforementioned Puppet Combo games. You can play these tapes in any order you choose.
After finishing your first tape, strange things begin to occur throughout your home. Your kitty cat is missing, your refrigerator is open, crawling with bugs. In the bathroom you find a peephole, something is in the microwave but it appears jammed. The player can kill the bugs with bugspray, interact with these various changes throughout the house. This does a good job of building tension, it's not something you expected following the completion of the first tape, however, it now leads to this dread following the insertion of the second tape as you don't know what will be awaiting you after completion.
With the second tape completed things have taken a drastic turn, the infestation has gotten worse, the peep hole has turned into a vast tunnel, and the power is completely out which means no more tapes. Now comes one of the most heartbreaking moments in a Puppet Combo game. You receive a phonecall urging you to check the microwave. Upon opening it you find your kitty cat completely disfigured yet somehow still alive. I physically remember puckering my bottom lip with sadness, I'm a sucker for animals.
Equipped with a knife you can traverse through the peep hole and down into the basement to reignite the power. Throughout you'll see various references to cats, such as cat carriers littered throughout the area, pliers and cat claws are present on a table too. Upon restoring power and returning to your apartment you are met with three humanoid fleshless cat figures. After dispatching of them, they melt into a gooey mess. Just before you can put the third tape in, a knock at the door urges you to open, it's the police. However, too preoccupied with the contents of the tapes, you choose to enter the third experience.
Awakening from your third tape you appear in a police interrogation room. Choosing to recount your story the officer results in a beligerant attitude as he doesn't believe you. The interrogator, convinced by your desire to watch the fourth tape, allows you to do so. Upon completing the final tape you awaken, locked in a padded room, and hearing banging on the door. Following this really effective tension building scene you are met with a jumpscare from Billy, from Feed Me Billy, and the game abruptly ends.
Although a simple narrative, I actually really think this is a creative way of presenting an anthology release. Most anthology games, even from AAA studios simply provide the player with a menu whereby you select the appropriate experience. It's refreshing to see an attempt to introduce an overarching narrative that connects these games together, presenting an additional horror experience. In a way, Scary Tales Vol 1 contains five games as a result of this.
I applaud Puppet Combo for displaying their variety once more. Choosing to explore themes of the guilt of animal abuse is an interesting choice considering none of these experiences are really focused on any animals other than the arachnids of Spiders. This anthology is a good introduction to the Puppet Combo experience, with each game exceedingly different. You get a lot of bang for your buck with the price point. I'd love to see even more anthology releases from the studio, and I'm eagerly awaiting a Scary Tales Vol 2, it would be cool to see each of these games connected as fictional stories within a shared overarching world that we see in Scary Tales Vol 1.
2019
Although published by Puppet Combo, Tonight It Follows was actually developed by Jordan King. Staying loyal to the 'retro feel' of the publishing studio but honing into a different era, Tonight It Follows turns the dial of time back even further and stylistically presents itself as a 2-D pixelated side-scrolling horror game akin to MS-DOS adventure games.
I've gotta say right off the bat, the audio design from top to bottom is incredibly well put together. Combining the low fidelity of audio we'd come to expect from this generation of games, with visceral inhuman sounds, and a simple yet enticing soundtrack.
I think the concept here though is far stronger than the actual product. It's hard to build tension across a side-scrolling videogame. When enemies do appear, although they look and sound disgusting, they're often underwhelming in their impact due to the fact they go down in a single hit. There's a single enemy however, the presumed "It" from the title of the game, that cannot be taken down. Otherwise, entering the fighting stance and spamming attack is enough to quell any threat, which reduces the impact of these setpieces.
The scares are relatively cheap and feel like inadequate and somewhat unnecessary, the game feel stronger when it's depicting the horror through the pixelated horrific environments. Although I wouldn't describe the pixel art to be terrifying, I think they're artistically a good representation of these themes. It's actually pretty graphic too with some very suggestive themes which are especially apparent as you return 'home'.
Tonight It Follows unfortunately feels like a demo for a bigger project. A measly 10 enemies, 9 being one-hit, is just not enough to be an engaging experience. There aren't really any puzzles which leaves a lot to be desired, and the game length struggles to really surpass 15 minutes. What is present here isn't bad but it feels unfinished, amateur, and the art direction visually and auditorily doesn't do enough to save this from a poor score. This review is with no disrespect to Jordan King, especially as he's worked on Bloodwash which is one of my favourite Puppet Combo associated games.
I've gotta say right off the bat, the audio design from top to bottom is incredibly well put together. Combining the low fidelity of audio we'd come to expect from this generation of games, with visceral inhuman sounds, and a simple yet enticing soundtrack.
I think the concept here though is far stronger than the actual product. It's hard to build tension across a side-scrolling videogame. When enemies do appear, although they look and sound disgusting, they're often underwhelming in their impact due to the fact they go down in a single hit. There's a single enemy however, the presumed "It" from the title of the game, that cannot be taken down. Otherwise, entering the fighting stance and spamming attack is enough to quell any threat, which reduces the impact of these setpieces.
The scares are relatively cheap and feel like inadequate and somewhat unnecessary, the game feel stronger when it's depicting the horror through the pixelated horrific environments. Although I wouldn't describe the pixel art to be terrifying, I think they're artistically a good representation of these themes. It's actually pretty graphic too with some very suggestive themes which are especially apparent as you return 'home'.
Tonight It Follows unfortunately feels like a demo for a bigger project. A measly 10 enemies, 9 being one-hit, is just not enough to be an engaging experience. There aren't really any puzzles which leaves a lot to be desired, and the game length struggles to really surpass 15 minutes. What is present here isn't bad but it feels unfinished, amateur, and the art direction visually and auditorily doesn't do enough to save this from a poor score. This review is with no disrespect to Jordan King, especially as he's worked on Bloodwash which is one of my favourite Puppet Combo associated games.
2019
This review contains spoilers
Controversially there is one era of horror titles I appreciate more than the PlayStation 1 era, and that would be the following generation in the PlayStation 2. I understand this is primarily due to my age, and the fact that most of my personal horror experiences were first discovered on this generation of consoles but I think those early sixth generation console horror games captured the essence of those that came before it, usually accompanied by better quality of life changes.
