In the first couple of hours, I was pretty blown away by this game. I am a massive fan of the Desktop/Phone sim detective game niche - Cyber Manhunt, Simulacra, Greyhat, etc. Heaven Does not Respond felt like one of the only great HORROR-focused games in the genre (with Simulacra being its only real company). But as the game went on, there were certain cracks in an otherwise perfect experience.

The best parts of the game are 1) the actual computer-based puzzles 2) the exploration 3) the surprising horror elements. As usual in the genre, the gameplay goes in a kind of flow - you find a document on the desktop, a hidden clue will lead you to a website, the website will present a puzzle and give you a username, you use that to message them, and finally you solve the puzzle. It is a blast to solve, and along the way there is a ton of Easter eggs with a bizarre horror aspect to them. This is what made me want to give the game a 10/10.

But then… there’s the other stuff. As you progress, the game will interrupt this amazing content with boring, pointless 3D sections. They’re bland, interrupt the actual fun, and kind of lead to my second complaint - the story. The story is just not as interesting as the mystery had me guessing. So these boring uninteresting and frequent sections also function as lore dumps that take away all the charm, mystery, and tight pacing of the central mechanics.

Were these issues not present - easy 10/10 game for me. But in totality, it left me with a pretty mixed bag of feelings. I still totally recommend it to any horror fan that enjoys found media type stuff - and especially for computer nerds like me. But ultimately I think Cyber Manhunt 1/2 and maybe the first couple Simulacra games are the reigning champs of this genre. This was a fantastic attempt and hopefully the devs continue to make more, but I think the 3D / non-desktop sections need to be axed or greatly improved - as well as the overall writing.

~ 7.1/10