Perception Reviews
It's neither as engaging nor as terrifying as first-person horror games like Amnesia or SOMA, but its earnest spookiness goes a long way.
Even with an interesting concept, mediocre and repetive gameplay brings Perception down.
Review in Portuguese | Read full review
Perception gets everything wrong and is probably one of the worst games in 2017. Besides some decent creepy sound effects the game doesn't offer anything besides being a shallow walking simulator.
Review in German | Read full review
Overall, Perception is a relaxing yet tenseful game. A game that lets you experience how it is to lose sight. I can’t imagine having to navigate their world this way and all I can say it’s making me see them in a new light. It makes me thankful for my sight and makes me realize that blind people make do with what they have and still enjoy life as it is. I applaud the developers for bringing this experience to us that which makes me more considerate of what a blind person has to go through everyday.
Perception is a tough one to review, because it is a relatively short game that is at its core very similar to a lot of other action/horror titles out there. However, a clever mechanic combined with a very cool visual style helps to creates some excellent atmosphere that had me holding my breath on multiple occasions. In the end these smart design choices help to elevate Perception above the sea of also-ran titles in the genre, even if it never really quite realizes its potential.
It’s worth a go just to show that game developers are continuing to have amazing ideas to change gameplay, but finish it as quickly as you can and move on.
Perception is an adventure/horror game in which you play as a blind woman… If that doesn’t grab your attention, I don’t know what the heck will!
Perception is a good attempt at trying something new in the horror genre without ever really delivering on the scares.
Perception feels like a perfect blend between Gone Home and Beyond Eyes, and whilst neither of those are horror games, seeing the best aspects of each mixed into the horror genre doesn’t make for a bad game.
While it’s lighter on the scares than its big brothers in the horror genre, Perception ends up being much more memorable due to its well-crafted story and unique way of creating danger. Its central mechanic forces you to be careful and quiet, and its final chapter delivers a wallop that more than makes up for a slower start.
In the end, the game’s biggest fault is the missed opportunity. I commend Deep End Games for swinging for the fences, but a big swing and miss is still a miss, and it’s a shame. If you love horror games, then I think you might find the unique basis for this game worth checking out, despite the lack of terror. For everyone else? I’m afraid I just can’t unconditionally recommend Perception.
I had high hopes for Perception, which made this experience all the more unfortunate. Clearly The Deep End Games had a unique idea for a video game here, but it just doesn’t translate well to the medium. It’s evident by the care that went into researching the hardships that blind folks must deal with daily — like how Cassie uses her mind and technology to survive — that The Deep End Games is very passionate about the subject matter. However, in the end, this is a video game, and when the main gameplay mechanic becomes a hindrance during the first hour, there’s not much that can be done from a presentation perspective to help alleviate it. The whole game-breaking bug that forces you to start over from the very beginning doesn’t help either.
In Summary Perception is a game that introduces new ideas to the Horror genre, but fell short in scaring us, its fairly basic presentation, its short duration and its low difficulty are negative factors that do not allow this game to excel in the genre. But its new ideas, interesting narrative and game mechanics are enough to recommend you to try the game and form your own opinion.
Review in Spanish | Read full review
By putting you on the shoes of a blind woman, Perception creates a unique survival horror experience, with heavy focus on narrative. It does a good job of playing with your… well… perception of the darkness and your surroundings.
Perception is a game that holds all the basic elements to make for a decent horror game. The idea is unique, the sound is atmospheric, and the story does have potential. It’s everything that’s in between that, sadly, lets the whole experience down. The gameplay hook that it rides upon never really feels as interesting as it wants to be and the stalking mechanic just slows down what is already a laden-footed ordeal. If you are into your ghost hunting TV shows then this may very well be up your street, but, if not, then there’s a chance that you may find the adventure to be underwhelming.
I think the game’s title of Perception works out to have a double meaning, obviously concerning your main character’s lack of sight, but it also applies well to whether you’re likely to enjoy the game as a whole. If you’re in it for the action or actual horror you’ll very likely walk away disappointed. But if you like a slow burn of suspense, periodic things that will make you jump, and some stories that will reveal themselves to you slowly and through a variety of means as you wander an ever-changing house, it will offer several hours of enjoyment. I’ve never played a game quite like it, and there’s something to be said for a title working earnestly to challenge gamers with something new, even if it may not have hit all of the marks it was likely aiming for.
Perception tries to take the immersive sim genre in a few new directions by adding in horror between story beats. While the presentation is top notch, the scares just aren't there.
Perception is a narrative horror that tries something a little different and for the majority of the game, it works to great effect. The darkness and sound design as well as some interesting level designs fill the game with enough low level tension to give you a crick in the neck. The visuals aren't always the prettiest, the game strays into the mundane a few too many times and the plot has forgettable moments but the unique premise and fright-inducing chases make Perception a better-than-average title.
On the one hand, Perception brings a breath of fresh air to the horror genre, but it can hardly be recommended to anyone other than a fan of the genre.
Review in Slovak | Read full review