Perception Reviews
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.
Perception could have been the surprise of the year only if it had support its gameplay mechanics and story with more variety and robust atmosphere.
Review in Turkish | Read full review
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.
Perception is a good attempt at trying something new in the horror genre without ever really delivering on the scares.
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.
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.
The premises (a blind character, a creepy house, an evil spirit) were good, but Perception falls short as survival horror and as an intriguing walking simulator.
Review in Italian | Read full review
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
Perception is a prime example of a wasted innovative ideas. Developers of Perception did almost everything wrong and the final product is a broken and shallow game.
Review in Persian | Read full review
There are some great ideas in Perception, but the execution is somewhat lacking. Wandering around a haunted house with no vision should be a tense, methodical, creepy experience, but this game has a sprint button. You are given a lot of help to navigate and solve puzzles because if you did not have your sight and were trapped in a mansion with moving walls and keys to find you would be utterly helpless. This means the whole premise to the game quickly becomes pointless, which is a real shame.
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.
An imaginative horror game, Perception is coming at a well trodden genre from a new angle, but despite its good ideas, it doesn't quite live up to its own potential.
The game is equal parts scary and interesting, as I said before, is not an experience I'm likely to forget about anytime soon.
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 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'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.
As stated before, Perception has some great things going for it. There’s no doubt in my mind that The Deep End Games put so much passion into this project. It just falls flat due to the fact that it isn’t that good of a horror game.
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.
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
Perception builds upon one unique gameplay element throughout its entire brief run, but fails to see what makes a horror game memorable.