Distraint (2015)

I had tried Distraint a while ago and ultimately got bored with it. The dev’s latest game Afterdream completely blew me away, so I decided to give Distraint another shot. It has the same signature atmosphere and art style (which I love), but the gameplay has serious design flaws.

The puzzles are just horrible. Super illogical, and basically require trying every inventory item on every interactive object. It’s never satisfying to solve, and combined with the slow movement speed, it completely kills the pacing of the game. There is one specific puzzle involving time limits that brought the whole game down a star for me.

That said, the dev’s artistic vision shines brightly here. The subject matter and story are original and great. The surreal horror atmosphere is captivating and immersive.

I am going to try Distraint 2 next and see if it fixed some of the issues I had. I really recommend playing Afterdream, but this one is totally skippable for me unless you just want to experience the story and great art style.

Spooktober 2023 Game #1

Distraint is a cool little horror title. Nothing too scary, but there's a great creepy atmosphere with a bit of whimsy to it that I really enjoyed. I loved the art style -- the environments were great, and the faces had a lot of expressiveness. The audio was well done, too. The characters and story were decent, though it wasn't a particularly nuanced take on the ethics of property seizure... not that I'd expect or necessarily want that from a 2 hour horror game. More importantly, it did a solid job of exploring the main character's mental state throughout the events. My only complaint was that walking back and forth to complete the puzzles and investigate the environments was a bit slow, but the game is short enough it didn't grate that much. Definitely worth the time.

DISTRAINT is the brainchild of the developer Jesse Makonen; a plot-driven, psychological horror adventure game and illustrated by its own semi-cartoon style. It puts the player in the shoes of a young careerist working for an estates company and is sent out to evict a number of people from their homes. Such actions makes an impact on his conscience and thus thrusts him into experiences with horror encounters that are manifested around him.

First off, the flow for the playthrough is decently executed as I follow along the accessible plot, which touches upon the empathetic morality and the costs of achieving your personal goals through dubious tasks. In this dire progression, I've met colorful characters which by their nature and different attitudes manage to have some kind of memorability, not the least the first one I ended up evicting at the start of the game for many reasons.

I might have to question further about the reason behind the main protagonist's metaphysical, horror experiences, which hold no particular source of logic behind what the game presents through... But then again, horror stories haven't always been about logic and I can only interpret it as a metaphorical gesture of the protagonist's mind sickened by his dubious actions.

I can say that DISTRAINT is merely a plot-driven adventure game with horror elements and none-too-difficult puzzles thrown in, so there is a healthy dose for players on the casual side wanting to try out or have an easier change of pace of the genres involved. Yes, this might tug at your heartstrings at best.

Distraint - Noun, Law. 'The seizure of someone's property in order to obtain payment of money owed, especially rent.'

DISTRAINT is a side-scrolling, narrative-driven game that tells the story of Mr. Price, an ambitious man who wants to find success in his career. Price's job is to confiscate/distrain properties from people in debt. He feels guilt over his actions and the fate of these tenants, but his ambition keeps him going. The resulting strain builds up in his mind, causing him to experience increasingly disorienting situations and terrifying hallucinations.

Visually, DISTRAINT uses a grainy art-style and dim lighting to set up some really oppressive environments. Combined with some great audio design, this nails the surreal, occasionally scary atmosphere of the game. Jump-scares are present, but they are used occasionally and generally pop up at unexpected places.

In terms of mechanics, DISTRAINT plays out like a puzzle game. Each level is generally laid out as a sequence of puzzles. You explore an area to find objects, which can then be used to solve specific puzzles. Solving one puzzle generally leads to another object that solves a different puzzle. This sequential organization of the puzzles ensures that you are never overwhelmed, but it also leads to some frustration when dealing with more obtuse puzzles.

Personally, I think that DISTRAINT is a well-made game that's worth checking out. Despite some minor problems, it manages to be an interesting experience throughout. Considering that the entire game has been developed by a single person (Jesse Makkonen), it is impressive that the game works so well as a unique experience.