My review of the Black Iris:
Introduction
The Black Iris is a Cosmic Horror with explorative elements. The year is 1983, in Scotland. You are an Engineer, send into an abandoned research facility to decommissioned equipment and collected research material from scientists, as further, you go into the crypt of science. Unforeseen and unexplained events happen. Not even the man of science can't explain.
Presentation
Feature a PlayStation One era graphics gives it a grainy look, with a dominant vibrant hue of magenta, a colour not found in the spectrum or view by our eyes. The game consists of four areas, each open with a title screen of a movie prompt. Black Iris does an exceptional job of visually describing Cosmic Horror.
Notes found regular, lore dive into the backstory of Black Rock. There are even cassette tapes, much the same as the notes. The story takes inspiration from Roadside Picnic, taking place in a zone in North East of Scotland. Focus around an oil-mining operation unearthed anomalies that affect the miners—forming a religious sect, the Order of the Void worshipping the Black Iris. The rest is explained whether well by the game.
The ambience is fantastic, casting a menacing aura. The pouring rain is rebellious, compounded by the breathing like there is a sense of struggle. The credit music was superb.
The gameplay inspired by Resident Evil, inventory for items to equipped for puzzle solving. The fixed-camera angles. The whole ten yards. The game does give you a compass and a map from a terminal to guide you to each location. Up to you to figure out the directions. Thankfully, navigation isn't complicated. Game-map is cross-shaped. If you get lost, I don't know what to tell you. Your main objective is simple; decommissioned equipment in each area and collecting research material.
Black Iris is short 30-40 minutes. It does help the fact Black Iris is free.
Collapsing Cosmoses
Black Iris is a stunning game that understands what is Cosmic Horror, visually with a fantastic ambience. A captivating story to match. Black Iris gets a heavy recommendation.