Review BurningKirby 4/5 · Sep 18, 2024
Helping the Dead to Rest
The Mortuary Assistant is a unique horror game built around embalming bodies in the titular mortuary. It's a pretty cool concept and I think it's executed relatively well here. The game was intriguing because I feel I learned a bit about the modern embalming process and there are some decent spooks to be had as well.
It never hits "shit …
The Mortuary Assistant is a unique horror game built around embalming bodies in the titular mortuary. It's a pretty cool concept and I think it's executed relatively well here. The game was intriguing because I feel I learned a bit about the modern embalming process and there are some decent spooks to be had as well.
It never hits "shit your pants" levels of scary but the various ghouls you encounter have pretty solid (if not wholly original) designs and the game keeps you on your toes with the many ways they can harass you. I continued to experience new events even on my seventh or eighth playthrough. The embalming process can be unnerving in and of itself for those with weaker stomachs, and the game built around that emphasizes replayability by having roughly six different endings available based on what actions you take during each run. As you become more accustomed to the core gameplay you end up discovering various secrets around the building and the game does a pretty good job of leaving a breadcrumb trail to each of its endings so you can find them naturally.
There is a bit of jank here and there with some of the movement and interactions with bodies and items scattered around. The game could maybe use a bit more polish in respect to this, but I never found that it impeded my enjoyment. I also feel it's worth noting that while I intended to get the "All Endings" achievement before finishing with the game, it never popped even after having gotten all the ones listed on the main menu. I'm not sure if this is due to some secret ending somewhere or the achievement is just bugged, but it's rather annoying. Can't find any info on a secret ending so there's not much else I can do. I didn't intend on 100%ing the game, but I still feel I earned that one, at least.
This is one of the more unique horror games I've played in recent years, so I'd recommend giving it a look! The price is a bit much when not on sale, especially if you don't intend to do more than one playthrough (I think I got my copy on Humble Bundle), but it's a tight little experience that I'll remember for quite a while.