The Glass Staircase represents one such game. Graphically it holds the low fidelity we have come to expect of Puppet Combo titles but has a modernised tank control system and operates on a grander scale compared to his previous games. It is unapologetically a love letter to Resident Evil 1 in it’s gameplay and premise, even down to the door animations, and is heavily inspired with stylistic motifs of Rule of Rose and Clock Tower. I usually try to avoid talking about spoilers in my reviews, however, I believe it is hard to summarise the experience without touching on some of the finer details.
I was impressed initially with The Glass Staircase, as I write this review however after replaying the game a second time, I found a lot to criticise about this title. The Glass Staircase stands out uniquely amongst the Puppet Combo anthology that we have discussed this far. It's premise follows four indentured servant girls who one by one are summoned to perform chores in a desolate mansion with the false promise of freedom upon completion.
Each day one of the girls is selected for freedom by the intercom, urged to take their pill, complete their chores, and be a “good girl”. Helen is first, and although her escape attempt is short, there are several interesting in-game notes to find, and a very effective jumpscare that caused me to mistrust certain mechanics for the rest of the playthrough. Helen’s journey serves as an introduction to the locale, the premise, and the ambiance. Betty is up next, with a likewise, short experience. Tasked to retrieve a parcel from outside, Betty must locate it at the gate but finds herself lost in a maze where she is ambushed by a tall disfigured monster. Another effective jumpscare. Dorothy is up next, and has a slightly longer experience comparative to the previous failed escapees. Dorothy’s playthrough involves more exploration and puzzle solving, and ends with a mediocre end as a chandelier drops and crushes our third protagonist.
Reflecting on the game so far, although unbeknownst to the player at this stage, The Glass Staircase had no genuine threat to the player. A greater threat is hinted at, as seen by subtle ambience events such as footsteps above you, ominous noises, and haunting tension throughout the manor. However, unlike the games that inspired The Glass Staircase, there is no greater threat roaming the mansion, there are no enemies, no combat, no evasion, nothing. These three playthroughs serve to lead up to playthrough-ending three setpieces, each having flaws. The first two although accompanied by effective jumpscares, were too short to truly be effective. The third had the opposite problem, a longer experience that leads us to grow attached to Dorothy but resulting in a mediocre end to her.
The game shines in it’s final act, when we take control of Margaret. Margaret is met with no intercom message and upon leaving her room she finds a rifle and a note, urging her to take care of the threat in the laboratory below the mansion. I didn’t expect this game to introduce combat at this stage, although it is clunky and inaccurate, it serves the game well. I find that oftentimes difficult controls can contribute to the overall experience of horror as it can lead to claustrophobia and tension fighting with the dated controls. Here the criticisms I had previously are subverted, establishing Helen, Betty, and Dorothy’s escape attempts as essentially a prologue and although each didn’t accomplish much, what they did accomplish allowed for progress that helped the subsequent girl make escaping less of a fantasy and more of a reality.
Here we encounter further inspiration from Resident Evil, with a decrepit laboratory, the game once again shines artistically. Margaret has several interesting setpieces. Equipped with a rifle, Margaret would eventually find herself in the laboratory morgue, where she sees a figure in the distance, facing the wall, brandishing a knife. After approaching, Margaret realises it’s Dorothy and a small battle commences. It’s in all honesty a poorly designed battle, you can outrun her simply and she will always miss you if you’re in motion. After a few rounds of your rifle, you dispatch of Dorothy and move on to the main laboratory.
Here another major boss battle occurs, finally revealing the cool design of the monster which I actually really like. The laboratory also looks fantastic, and serves as an excellent backdrop to this battle. Gameplay-wise, the fight plays out effectively the same as the previous. Simply circling the obstacles to gain some distance and firing shots into him, except for a much longer time period. It’s nothing special, but stands out to me, and might be my favorite fight in a Puppet Combo game I’ve played so far simply down to the design of the monster and the unique location. This segment is followed by introducing several zombie-type enemies, asking the player to evade them and make their escape. This section was really fun to me, and I just wish we had more of these kinds of experiences throughout the rest of the game. It unfortunately feels like the game ends so shortly after finally getting interesting, which is a major downside of the experience. Following the escape, we’re met by a stranger and escorted away, assumedly the same man who left us the rifle and note from earlier, but this also feels like a strange writing decision and seems shoehorned in.
The Glass Staircase is stylistically fantastic. Brimming with grandiose architecture, the mansion feels eerily familiar yet unsettling. A makeshift early 1900s laboratory established in this creepy basement is also a very interesting area to explore. However, what strips away from this game is that aside from three rooms in the entire manor, there is NO threat whatsoever. This quickly strips the tension away upon a second playthrough. With the problem of notes which I’ll discuss later, it breaks the gameplay up, leaving an ambitious project feeling stale towards the end of it’s runtime. There are undoubtedly times where the fixed camera angles were obstructive and poorly designed in it’s flow from one scene to the next, which is to honestly be expected of these kinds of titles.
I feel mixed about the game in an auditory sense. The ambiance that accompanies Helen early on is excellent with the ominous piano in the distance. Comforting rain is present with Betty, which is stripped away after retrieving the package, leaving the outdoor maze feeling uneasy. I found the ambience with Dorothy to be underwhelming, a consistent whirring track that fluctuates high and low in pitch repeatedly, no matter the environment. Margaret’s run primarily lacks an ambience but in the event of setpieces we get some excellent scores. I particularly love the laboratory battle, the combination of the desperate groans of the monster with the swelling track just adds a good amount of tension to the event. I love the sound design for the effects in this game, the creaking of metal doors, the crinkling turn of the pages of old journals, and the satisfying menu noises upon interacting with key items.
As discussed earlier notes litter the environment, giving us the most in depth story from Puppet Combo to date. I did read all of the lore, however, it is quite overwhelming and extensive. Resident Evil and other games that inspired The Glass Staircase would use these notes sparingly and rarely surpassed a high word count. Gameplay and cutscenes would usually carry the main narrative, and supplementary lore would be disclosed to the player through in-game notes and files. However, in The Glass Staircase the opposite is true. It’s possible to beat the game, not understanding the compelling story presented here, leaving the game feeling much more generic. I believe I spent as much time reading in this game as I did playing. I can see the majority of players lacking this patience, and it’s something I have to criticise the game for.
