Perception Reviews
Perception's blindness is both its biggest strength and weakness. While it did lead to some frustrating moments of being lost without a clue what to do, it also meant really having to think about the environment and truly wondering what each noise what. Perception was ultimately terrifying when it was at its best.
Perception has an intriguing story, which would be better as „walking symulator” that this mediocre horror.
Review in Polish | Read full review
Perception's attractive thesis—a blind woman should be capable of investigating the menacing house from her nightmares—creates space for an original protagonist inside of an extraordinary circumstance. A premise isn't a promise, however, as Perception quickly abandons novelty in favor of rote objectives, aimless antagonism, and a narrative set adrift in a sea of platitudes.
Perception is a unique and is a downright frightening title. The narrative is well-written, and I was satisfied with my decision to listen to Cassie talk to herself as she explores the haunted estate. As you journey through the lives of the past residents, the house changes, keeping it from growing stale.
Innovative but quite repetitive adventure. The Blindness-mechanic is fascinating, but doesn't shine in a playful manner.
Review in German | Read full review
A disabled protagonist creates interesting opportunities but 'Perception' falls short
Overall, Perception felt more like the horror edition of Gone Home rather than other titles like Outlast, Amnesia, or Resident Evil 7 as it leaned more towards exploration and the underlying plot rather than survival horror. Regrettably, I found that using echolocation in a narrative-driven game only limited my experience of trying to discover more about the house.
Almost all of Perception's issues could be fixed with slight tweaks to the game's systems and narrative moments. Instead, it's a false mirage of an excellent game that vanishes almost immediately, turning into more of what we've already seen in the horror genre.
As far as narrative-driven exploration-based horror games go, Perception isn't the worst out there, but it also can't really stand alongside games like those in the Amnesia series or Gone Home. It still warrants a playthrough if you're looking for a game with a unique hook or if you're just desperate for any new horror game to play, though considering its length and lack of varied gameplay, you might be better off waiting until it's on sale.
Thanks to its atmosphere, the game manages to create a certain palpable fear in the player, which is fundamental for a work of this kind. The game would benefit from exploring some of its mechanics at a deeper level but as it is, Perception can bring an interesting, even if rather short, experience to the players.
Review in Portuguese | Read full review
Unless you're a big fan of horror adventure games, Perception is one you can easily skip. The plot isn't particularly engaging, and the horror elements are predictable with jump scares, characters and story dialogue that is typical of this genre. Even if it does fulfil all of the necessary criteria, it serves as a reminder that the horror genre is far too reliant on clichés to get by, and will only appeal to the thrill seekers happy to overlook its generic design.Ultimately, the biggest downfall is the core concept that drives Perception. The echolocation mechanic gets old quickly and seems like a better idea in theory than in actual gameplay; walking around in the dark in any game isn't normally enjoyable, and in this one it's no better – even with the added sense of meaning from the narrative. It's an aggravating concept that should not have really got past the early design stage, and detracts from the already average quality of this short-lived horror adventure game.
Perception is a fun game full of unique concepts and ideas, but for a horror game it isn't particularly frightening.
Play Perception if you're in need of a quick horror fix, and not for what could be perceived as something larger.
Perception tells an intriguing story and if that's enough for you, it's worth playing. Its audio-visual experience is also unlike anything else and if you're looking for a fresh idea, The Deep End Games' debut is worth supporting. It's important to keep in mind, however, if you expect the game to also scare you, there's nothing to see here.
Perception is interesting, in the first place, as an experiment that touches on non-standard themes and offers an unusual gameplay. But the stories are rather simple and predictable, and additional elements, like hide-and-seek and distraction, seem like a not very successful attempt to tighten a short walk.
Review in Russian | Read full review
Bar one or two genuine scares Perception doesn't cut the mustard when it comes to horror, a lot of the animations were boring and didn't intimidate neither me nor brave Cassie. Perception fails to deliver on the horror side, but boasts clever mechanics and an engaging but flawed narrative. The artstyle is oiriginal and works perfectly with the darkness and echolocation mechanics.
Perception isn't really doing a whole lot gameplay wise that the majority of these types of games haven't done before. If players are a fan of narrative driven, creepy experiences, Perception offers that, and even if the game can be completed in a few hours, it's entertaining.
Perception builds upon one unique gameplay element throughout its entire brief run, but fails to see what makes a horror game memorable.
Perception has some good ideas, but it is ultimately a disappointment thanks to an annoying art style, frustrating gameplay mechanics, and an underwhelming narrative.
Perception's unique echolocation gameplay hook is enough to sustain the game for its 4-5-hour run, but I was saddened that The Deep End Games didn't explore this mechanic any more than it did. Had it, Perception's shallow plot and characters might have found some redemption. Ultimately, Perception is more carnival than amusement park – cheap thrills than top shelf. If you like horror games, you'll like Perception, but you've probably already experienced a bunch of horror titles scarier than this one.