It seems to be a rule that whatever survival horror game I think will be mid, ends up being my absolute favorite. I was very worried the game would borrow too much from Fatal Frame due to the camera mechanic, but no - this has Silent Hill (and some Resident Evil) DNA to the bone. It is an authentic retro survival horror experience with amazing atmosphere and exploration… I loved it.

The game just looks so cinematic. The fixed cameras were used to frame many shots so beautifully. A gorgeously haunting house exterior- or a dark and unsettling interior. A strangely lit grove in the forest, an unsettling neighborhood, a Victoria mansion-like clock tower.. etc. The areas are just perfect - each one so unique from the last and genuinely unlike anything I’ve seen before.

The game also perfectly balances out its puzzles, exploration, and combat. Unlike Post Trauma or Hollowbody, the game isn’t just sparse areas with one puzzle at a time… it’s a true open map layout like the classics of the genre. You can explore, tackle different puzzles in different orders, find so much lore and loot- it’s just perfectly paced.

And that’s not to even mention the story. You play a girl name Sam (hey that’s my name!) who’s grandfather - seemingly her best friend - just passed away. She heard about a threshold where you can pass over to the other side on an internet forum, and decides to head into the mountains to find it. What follows is a surreal dreamlike experience as you try to answer the big question - what does death really mean?

But yeah, it’s just a perfect game. I have zero complaints, it nailed everything: amazing music, authentic PSX art, puzzles, exploration, combat (which is very simple but perfectly effective). And this authentic retro survival horror experience is all wrapped around a unique and emotional tale of a girl facing her existential dread.

Absolutely go play this one, it’s probably the best game I’ve played this year.