Video game recommendations
Posted: Mon Nov 10, 2014 8:09 am
Because why not.
I'll start by recommending Penumbra: Overture and its sequel Penumbra: Black Plague, a first person-view psychological horror/puzzle adventure game where you impersonate a very british man travelling to what seems to be a deserted mine in northern Greenland in search of his mysterious father. I can't say much more about the plot without spoiling it for you, but it involves some Inuit folklore and a bit of sci-fi.
The game relies on atmosphere and suspense to creep you out and is best played with headphones in a dark room at night. The combat system (if it can even be called that) is intentionally clumsy and designed to make you want to avoid getting near the monsters to begin with, which makes them all the more scary. The sequel removes fighting completely. Basically, the philosophy of this game is that the scariest things are the things that you don't see, or at least don't see too much.
Penumbra also has puzzles, which are mostly about picking up items and figuring out what to do with them, as well as fiddling with various machines. Nothing particularly novel there. There's a bit of resource management in the form of painkillers (to heal damage) and batteries for your flashlight. First and foremost it's about the immersion and the story, which is told through written documents and letters that you pick up on the way as well as sparse dialogue (more like monologue actually). And there are no pesky cutscenes!
I might also mention Amnesia: The Dark Descent, which was made by the same developers (a Swedish indie company called Frictional Games) and builds on same basic elements. It's widely recognized as one of the best horror games ever made, but personally I think that Penumbra is not only creepier, but also more interesting overall. If you have played Amnesia and liked it, you will probably like Penumbra as well.
It can be bought on Steam fairly cheaply. There's also a good torrent on Pirate Bay which includes both Overture and Black Plague, as well as the third part of the trilogy (which sucks), though I'm not in any way promoting piracy *wink wink*.
Here's a good "Let's Play", if you want a foretaste:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pszcelbF_Wc
I'll start by recommending Penumbra: Overture and its sequel Penumbra: Black Plague, a first person-view psychological horror/puzzle adventure game where you impersonate a very british man travelling to what seems to be a deserted mine in northern Greenland in search of his mysterious father. I can't say much more about the plot without spoiling it for you, but it involves some Inuit folklore and a bit of sci-fi.
The game relies on atmosphere and suspense to creep you out and is best played with headphones in a dark room at night. The combat system (if it can even be called that) is intentionally clumsy and designed to make you want to avoid getting near the monsters to begin with, which makes them all the more scary. The sequel removes fighting completely. Basically, the philosophy of this game is that the scariest things are the things that you don't see, or at least don't see too much.
Penumbra also has puzzles, which are mostly about picking up items and figuring out what to do with them, as well as fiddling with various machines. Nothing particularly novel there. There's a bit of resource management in the form of painkillers (to heal damage) and batteries for your flashlight. First and foremost it's about the immersion and the story, which is told through written documents and letters that you pick up on the way as well as sparse dialogue (more like monologue actually). And there are no pesky cutscenes!
I might also mention Amnesia: The Dark Descent, which was made by the same developers (a Swedish indie company called Frictional Games) and builds on same basic elements. It's widely recognized as one of the best horror games ever made, but personally I think that Penumbra is not only creepier, but also more interesting overall. If you have played Amnesia and liked it, you will probably like Penumbra as well.
It can be bought on Steam fairly cheaply. There's also a good torrent on Pirate Bay which includes both Overture and Black Plague, as well as the third part of the trilogy (which sucks), though I'm not in any way promoting piracy *wink wink*.
Here's a good "Let's Play", if you want a foretaste:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pszcelbF_Wc