It’s difficult to call this game a survival horror game because there isn’t really a struggle of any sorts. Linear puzzles make the experience feel relatively easy to beat in comparison to other games in this genre. I never really found myself feeling like I was trying to survive. Of course, later setpieces with Margaret had combat, but they were incredibly easy due to awkward AI behaviour. The evasion section was the most challenging, but it was too short-lived to feel impactful in any real way.
I read on a reddit forum that Puppet Combo planned on making a Director's Cut of the game with more checkpoints, less notes, a new prologue, and more cutscenes. If this rumour is true I urge Puppet Combo to do so. The game would benefit so much if it’s story can be told dynamically within the game. I also think the idea of having lurking threats throughout the manor across the four playthroughs would be an exceptional upgrade. Actually having weight behind the well-designed manor, the game doesn’t take advantage of the potential it clearly shows, which harms the fondness I have for it. I have to applaud Puppet Combo for expanding his runtime, this is a much longer experience, and I think his take on horror is told exceptionally well in these longer games than the shorter ones we’re used to. There’s a lot of effort here, but a rework or rerelease would vastly increase this games score.
The Glass Staircase represents one such game. Graphically it holds the low fidelity we have come to expect of Puppet Combo titles but has a modernised tank control system and operates on a grander scale compared to his previous games. It is unapologetically a love letter to Resident Evil 1 in it’s gameplay and premise, even down to the door animations, and is heavily inspired with stylistic motifs of Rule of Rose and Clock Tower. I usually try to avoid talking about spoilers in my reviews, however, I believe it is hard to summarise the experience without touching on some of the finer details.
I was impressed initially with The Glass Staircase, as I write this review however after replaying the game a second time, I found a lot to criticise about this title. The Glass Staircase stands out uniquely amongst the Puppet Combo anthology that we have discussed this far. It's premise follows four indentured servant girls who one by one are summoned to perform chores in a desolate mansion with the false promise of freedom upon completion.
Each day one of the girls is selected for freedom by the intercom, urged to take their pill, complete their chores, and be a “good girl”. Helen is first, and although her escape attempt is short, there are several interesting in-game notes to find, and a very effective jumpscare that caused me to mistrust certain mechanics for the rest of the playthrough. Helen’s journey serves as an introduction to the locale, the premise, and the ambiance. Betty is up next, with a likewise, short experience. Tasked to retrieve a parcel from outside, Betty must locate it at the gate but finds herself lost in a maze where she is ambushed by a tall disfigured monster. Another effective jumpscare. Dorothy is up next, and has a slightly longer experience comparative to the previous failed escapees. Dorothy’s playthrough involves more exploration and puzzle solving, and ends with a mediocre end as a chandelier drops and crushes our third protagonist.
Reflecting on the game so far, although unbeknownst to the player at this stage, The Glass Staircase had no genuine threat to the player. A greater threat is hinted at, as seen by subtle ambience events such as footsteps above you, ominous noises, and haunting tension throughout the manor. However, unlike the games that inspired The Glass Staircase, there is no greater threat roaming the mansion, there are no enemies, no combat, no evasion, nothing. These three playthroughs serve to lead up to playthrough-ending three setpieces, each having flaws. The first two although accompanied by effective jumpscares, were too short to truly be effective. The third had the opposite problem, a longer experience that leads us to grow attached to Dorothy but resulting in a mediocre end to her.
The game shines in it’s final act, when we take control of Margaret. Margaret is met with no intercom message and upon leaving her room she finds a rifle and a note, urging her to take care of the threat in the laboratory below the mansion. I didn’t expect this game to introduce combat at this stage, although it is clunky and inaccurate, it serves the game well. I find that oftentimes difficult controls can contribute to the overall experience of horror as it can lead to claustrophobia and tension fighting with the dated controls. Here the criticisms I had previously are subverted, establishing Helen, Betty, and Dorothy’s escape attempts as essentially a prologue and although each didn’t accomplish much, what they did accomplish allowed for progress that helped the subsequent girl make escaping less of a fantasy and more of a reality.
Here we encounter further inspiration from Resident Evil, with a decrepit laboratory, the game once again shines artistically. Margaret has several interesting setpieces. Equipped with a rifle, Margaret would eventually find herself in the laboratory morgue, where she sees a figure in the distance, facing the wall, brandishing a knife. After approaching, Margaret realises it’s Dorothy and a small battle commences. It’s in all honesty a poorly designed battle, you can outrun her simply and she will always miss you if you’re in motion. After a few rounds of your rifle, you dispatch of Dorothy and move on to the main laboratory.
Here another major boss battle occurs, finally revealing the cool design of the monster which I actually really like. The laboratory also looks fantastic, and serves as an excellent backdrop to this battle. Gameplay-wise, the fight plays out effectively the same as the previous. Simply circling the obstacles to gain some distance and firing shots into him, except for a much longer time period. It’s nothing special, but stands out to me, and might be my favorite fight in a Puppet Combo game I’ve played so far simply down to the design of the monster and the unique location. This segment is followed by introducing several zombie-type enemies, asking the player to evade them and make their escape. This section was really fun to me, and I just wish we had more of these kinds of experiences throughout the rest of the game. It unfortunately feels like the game ends so shortly after finally getting interesting, which is a major downside of the experience. Following the escape, we’re met by a stranger and escorted away, assumedly the same man who left us the rifle and note from earlier, but this also feels like a strange writing decision and seems shoehorned in.
The Glass Staircase is stylistically fantastic. Brimming with grandiose architecture, the mansion feels eerily familiar yet unsettling. A makeshift early 1900s laboratory established in this creepy basement is also a very interesting area to explore. However, what strips away from this game is that aside from three rooms in the entire manor, there is NO threat whatsoever. This quickly strips the tension away upon a second playthrough. With the problem of notes which I’ll discuss later, it breaks the gameplay up, leaving an ambitious project feeling stale towards the end of it’s runtime. There are undoubtedly times where the fixed camera angles were obstructive and poorly designed in it’s flow from one scene to the next, which is to honestly be expected of these kinds of titles.
