---{ Introduction }---

Psychopomp GOLD is an expanded version of the original Psychopomp game. I would consider it to be a walking simulator with light psychological horror and action elements. It's another indie game that aims to recapture the atmosphere and charm of old PS1 horror games. While this style is a lot more common with indie games nowadays, it's still an aesthetic that I welcome with open arms. If I had to describe Psychopomp with only three games, they would be Yume Nikki, Cruelty Squad, and Silent Hill, all blended together into one bizarre smoothie. (For brevity, I will refer to Psychopomp GOLD as just Psychopomp for the majority of this review)

---{ Gameplay, Difficulty, Storytelling }---

Psychopomp features gameplay and storytelling somewhat similar to that of Yume Nikki. Psychopomp's gameplay at its core is essentially a first-person walking simulator with occasional light action or puzzle solving. You play as the protagonist Vena (not technically her real name but I didn't want to spoil her actual name), who builds a helmet that lets her see truths that society has hidden from her, leading her to explore the undergrounds beneath various buildings.

You explore levels in a first-person dungeon crawler format. There will be a unique objective for each level, though they usually require finding a certain item or specific location in the map. Personally, I found the walking speed to be bit slow for my preference, although you can sprint... for about three seconds. There will be occasional enemy encounters, and while the enemy encounters aren't hard, if you die, you will have to restart the level from the very beginning. I ended up dying about three times during my playthrough, which was somewhat frustrating when it happened.

My biggest criticism with the game is that the gameplay isn't very enjoyable. The gameplay itself is extremely minimal, being mostly just walking. I think it would be really cool if some survival horror or immersive sim elements were put into the gameplay mix. The game does have a limited inventory system, but never does it matter, because there's barely any items in each level. It would be much more interesting in my opinion, if there were a variety of items to choose from, and you had to decide what to take and what to leave behind. Maybe some items would be self-explanatory, but some you would only figure how to use by testing them yourself or learning from an NPC.

In regard to story, while not as minimal and interpretational as Yume Nikki's, it still requires the player to pay attention and keep track of NPC interactions and other discovered information to piece the story and lore together.

---{ World and NPCs }---

In regard to Cruelty Squad, Psychopomp offers a setting with NPCs that are somewhat similar. Like Cruelty Squad, there are various themes of exploitative and all-powerful corporations, corrupt governments, and religion. Psychopomp's NPCs have a kind of quirky dialogue that reminds me of the NPCs in Cruelty Squad. A lot of what is said can be nonsensical or harsh (sometimes both) but occasionally an NPC will share some details that shed a bit of light on the depths of the game's story and lore.

---{ Atmosphere and Creature Design }---

Psychopomp's atmosphere and creature design reminds me a lot of the Silent Hill games. Many levels have a nightmarish atmosphere to them, and some levels have an industrial feel that reminds me of Silent Hill 1.

I really enjoy the NPC and enemy designs in Psychopomp. The hospital’s wall enemies with mantis-like arms remind me of the wall enemies from Silent Hill 4. The allele people also reminded me the of the leg enemies from Silent Hill 2 (though they just look like that because they're alleles). But not all enemies look straight out of Silent Hill game. Pictured above is one of the Kawaii Stalk enemies, which are fleshy plantlike enemies connected to chibi anime heads. There are a lot of other memorable and creepy enemy designs, but I don't want to show any more.

---{ Other Things I Liked }---

I really dig Vena's character design. It looks great in 3D and especially 2D. Take a look.

I also think the soundtrack does a perfect job of selling Psychopomp's atmosphere. A lot of the songs feel dirty, dark, and cold. There are also many psychedelic and ethereal tracks as well. Give some a listen.

---{ Would I Recommend? }---

Psychopomp GOLD is an indie game with clearly a lot of love and effort put into it. It's got fantastic atmosphere, great character and enemy designs, a strange story and world, and a solid soundtrack. But at the end of the day, the vast majority of its gameplay is just walking. If you're looking for something super scary, Psychopomp GOLD can be creepy, unsettling, and occasionally startling, but I see the game as more uneasy than outright horrifying. For players looking for something with good action, look somewhere else.

Being honest, I found myself to be getting either a little bored (slow walking speed, lack of enjoyable gameplay depth) or frustrated (dying and having to start the level all over again). I would be lying if I said loved my time with this game. But if navigating first-person dungeons with mouse and keyboard controls, where 95% of the gameplay is just walking around without much action, sounds like a good time, then this might be for you. This is a game for people who like games like Yume Nikki, and Yume 2kki, and... uhhhh... I haven't played any other walking simulator games... but hopefully you get what I mean. I you like those kinds of games, then yes, I would recommend Psychopomp GOLD.

Maybe after hearing my criticisms of the game, you're still interested but also a little unsure. Well as I mentioned in the beginning of my review, Psychopomp GOLD is an expanded version of the original Psychopomp. And the original Psychopomp is free! It has the first three levels of Psychopomp GOLD, so you can try it out. And if you want more of what you played, then go for GOLD.

In the end, despite my complaints and critiques with Psychopomp GOLD, I still respect it a lot. I do feel bad criticizing games whenever they are indie games. And indie games like Psychopomp GOLD are not only made by a small number of people but are often a lot of time made for a small number of people. So when a game happens to target a very niche audience, maybe I shouldn't be too surprised if I don't love it. Despite this, when Psychopomp 2 releases, I might consider giving it a chance.