A brilliant example of a game being great not by being "fun" in the typical sense, but by completely immersing you and enthralling you with a near-paralysing amount of tension (I hope the type of people to play games like this understand this is the furthest thing from criticism).
This is something classic survival horror (e.g. Silent Hill 2) did excellently. SH2 overwhelms you by making you juggle puzzles, resources, and enemies with horrible controls and claustrophobic camera angles. Casualties: Unknown overwhelms you with an everlasting need for vigilance, both of the world around you and of the every need of your vulnerable avatar.
Any momentary slip of vigilance (which is inevitable) can and will lead to horrific outcomes. Since the line between survival and oblivion is razor thin, the panic resulting from any misfortune is destined to lead to further misfortune, and the resulting atmosphere as you desperately try and fight the controls to put your shoulder back in place or pull glass out of your paw is suffocating. I think this is the closest I will ever come to knowing what it's like to fight for my life.
An example. I attempted to enter an abandoned life-pod by climbing through the window, being unaware that breaking glass creates glass shards that you can step in. I proceeded to step on these shards and fall backwards into the unnoticed abyss the life-pod was peering over. I then hit my head multiple times on the way down, and mercifully landed in a pool of water. What wasn't merciful was the immense pain from the glass in my foot, and the intense internal bleeding causing me to throw up blood. After desperately bandaging my wounds, and practising extreme patience in meticulously pulling the glass out of my foot, I was left with a brain-damaged avatar that had lost so much blood they couldn't stop passing out. A hopeless situation, I had no medical supplies left, yet I still tried ceaselessly anything I could think of to get out of this. In my heart I knew it was over, the run ended with my avatar curled up in a hole asphyxiating due to the blood in its lungs. This is just one of the many horrors I have seen occur, purely a result of my own negligence.
Truly a one of a kind game. Hopefully my descriptions are enough for you to grasp the depth on display here, even without explicitly describing the fantastic survival mechanics, crafting system, or fully simulated medical system that is your body. Something that does bear mentioning explicitly is the amazing sound design and soundtrack. One of the most effective uses of music in a game I have experienced recently, all tracks clearly communicate and enhance the intended emotions they want you to feel.
To Orsoniks, if all the above wasn't clear, this is an incredible work of art. Please continue to work on this as long as you are willing or able, and thank you very much.
A member registered Jun 10, 2025 · View creator page →