I feel mixed about the game in an auditory sense. The ambiance that accompanies Helen early on is excellent with the ominous piano in the distance. Comforting rain is present with Betty, which is stripped away after retrieving the package, leaving the outdoor maze feeling uneasy. I found the ambience with Dorothy to be underwhelming, a consistent whirring track that fluctuates high and low in pitch repeatedly, no matter the environment. Margaret’s run primarily lacks an ambience but in the event of setpieces we get some excellent scores. I particularly love the laboratory battle, the combination of the desperate groans of the monster with the swelling track just adds a good amount of tension to the event. I love the sound design for the effects in this game, the creaking of metal doors, the crinkling turn of the pages of old journals, and the satisfying menu noises upon interacting with key items.
As discussed earlier notes litter the environment, giving us the most in depth story from Puppet Combo to date. I did read all of the lore, however, it is quite overwhelming and extensive. Resident Evil and other games that inspired The Glass Staircase would use these notes sparingly and rarely surpassed a high word count. Gameplay and cutscenes would usually carry the main narrative, and supplementary lore would be disclosed to the player through in-game notes and files. However, in The Glass Staircase the opposite is true. It’s possible to beat the game, not understanding the compelling story presented here, leaving the game feeling much more generic. I believe I spent as much time reading in this game as I did playing. I can see the majority of players lacking this patience, and it’s something I have to criticise the game for.
It’s difficult to call this game a survival horror game because there isn’t really a struggle of any sorts. Linear puzzles make the experience feel relatively easy to beat in comparison to other games in this genre. I never really found myself feeling like I was trying to survive. Of course, later setpieces with Margaret had combat, but they were incredibly easy due to awkward AI behaviour. The evasion section was the most challenging, but it was too short-lived to feel impactful in any real way.
I read on a reddit forum that Puppet Combo planned on making a Director's Cut of the game with more checkpoints, less notes, a new prologue, and more cutscenes. If this rumour is true I urge Puppet Combo to do so. The game would benefit so much if it’s story can be told dynamically within the game. I also think the idea of having lurking threats throughout the manor across the four playthroughs would be an exceptional upgrade. Actually having weight behind the well-designed manor, the game doesn’t take advantage of the potential it clearly shows, which harms the fondness I have for it. I have to applaud Puppet Combo for expanding his runtime, this is a much longer experience, and I think his take on horror is told exceptionally well in these longer games than the shorter ones we’re used to. There’s a lot of effort here, but a rework or rerelease would vastly increase this games score.
2018
It was clear from Puppet Combo's conception that they were keen on someday creating an experience that would allow the player to control a killer. This was evident from some of their earlier playable experiences like Texas Butcher which I have reviewed previously. Killing NPCs is an inherent experience in most video games, but it isn't something that is actively planned in the minds of most.The game is incredibly taboo and feels really jarring and unsettling to play.
Feed Me Billy has you assume the role of the eponymous killer Billy, a man driven by an unsettling desire to appease the cravings of a ravenous, flesh-consuming void residing in his closet. The game consists of three distinct scenarios, in each one, Billy is awoken, equips his clown mask and revolver and sets out to hunt for appropriate victims.
In scenario one, Billy lurks near a gas station late at night, spotting a woman using a pay phone. He strategically parks his car in the nearby woods, swiftly murders her, and transports her lifeless body to his vehicle.
The second scenario finds Billy again parking in the woods, stumbling upon a vibrant campsite where three unsuspecting individuals are enjoying themselves. Without hesitation, he brutally eliminates them, collecting their remains to feed the insatiable void in his closet.
In the final scenario, Billy encounters a cluster of small houses by the roadside. He enters one with an unlocked door, ruthlessly slaughters the inhabitants, and adds their bodies to his car. As the grotesque void devours the corpses, an eerie goat-like creature materializes, accompanied by the enigmatic message, "All Done." The game abruptly ends, leaving players haunted by the lingering mystery.
I interpreted this experience as the void being an internal representation of the craving to satisfy the itch for taking human life. Billy is addicted to pornography, a common affliction for serial killers, and the game follows him struggling with resisting these unholy urges he has within. This game is on the verge of the crossing the conceptual line of what is an acceptable premise for a video game. Feed Me Billy would undoubtedly be showered in controversy if it was widely known, and is the kind of game that would be shunned by most.
The atmosphere is unsettling, but not for us. It's disturbing to approach people from a distance, with your objective established, unaware of their fate. It is extremely fucked up. This uncomfortability is escalated when you're noticed and further exemplified when you pull the trigger and the audio does a great job of solidifying these themes of unease and guilt.
As mentioned earlier, there are plenty of games that allow you to play as a killer. Dead By Daylight, Friday The 13th, but none feel more unsettling or intentional in their desire to replicate the kinds of emotions it would invoke to take a life like Feed Me Billy does. Most wouldn't even touch the game after reading what you're capable of doing. Many more wouldn't finish it. But I challenged myself to experience the entire library of this studio, even the games I feel uncomfortable experiencing. I wouldn't recommend this game to people, and I feel like it is one of those rare pieces of media that if discovered at a young age could vastly twist the mental development of impressionable youths. There aren't many adult-only games, but I feel like a new ESRB rating should be established for titles like these where you must pass a mental soundness test prior to playing so that you are resistant to the impressionable feelings of excitement that one may get replicating this lifestyle. Puppet Combo I love you guys, but you are wild for this one.
Feed Me Billy has you assume the role of the eponymous killer Billy, a man driven by an unsettling desire to appease the cravings of a ravenous, flesh-consuming void residing in his closet. The game consists of three distinct scenarios, in each one, Billy is awoken, equips his clown mask and revolver and sets out to hunt for appropriate victims.
In scenario one, Billy lurks near a gas station late at night, spotting a woman using a pay phone. He strategically parks his car in the nearby woods, swiftly murders her, and transports her lifeless body to his vehicle.
