I'm a bit conflicted when it comes to walking simulator games. On one hand, they can be a fantastic outlet for artistic expression. On the other, they can be a monotonous endeavor that heavily relies on padding to justify itself. Sometimes, games in this genre don't know how to advance their plots and just throw whatever they can at the player while progressing on autopilot. Unfortunately, this is exactly how REVEIL, the topic of today's review, handles itself.
I feel like P.T. and Layers of Fear have caused an awful ripple effect when it comes to the development of indie games. A lot of the time, you see "psychological horror games" that seem to be going through the same motions that the games mentioned above go through with none of the justification. But I am elaborating too much in the preamble, so let's take a deep dive into how I feel about REVEIL.
The story of this game brings players to the role of a man named Walter. He awakes abruptly, after having a nightmare, with a massive headache. After taking some pills, he finds that his wife is absent from his bed, the room is a mess of unknown medications, and the door to it is locked.
Before Walter has the time to figure out why he would be locked inside his room, he finds himself solving a small puzzle involving a music box to get out. While confused, the man tries to find his wife and daughter, only to discover they are both missing. It's only now that the objective of the game is clear: Find out where Walter’s family is and figure out the answer to the mysteries behind his current predicament.
Of course, being a psychological horror affair, nothing is as straightforward as you'd expect. Some twists and turns take the story to different places, making Walter question his reality and the perception of the truth of his life. The game attempts to bring the player into an unsettling realization that will turn their world on its head.
At least, that's what would happen if REVEIL's plot was actually compelling, which it isn't. The major twist comes out of nowhere, and it feels like it was added at the last minute to shock the player and nothing else. Without spoiling anything, I was mesmerized at how abruptly the narrative went from Plot A to Plot B while forgetting the initial premise.
What made things even more outrageous were the multiple endings that depended on your actions in the final section of the game and nothing more. I guess that's an effective way to save time and conclude the plot, but if the endings are going to be short and unsatisfying, then what's the point of even having them?
I will at least say that REVEIL has some good atmospheric moments, and some of its puzzles are pretty creative. Sure, you have one of those "Sneak around a hostile NPC who will send you back to the start if they catch you while trying to collect items" sequences, but at least this is only done once, and it's never seen again throughout the journey.
Unfortunately, the game just doesn't feel like it complements the atmosphere with anything substantial. There is a sense of building up tension with no payoff. Sometimes, the game does have its moments where it tries to be spooky or have a chase sequence, but it just doesn't feel like you're in a very intense situation to believe the horror lands.
Another thing that really irked me about REVEIL was just how repetitive it was. I don't think a horror game is doing the right thing when it has me shouting, "I get it," after I wake up in the same room for the third time. Granted, this is where the lame twist that comes out of nowhere crops up, but the game isn't clever for pulling a reveal without any sort of hint or buildup.
Not helping things are the aspects this game blatantly copies from games like Layers of Fear. I know my horror game sequences, and I'm very familiar with the "There's a locked door, and the scenery changes the moment I turn around" one. It's not spooky, and it certainly isn't an homage. I'd rather see new and innovative stuff rather than a rehash of sequences I've already seen before.
At the very least, the voice performance of the main character is good enough to sell the story. The voice talent behind the game provides a convincing delivery of the story’s events. Thus, it becomes easy to follow the mood of the plot and at least feel some sort of sympathy towards Walter's plight.
Overall, REVEIL feels like a game that just goes through the motions and checks some boxes off a list just to make sure it meets the requirements of being classified as a psychological horror game. It doesn't do anything substantial with the elements it has, and the potential it does have is almost always wasted or left unresolved.
The game's experience is also around 3.2 hours, just a few minutes longer than the margin it would take the Steam refund policy from kicking in. I don't know if this is a deliberate design choice, but the fact that there's no replay value because the endings are left to the final sequence of the game is making me very suspicious.
If you're going to approach this game, I'd recommend doing it with a lot of caution. A $19.99 price tag is way too much of an asking price for a game like this. In fact, for the same price tag, you could get a more fulfilling experience playing Oxenfree II: Lost Signals. Sure, it's also a walking simulator, but it has a lot of creative and innovative mind-bending sequences and a fantastic atmosphere with an incredible payoff at the end.
Reviewed on PC (code provided by the publisher).
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