The horror genre is difficult to define. It’s full of fantastic games from both indies and triple A, but there are also plenty of absolute flops. It can be difficult to determine which side of the spectrum a new IP and project from a less established developer will fall on, but for Pixelsplit and their new game Reveil, it cost them absolutely nothing.
Because anyone who likes to be afraid and let their hair stand on end will fall in love with this game. It’s captivating, disturbing, scary and well structured, the development team has made it very entertaining.
The idea of Reveil is that you play a man trying to unravel and reconstruct his past. Why does his life seem like chaos, why does he relive key moments from his past, why is everything so twisted and murky? All of these questions are answered throughout the story in the various chapters set in disturbing environments and locations. Whether it’s a circus, an enchanted forest or a moving train, there are many unique locations and each one brings with it dangers that we have to face, usually in the form of distorted versions of people from the protagonist Walter’s life.
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The story gets darker and darker as the story progresses. It starts off pretty mysterious and strange and by the end it’s downright terrifying. It’s a descent into madness, into despair, and the way the scenarios are organized and the various mechanics introduced throughout the game work hand in hand to achieve this feat. What starts out as an environmental puzzle game in the style of Maquette or even Resident Evil 7: Biohazard and Village (with the latter two highlighted since Reveil is also set in first person), where you have to find keys or complete mini-games to get to Getting to an object that will pave the way to the next confrontation, it quickly becomes a Slender Man or Outlast type experience where you’re constantly running for your life or hiding from creatures that just want to find you and kill you.
In fact, the first two chapters give the impression that the game is mostly trying to use its setting and sound design to scare you, but soon after it introduces enemies that chase you and a flashlight that’s all you use can see what’s right in front of you. to you. The sound is great and when you play with headphones you are constantly on the edge, afraid that a creature will emerge from the shadows and scare you. It’s clear that Pixelsplit spent a lot of time creating and perfecting the setting of this game, and it shows because it’s much scarier than many of today’s critically acclaimed games in this genre. Although personally I think the first person perspective adds a lot to the immersion and fear factor, something that some games like the first Resident Evil and The Evil Within among others lose due to their third person style.
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But just because Reveil is a scary game doesn’t mean it’s fantastic in every way. The narrative itself, while dark and disturbing, does not captivate the player or leave the player wanting to learn more. The dialogue and the way the story progresses seem secondary and serve to accommodate the game’s frightening elements, such as “Five Nights at Freddy’s” and “Poppy Playtime”, games that have a very boring story have, but still work miracles of time to scare you.
Additionally, while many of the game’s puzzles are excellent, some are more frustrating than interesting or entertaining. There are times when you’ll get stuck trying to crack a code or find a lost item, and because the game’s hint system is mediocre at best, Reveil doesn’t help you much. The collectibles and paths that can be explored beyond the main path could also have been removed entirely. There is never a need to look for these extras as they have very little value and add almost nothing to the overall experience.
But you play Reveil for the horror, right? You are here to scare yourself and this game succeeds in doing that. Of course, the edges are a bit rough in some respects and a bit more refinement could have done wonders to improve the experience and focus more on what matters. But the setting, the sound, the scenery and most of the gameplay are ideal and more than what you would expect from a horror game. With Reveil, Pixelsplit has created a captivating, disturbing and truly terrifying game that is clearly not for the faint of heart.