The second scenario finds Billy again parking in the woods, stumbling upon a vibrant campsite where three unsuspecting individuals are enjoying themselves. Without hesitation, he brutally eliminates them, collecting their remains to feed the insatiable void in his closet.
In the final scenario, Billy encounters a cluster of small houses by the roadside. He enters one with an unlocked door, ruthlessly slaughters the inhabitants, and adds their bodies to his car. As the grotesque void devours the corpses, an eerie goat-like creature materializes, accompanied by the enigmatic message, "All Done." The game abruptly ends, leaving players haunted by the lingering mystery.
I interpreted this experience as the void being an internal representation of the craving to satisfy the itch for taking human life. Billy is addicted to pornography, a common affliction for serial killers, and the game follows him struggling with resisting these unholy urges he has within. This game is on the verge of the crossing the conceptual line of what is an acceptable premise for a video game. Feed Me Billy would undoubtedly be showered in controversy if it was widely known, and is the kind of game that would be shunned by most.
The atmosphere is unsettling, but not for us. It's disturbing to approach people from a distance, with your objective established, unaware of their fate. It is extremely fucked up. This uncomfortability is escalated when you're noticed and further exemplified when you pull the trigger and the audio does a great job of solidifying these themes of unease and guilt.
As mentioned earlier, there are plenty of games that allow you to play as a killer. Dead By Daylight, Friday The 13th, but none feel more unsettling or intentional in their desire to replicate the kinds of emotions it would invoke to take a life like Feed Me Billy does. Most wouldn't even touch the game after reading what you're capable of doing. Many more wouldn't finish it. But I challenged myself to experience the entire library of this studio, even the games I feel uncomfortable experiencing. I wouldn't recommend this game to people, and I feel like it is one of those rare pieces of media that if discovered at a young age could vastly twist the mental development of impressionable youths. There aren't many adult-only games, but I feel like a new ESRB rating should be established for titles like these where you must pass a mental soundness test prior to playing so that you are resistant to the impressionable feelings of excitement that one may get replicating this lifestyle. Puppet Combo I love you guys, but you are wild for this one.
2018
Night Shift establishes a much shorter horror experience which is centered around one major scripted set-piece. The game focuses on building an ominous atmosphere, invoking isolation and paranoia in the player.
Players assume the role of Debra Kopiske, a night shift gas station cashier that takes over from the previous clerk. Debra is assigned with general routine duties like sweeping the floors, restocking the shelves, and managing the cash register. Things seem to be going well, and despite the atmosphere there appears to be little threat within the initial moments of the game. However, an unsettling atmosphere begins to build as Debra notices a mysterious white van circling the gas station repeatedly. After dealing with several customers, one in particular appears exceedingly suspicious. As he leaves, the silence is broken by the sound of someone entering the property. Fueled by a mixture of curiosity and apprehension, she embarks on an investigation that ultimately leads her into a perilous confrontation with the Night Shift Abductor.
Unlike other Puppet Combo games, there is no established threat that serves to warn the player. Instead, the game design approach is used to invoke uncertainty as the player isn't sure of the intentions of those who come to the gas station. This highlights a new avenue of horror-related feelings, and serves to encourage the player to mistrust and question all of the strange happenings both inside and outside the gas station. This must be a very real experience and fear that many night shift workers have had to endure or question.
The game has significantly more dialogue than any other Puppet Combo game thus far, and actually incorporates a lot of humour which complimented the perilous atmosphere that would later arise. With the release of Scary Tales Vol 1, an anthology of Puppet Combo shorts, and a release of the sequel Stay Out of the House, Night Shift would receive an update featuring voice acting, which is the current standard for modern Puppet Combo releases.
There's something impressive about the atmosphere within this game. Although brief, the uneasiness is everpresent, and you can never shake the feeling that you're being watched. I do feel disappointed with the fact that there isn't a lot of leniancy in the freedom of the experience, it is very much designed to be played in a specific way, leading up to a single jumpscare. Although this moment is effective, I can't help but feel as if this could have gone on for much longer. I compare it to [Chilla's Art] The Closing Shift and I see very similar ideas executed in vastly different ways.
One of my favourite touches in Night Shift is the presence of a playable arcade machine, featuring an 8-bit rendition of the events of Power Drill Massacre, featuring the classic jumpscare noise and dialogue reworked into the gameplay akin to an Atari 2600. This is a really nice detail, and highlights the studio's desire to stay true to their roots.
Although familiar with other Puppet Combo titles, the artstyle feels like it was upgraded once more. Their horror experiences feel much more intense within claustrophobic environments and interiors such as the gas station, boarding school, and factory as opposed to open-ended large city environments as seen in The Night Ripper. I have praised the artstyle countless times throughout my playthrough of Puppet Combo games but it truly does deserve it's honourable mention with every title as it has reintroduced this artstyle into the indie game horror scene. A short experience, but I would recommend experiencing even if it's just watched on YouTube, as it is well-crafted despite it's linearity.
Players assume the role of Debra Kopiske, a night shift gas station cashier that takes over from the previous clerk. Debra is assigned with general routine duties like sweeping the floors, restocking the shelves, and managing the cash register. Things seem to be going well, and despite the atmosphere there appears to be little threat within the initial moments of the game. However, an unsettling atmosphere begins to build as Debra notices a mysterious white van circling the gas station repeatedly. After dealing with several customers, one in particular appears exceedingly suspicious. As he leaves, the silence is broken by the sound of someone entering the property. Fueled by a mixture of curiosity and apprehension, she embarks on an investigation that ultimately leads her into a perilous confrontation with the Night Shift Abductor.
Unlike other Puppet Combo games, there is no established threat that serves to warn the player. Instead, the game design approach is used to invoke uncertainty as the player isn't sure of the intentions of those who come to the gas station. This highlights a new avenue of horror-related feelings, and serves to encourage the player to mistrust and question all of the strange happenings both inside and outside the gas station. This must be a very real experience and fear that many night shift workers have had to endure or question.
The game has significantly more dialogue than any other Puppet Combo game thus far, and actually incorporates a lot of humour which complimented the perilous atmosphere that would later arise. With the release of Scary Tales Vol 1, an anthology of Puppet Combo shorts, and a release of the sequel Stay Out of the House, Night Shift would receive an update featuring voice acting, which is the current standard for modern Puppet Combo releases.
