![]() Sometimes this took me out of the immersion of it all, but it at least gave me a chuckle or two. Other times, observations he made about certain obstacles or situations felt robotic. It felt more like a jarringly mismatched reaction. Sometimes his reactions were disproportionately calm to the terrors around him, but not in a stoic way. This certainly isn’t uncommon, but many of these lines came across as flat. Desmond has many callouts based on what’s around him, or what action you’re trying to perform. However, there were some other moments that, whether deliberately silly or not, didn’t land quite as well. That cheesiness came across as calculated and was successfully positioned. At first, this brought me out of the experience almost entirely, but I came around on it, as it frequently broke up the tension and intensity that some moments carried. Some of it is intentional, like the antagonist calling you intermittently to taunt you with a voice that can only be described as Bryan Cranston playing a cheesy cartoon villain (sadly, Bryan Cranston is not actually in this game). Part of that feeling is, to my initial surprise, campiness. All of this, along with a very cumulative final sequence I won’t get into, is what makes In Sound Mind feel like some great 3D games of old.įor the most part, its strengths lie within how much variety is packed into such a short experience while maintaining a consistent aesthetic. Once a level is complete, you end up back at your office to try and uncover the truths of the next patient, all while doing some backtracking within the hub world to find new information, items and secrets. Each world contains fairly tricky puzzles, trippy moments that can put you a little on edge, hard-to-find collectibles and more. ![]() This is where In Sound Mind begins to shine, as each patient’s tape leads you to a distinct set piece with mechanics and items that consistently change up gameplay and puzzle-solving. When you bring a tape back to your office to play its contents, you’re warped into an alternate reality that depicts each person’s psyche. ![]() Each of these patients is represented by a collectable tape found after a sequence of puzzles and exploration around the hub world, which happens to include your office. From there, documents, letters and other tokens of exposition lead you to understand that you’ll be confronting the trauma, phobias and struggles of your various patients. Early on, you’re introduced to a hub world of sorts, where it becomes clear that you play as a psychologist named Damon Wales. Now hear me out, while In Sound Mind seemingly takes after a lot of first-person horror titles on the surface, its structure and flow seem to pull from experiences I didn’t expect, like classic 3D platforming and adventure games. It’s a solid romp through the chaotic inner workings of personal guilt, paranoia and insecurities before leading us to some closure amidst the turmoil. Developers We Make Things have managed to wrap all these traits up into a tight, 8-11 hour experience with In Sound Mind. ![]() That said, I know good suspense, eerie atmosphere, striking visuals and interesting game design when I see it. From the get-go, I must admit that this reviewer isn’t all that experienced with horror games (or any horror media for that matter).
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |