What the game does borrow from, and contribute to, the Blair Witch mythos is exactly what made the movie such an effective piece of horror. For the overwhelming majority of it, there are no jump scares or cheap tricks. What you get instead is the terrifying sensation of being very lost, and very hunted in a forest that seemingly gets darker by the second, as you slowly start to question Ellis’ (and your own) sanity. For psychological horror fans like me, that alone is worth the price of admission. For video game fans, well, I’ll leave that to the experts.
In short, Wales Interactive really hit it out of the park with Maid Of Sker and if this game is an example of what’s to come, I, for one, absolutely can’t wait to see what they do next.
To be honest, I racked my brain to TRY and find something positive to say about this game. I can’t begin to imagine how much work goes into creating and executing a video game, and I don’t WANT to shit all over someone’s art. However, I also just can’t bring myself to promote something that is so irresponsible. What Happened had the potential to be an important commentary on mental illness, personal struggle, and hopelessness. Instead, it was a hopeless mess.
I know it may seem difficult to believe, but I didn’t actually hate the game. Aside from the issues I have with it from a narrative standpoint, it was fine, and therein lies my struggle to recommend it outright: It’s just fine. There is nothing particularly special or interesting or revolutionary in The Suicide of Rachel Foster that you couldn’t get in any other walking simulator without having to simultaneously excuse a story that explores predatory behaviour in a way that is questionable at best, and seriously harmful at worst.
If you’re a hockey fan and you’re looking to fill that deep, deep void in your soul left by the weird half-season-24-team-Stanley-Cup-playoff-format we had this year, or if you’re a fan of ridiculous injuries and senseless violence, or if you’re a fan of arcade style games, I genuinely recommend you give Super Blood Hockey a (slap)shot. See what I did there?
I didn’t hate Rebirth, but I also wish I’d liked it more than I did. While I do recognize that my own bias likely played a part in that, I also recognize that the characters, the story, and the settings were just, quite frankly, not that interesting to me in general. I felt that parts of Rebirth overstayed their welcome, and that parts of it felt shoehorned in as an attempt to diversify and distance itself from its predecessors. That being said, it does also effectively build upon past entries in a lot of ways, and I would absolutely recommend that fans of Frictional’s other games give it a shot. You likely won’t be disappointed, but you may find yourself underwhelmed. As for myself, I doubt I’ll be revisiting the Algerian desert any time soon.
If you’re able to get past the more irksome gameplay aspects, and have the patience and fortitude to uncover the house’s dark secrets, Visage will reward you with a gaming experience that will have you going to bed with the lights on after playing. All you have to do then is hope something isn’t lurking nearby, waiting to turn them off.