There's something impressive about the atmosphere within this game. Although brief, the uneasiness is everpresent, and you can never shake the feeling that you're being watched. I do feel disappointed with the fact that there isn't a lot of leniancy in the freedom of the experience, it is very much designed to be played in a specific way, leading up to a single jumpscare. Although this moment is effective, I can't help but feel as if this could have gone on for much longer. I compare it to [Chilla's Art] The Closing Shift and I see very similar ideas executed in vastly different ways.
One of my favourite touches in Night Shift is the presence of a playable arcade machine, featuring an 8-bit rendition of the events of Power Drill Massacre, featuring the classic jumpscare noise and dialogue reworked into the gameplay akin to an Atari 2600. This is a really nice detail, and highlights the studio's desire to stay true to their roots.
Although familiar with other Puppet Combo titles, the artstyle feels like it was upgraded once more. Their horror experiences feel much more intense within claustrophobic environments and interiors such as the gas station, boarding school, and factory as opposed to open-ended large city environments as seen in The Night Ripper. I have praised the artstyle countless times throughout my playthrough of Puppet Combo games but it truly does deserve it's honourable mention with every title as it has reintroduced this artstyle into the indie game horror scene. A short experience, but I would recommend experiencing even if it's just watched on YouTube, as it is well-crafted despite it's linearity.
2018
Nun Massacre is the first Puppet Combo game I'm reviewing that reached widespread virality and notability, played by almost any internet content creator imaginable. Whilst games like Babysitter Bloodbath received some attention, nothing would compare to the success of Nun Massacre. It would also be the first title that was ported to console and mobile which highlights the success of the game. After the underwhelming performance of Spiders it appears as if Puppet Combo wanted to return to a format they were more comfortable with as seen in Power Drill Massacre and take it to a brand new level.
Upon receiving a letter surrounding an unfortunate illness befalling your daughter, you make a trip to pick her up from the religious boarding school she currently resides in, discovering the aftermath of something terrible and viciously pursued by a heavenly threat.
After experiencing your first jumpscare in Nun Massacre you will never want to experience anything like this ever again. Multiple factors contribute to this; the eerie and uncanny appearance of the nun with her bleeding eyes and doll-like face, the sheer speed that she chases you with, the haunting crescendo of ambiance that blares at you like a fire truck. All of these elements combine to create a hauntingly unpleasant experience, so much so that you will spend the rest of the game praying (no pun intended) that you never encounter her again.
It's possible to hide from the nun, however it does not guarantee your safety. Scrambling under a bed or other designated hiding spots in most video games would guarantee your safety for a short while as long as you aren't spotted. However, in this game, there's a chance the nun will approach these hiding spots and check which will most certainly catch you off guard the first time as it goes against the in-game logic of most titles.
If you are spotted by the nun in any capacity, the only way to escape is to run as fast and far as you can until her line of sight is broken. Her presence is indicated by the static of the screen, but as discussed earlier, that anticipation of the jumpscare is so frightening. It's an assault on all of your senses and requires an immediate reaction as you're in imminent danger when they occur. This can make it difficult to react appropriately in the event of these jumpscares, and unforuntately the game will reset upon dying.
Atmospherically the audio design is guided by the rainstorm outside, the occasional banging or pitter patter of footsteps, and the contrast between calm moments with those where you are pursued serve well to build tension. Whilst the narrative has never been weak in previous Puppet Combo titles, they were inarguably simple. It is much stronger in Nun Massacre, with five endings, a killer with a much more menacing backstory, and really disturbing lore found throughout the boarding school.
The environments are claustrophobic and multi-layered, littered with containers to search, puzzles to solve, ventilation shafts to traverse, and hiding spots to find safety within. A religious boarding school serves as an excellent backdrop to a horror game, with the release of Nun Massacre in 2018, it would coincide with the film The Nun, also released in 2018. As the nun acts as an active stalker within the school, areas will never feel truly safe, jumpscares aren't scripted and you will never be entirely sure if a hallway or staircase is safe to move through until it's too late.
Further bonus content exists too with the release of the definitive edition. With new territories to avoid the nun in, possessing new skins and with new environments such as a factory based on Power Drill Massacre, a circus, and even the backrooms. These maps have different layouts, different text files to find and unique introductions and endings.
Nun Massacre received a lot of tender loving care from Puppet Combo, and established the studio as a household name in the indie horror scene. The puzzles are simple but excellent in their execution and demand a lot of exploration and backtracking. When you're aware of what is needed, the game can be completed relatively fast, however that first playthrough will undoubtedly be cemented in your mind as a truly terrifying experience. What holds the game back is that it is almost too scary to fully enjoy, as the barrage of dread and stress that accompanies a playthrough of this game will sink the spirit of most who dare to achieve even a single ending in the game.
Upon receiving a letter surrounding an unfortunate illness befalling your daughter, you make a trip to pick her up from the religious boarding school she currently resides in, discovering the aftermath of something terrible and viciously pursued by a heavenly threat.
After experiencing your first jumpscare in Nun Massacre you will never want to experience anything like this ever again. Multiple factors contribute to this; the eerie and uncanny appearance of the nun with her bleeding eyes and doll-like face, the sheer speed that she chases you with, the haunting crescendo of ambiance that blares at you like a fire truck. All of these elements combine to create a hauntingly unpleasant experience, so much so that you will spend the rest of the game praying (no pun intended) that you never encounter her again.
It's possible to hide from the nun, however it does not guarantee your safety. Scrambling under a bed or other designated hiding spots in most video games would guarantee your safety for a short while as long as you aren't spotted. However, in this game, there's a chance the nun will approach these hiding spots and check which will most certainly catch you off guard the first time as it goes against the in-game logic of most titles.
If you are spotted by the nun in any capacity, the only way to escape is to run as fast and far as you can until her line of sight is broken. Her presence is indicated by the static of the screen, but as discussed earlier, that anticipation of the jumpscare is so frightening. It's an assault on all of your senses and requires an immediate reaction as you're in imminent danger when they occur. This can make it difficult to react appropriately in the event of these jumpscares, and unforuntately the game will reset upon dying.
