Distraint 2 (2018)

Distraint 2 is an endearing psychological horror game that improves on almost every aspect of the first entry. The pacing is much snappier, the story dives deeper, it has such a raw emotional candidness that is hard not to love.

It is an emotional roller coaster dealing with loss and trauma (which I did not expect) and it affected me deeply - similar to Gris’s story. But on the gameplay side, it also corrected every issue I had with the first game…

First - a run button! Oh my god I was so thankful for this. The UI is also sleeker and easier to use, the puzzles are more logical and fun, and the game never slows to a crawl like the first one.

That said, the puzzles still aren’t as strong as the newest game from Jesse - Afterdream. It’s more linear, and less complex. But it still shows a linear progression in the dev’s skills as he releases each game.

So ya, I didn’t love the first one, but it’s kind of worth playing to get the full story. It’s smart, sensitive, and important. With that, the atmosphere is great as always and the psychedelic horror is on full display - play it.

Spooktober 2023 Game #3

What a great step forward from the original Distraint. Everything I liked about the first game holds -- great atmosphere, very cool visuals, excellent music, but the presentation is even more dynamic, movement is less agonizingly slow, and the introspection has really been stepped up. While some of the scenes may have been a bit on the nose, and the very last scene didn't quite land for me, the ending otherwise actually had me tearing up. Excellent, heartfelt little horror game that is just a scene or two away from being an all time favorite for me. Highly recommended.

For those who enjoyed the first game for its story, the flow or the style, there's only a few games that could match up to its sum of combination. Fortunately, Jesse Makonen released the sequel to DISTRAINT, which picks up where the previous story ended in an open though satisfactory way.

The style is the same but DISTRAINT 2 takes up its concept to a different level. Even the narrative is taking a different approach, for better or worse, and takes the protagonist on an introspective, metaphorical journey on his road to redemption. Considering that the first game had a more concrete real-world setup with psychological horror twists in the plot, you won't find a lot of it here. Still, open-minded players are likely to find some bite-sized philosophy for every emotion that the protagonist meets in this game that takes up to only 2 hours to finish.

Another change in the sequel is that there are additional functions in the game mechanics that add to the new types of puzzles. I find that refreshing, considering that the difficulty level in the first game was mostly on the casual side. Even then, the puzzles won't be too challenging to distract you from the story either.

Players who enjoyed the first DISTRAINT are likely to enjoy this sequel that extends and brings a new conclusion to the protagonist's story.

On a personal note, I can draw parallels to the rock opera album "The Human Equation" by Ayreon, for many reasons.