Atmospherically the audio design is guided by the rainstorm outside, the occasional banging or pitter patter of footsteps, and the contrast between calm moments with those where you are pursued serve well to build tension. Whilst the narrative has never been weak in previous Puppet Combo titles, they were inarguably simple. It is much stronger in Nun Massacre, with five endings, a killer with a much more menacing backstory, and really disturbing lore found throughout the boarding school.
The environments are claustrophobic and multi-layered, littered with containers to search, puzzles to solve, ventilation shafts to traverse, and hiding spots to find safety within. A religious boarding school serves as an excellent backdrop to a horror game, with the release of Nun Massacre in 2018, it would coincide with the film The Nun, also released in 2018. As the nun acts as an active stalker within the school, areas will never feel truly safe, jumpscares aren't scripted and you will never be entirely sure if a hallway or staircase is safe to move through until it's too late.
Further bonus content exists too with the release of the definitive edition. With new territories to avoid the nun in, possessing new skins and with new environments such as a factory based on Power Drill Massacre, a circus, and even the backrooms. These maps have different layouts, different text files to find and unique introductions and endings.
Nun Massacre received a lot of tender loving care from Puppet Combo, and established the studio as a household name in the indie horror scene. The puzzles are simple but excellent in their execution and demand a lot of exploration and backtracking. When you're aware of what is needed, the game can be completed relatively fast, however that first playthrough will undoubtedly be cemented in your mind as a truly terrifying experience. What holds the game back is that it is almost too scary to fully enjoy, as the barrage of dread and stress that accompanies a playthrough of this game will sink the spirit of most who dare to achieve even a single ending in the game.
2018
Puppet Combo are well-endowed with knowledge of horror in it's various capacities and it seems like almost every title is preying on different fears and is inspired by different horror properties both within cinema and the videogame industry. Where previous titles have drawn inspiration from slasher flicks and deep-web horror, Spiders is fundamentally routed in the fear of spiders or arachnophobia. This was prevalent in many of the horror movies in the 70s that were focused on more fantastical natural horrors like giant insects. It also adds thematic elements common in many analog horror media, highlighted by emergency broadcasting etc.
Visually Spiders feels like an upgrade on previous titles. It capitalizes on the already established style of their previous games but with a fresh twist. Spiders was undoubtedly heavily inspired by early 1990s first-person shooters such as DOOM and Wolfenstein. Some of these similarities include the HUD, the 2-D enemy sprites, the various weaponry and gun mechanics. It beautifully combines this style with the gameplay concept of Call of Duty: Zombies, featuring a horde-like gameplay loop, repairing windows, and health/ammunition management.
These influences come from an entirely different realm of horror-related media than we're used to from this development team, and yet Puppet Combo managed to create a simplistic but well-crafted product. The premise is straightforward, protect your family from the endless armada of spiders. There isn't much depth to this game, but it's a fun replayable experience that I'd recommend trying out due to it's unique blend of concepts.
Being a horde/zombie game, you must protect the basement where your family are taking refuge, and board various windows and entryways in order to buy yourself time as you mow down countless arachnids. There are various different types of spiders that offer different challenges including boss fights, whose healthbars are conveyed through an old school CRT TV volume menu which is a nice touch. Webs must be cut down with the machete, and by defending you and your family you earn new weaponry to join your anti-spider defense arsenal.
I think this game was abandoned following a few patches, but if Puppet Combo were to have added multiplayer and new maps, I think this game could have actually been something special in the indie game scene. I mean who isn't afraid of 2-D sprites of oversized spiders? The game is such a big deviation from what we're used to from Puppet Combo that I believe this in combination with it's short length is why the game was ultimately abandoned and remains one of the studio's most overlooked titles. However, I do see great potential here, and I would love to see Puppet Combo tackle something like this again. Following it's barebones implementation however, I can't feel comfortable giving it too high of a score despite the fact I enjoyed my brief experience with the game.
Visually Spiders feels like an upgrade on previous titles. It capitalizes on the already established style of their previous games but with a fresh twist. Spiders was undoubtedly heavily inspired by early 1990s first-person shooters such as DOOM and Wolfenstein. Some of these similarities include the HUD, the 2-D enemy sprites, the various weaponry and gun mechanics. It beautifully combines this style with the gameplay concept of Call of Duty: Zombies, featuring a horde-like gameplay loop, repairing windows, and health/ammunition management.
These influences come from an entirely different realm of horror-related media than we're used to from this development team, and yet Puppet Combo managed to create a simplistic but well-crafted product. The premise is straightforward, protect your family from the endless armada of spiders. There isn't much depth to this game, but it's a fun replayable experience that I'd recommend trying out due to it's unique blend of concepts.
Being a horde/zombie game, you must protect the basement where your family are taking refuge, and board various windows and entryways in order to buy yourself time as you mow down countless arachnids. There are various different types of spiders that offer different challenges including boss fights, whose healthbars are conveyed through an old school CRT TV volume menu which is a nice touch. Webs must be cut down with the machete, and by defending you and your family you earn new weaponry to join your anti-spider defense arsenal.
I think this game was abandoned following a few patches, but if Puppet Combo were to have added multiplayer and new maps, I think this game could have actually been something special in the indie game scene. I mean who isn't afraid of 2-D sprites of oversized spiders? The game is such a big deviation from what we're used to from Puppet Combo that I believe this in combination with it's short length is why the game was ultimately abandoned and remains one of the studio's most overlooked titles. However, I do see great potential here, and I would love to see Puppet Combo tackle something like this again. Following it's barebones implementation however, I can't feel comfortable giving it too high of a score despite the fact I enjoyed my brief experience with the game.
2017
The Night Ripper's skeleton closely resembles that of Power Drill Massacre, paying homage to their first established title. While staying true to their roots, they have incorporated valuable lessons learned from their previous projects, better incorporating elements of atmospheric horror, suspenseful pacing, and unnerving tension.
In the world of Puppet Combo's The Night Ripper, Rachel, a young waitress at a Diner, finds herself living and working in a neighbourhood plagued by a serial killer. Despite this threat, Rachel attempts to walk home which becomes a decision she soon regrets. Now, pursued by a relentless killer, Rachel faces a turbulent journey to reach the safety of her own home.
Puppet Combo, at this stage in their lifespan as a development studio, have begun to possess a profound understanding of how to instill fear in their audience, expertly crafting a foreboding atmosphere that steadily intensifies tension and suspense throughout the experience. The Night Ripper builds this tension in a multifaceted way.
We start the game in the Diner, which serves as a refuge, surrounded by other people and enclosed in a well-lit space. Here the game employs a simple yet effective introduction to establish the imminent threat that a serial killer is active in the area. Supplementing the introduction is a controversial radio host show, giving their thoughts on the situation. These elements serve to keep the fear of this killer in the back of our minds, knowing that once we leave the safety of the Diner we are likely putting Rachel and thereby ourselves at risk. As we explore the maze-like city infrastructure, complementing these elements are strategically placed newspapers that succinctly summarize the antagonist's past actions, further deepening the sense of dread.
Many of the lore tidbits mention the killer's use of a black sedan, and the game utilises the presence of this black sedan as a motif for horror. From the outset, the player is made aware of its significance, heightening their vigilance. As they progress, the unsettling sight of the sedan circling nearby buildings while navigating their way home serves as a masterful tool to evoke a profound sense of uneasiness and escalating tension within the player. If the killer notices you, the sedan will come to a sudden halt, and The Night Ripper will swiftly exit the vehicle and pursue you relentlessly.
The game is strictly in first person, which is a vast difference from their previous titles. Although a first person perspective was an option in most of their games, none have forced this perspective as the sole camera angle until The Night Ripper. However, this exclusive use of the first-person view reveals some shortcomings in the game's low-poly environments. The city serves as a maze-like area for the player to weave and walk through, and unfortunately it looks abandoned in a way that doesn't do justice to the game's design. Consequently, the environments can feel repetitive, leading to moments of disorientation that initially contribute to a sense of anxiety and dread, but eventually give way to frustration.
The audio design is excellent, I love the music throughout the game, standing out as something that is actually pleasant to listen to which isn't usually common for horror tracks. The ambiance builds and settles like waves crashing on the ocean, and rises to a crescendo in the heat of pursuit which can elevate the panic of pursuit.
Overall, Puppet Combo are trying to create an experience here that doesn't rely on ear-piercing jumpscares, but instead uses suspense and avoidance gameplay to invoke fear in the player. There are several "stages" to the environment in The Night Ripper, and there are several sections where the sedan becomes meaningless and the killer will stalk you throughout buildings and even across rooftops. Although the tension is fantastic, I can't say I'm impressed with the killer's design visually. Throughout their previous games there have also been ways to fight back against the threat, however in this title that seems to have been stripped away. This leads to an ending that isn't satisfying for me personally and doesn't really conclude the greater narrative of the active killer and more-so just temporarily grants Rachel survival, leading to an overall disappointing conclusion.
In the world of Puppet Combo's The Night Ripper, Rachel, a young waitress at a Diner, finds herself living and working in a neighbourhood plagued by a serial killer. Despite this threat, Rachel attempts to walk home which becomes a decision she soon regrets. Now, pursued by a relentless killer, Rachel faces a turbulent journey to reach the safety of her own home.
Puppet Combo, at this stage in their lifespan as a development studio, have begun to possess a profound understanding of how to instill fear in their audience, expertly crafting a foreboding atmosphere that steadily intensifies tension and suspense throughout the experience. The Night Ripper builds this tension in a multifaceted way.
We start the game in the Diner, which serves as a refuge, surrounded by other people and enclosed in a well-lit space. Here the game employs a simple yet effective introduction to establish the imminent threat that a serial killer is active in the area. Supplementing the introduction is a controversial radio host show, giving their thoughts on the situation. These elements serve to keep the fear of this killer in the back of our minds, knowing that once we leave the safety of the Diner we are likely putting Rachel and thereby ourselves at risk. As we explore the maze-like city infrastructure, complementing these elements are strategically placed newspapers that succinctly summarize the antagonist's past actions, further deepening the sense of dread.
Many of the lore tidbits mention the killer's use of a black sedan, and the game utilises the presence of this black sedan as a motif for horror. From the outset, the player is made aware of its significance, heightening their vigilance. As they progress, the unsettling sight of the sedan circling nearby buildings while navigating their way home serves as a masterful tool to evoke a profound sense of uneasiness and escalating tension within the player. If the killer notices you, the sedan will come to a sudden halt, and The Night Ripper will swiftly exit the vehicle and pursue you relentlessly.
The game is strictly in first person, which is a vast difference from their previous titles. Although a first person perspective was an option in most of their games, none have forced this perspective as the sole camera angle until The Night Ripper. However, this exclusive use of the first-person view reveals some shortcomings in the game's low-poly environments. The city serves as a maze-like area for the player to weave and walk through, and unfortunately it looks abandoned in a way that doesn't do justice to the game's design. Consequently, the environments can feel repetitive, leading to moments of disorientation that initially contribute to a sense of anxiety and dread, but eventually give way to frustration.
The audio design is excellent, I love the music throughout the game, standing out as something that is actually pleasant to listen to which isn't usually common for horror tracks. The ambiance builds and settles like waves crashing on the ocean, and rises to a crescendo in the heat of pursuit which can elevate the panic of pursuit.
Overall, Puppet Combo are trying to create an experience here that doesn't rely on ear-piercing jumpscares, but instead uses suspense and avoidance gameplay to invoke fear in the player. There are several "stages" to the environment in The Night Ripper, and there are several sections where the sedan becomes meaningless and the killer will stalk you throughout buildings and even across rooftops. Although the tension is fantastic, I can't say I'm impressed with the killer's design visually. Throughout their previous games there have also been ways to fight back against the threat, however in this title that seems to have been stripped away. This leads to an ending that isn't satisfying for me personally and doesn't really conclude the greater narrative of the active killer and more-so just temporarily grants Rachel survival, leading to an overall disappointing conclusion.