A really great actor-centric horror game with some flaws. It’s far from the strongest I’ve played of this genre, but it’s still very much worth playing.
(Setting)
The first thing that stands out about this game is the premise. I have been waiting for a meta Escape Room set inside of an Escape Room company, and while some of the game only loosely delivers on that, there was one area of the game that didn’t disappoint on the meta-ness of it. The set is also huge, and is going to be even huger as it’s expanded in the game’s planned sequels. But its decoration is pretty sparse (partially because the theme of the game is a lower-budget escape room company, but even then it felt so weakly decorated that I forgot that’s where we were supposed to be for some of the game).
(The Scares)
While the theme and the massive set is cool, what you’re here for is the Bagman. The set is built in a way that makes him an omni-present threat that can appear from anywhere. He is really imposing. However, the scare scenes with him, while intense, never (at least for us) got even close to stepping over boundaries. IMPORTANT NOTE TO THOSE ON THE FENCE ABOUT PLAYING THIS GAME BECAUSE OF HORROR: While he can touch you, it’s never forceful in any way (I remember it being really light) and always just to guide you. There’s also a very clear way that his scare scenes play out and instructions the game gives you that would make it near impossible for you to injure yourself trying to get away or something. You can also opt-out of being touched, but unless you’re very sensitive to touch or have very severe claustrophobia, I would recommend just playing the game normally because being chosen adds a lot of the game’s memorableness and they’re not too terrifying. There are two major downsides to these scare scenes that I felt took away from the horror (the rest of this paragraph has minor spoilers). The first is that because of how specific these scenes have to play out, a character has to stay with you throughout the game to make sure they play out that way. Otherwise, it feels really unnecessary and even confusing that they’re there, in fact for me it breaks the isolation and lowered the game's impact for me. The second is that while these scare scenes being formulaic make it so you’re very safe, it also means they get very predictable and therefore less scary as the game goes on. By the end the Bagman feels more like a minor inconvenience than an actual threat.
(The Story)
What I most liked about the game was how it builds up its universe, because while the threat of Bagman becomes less intense as the game continues, the story becomes much more intense. It is a lot of reading, which is normally a big turn-off, but it worked for me here. You’re only reading periodically and only a couple sentences at a time. These lore drops are also timed really well so that you’re always really invested and wanting to read more, never feeling like it’s taking away from everything else. It’s a simple story, but it’s a neat concept, and with a really well-timed post-game reveal, it sets up even stronger sequels to the game.
(Gameplay)
I will also mention that the puzzles here are pretty good. They’re definitely the game’s lowest priority, as with any experience-based horror room, but the tolerable intensity of the scare scenes mean that the game can focus a lot more on gameplay. There’s nothing that stands out, but they’re definitely not filler either as they are in many other horror games. This game does have way worse signposting (making it clear what puzzles go with what locks) than the rest of the company, which is only notable because of how good this company is at that otherwise (maybe it’s part of the “low-budget Escape Room company” theme).
(Overall)
This game is a lot more than the sum of its parts. While I am pointing out a lot of holes in the experience afterwards, the experience in the moment feels perfect. If you love experience-based rooms (especially horror) and don’t mind reading out a small amount of lore, I recommend this game to all slightly-experienced players (because the meta-theme barely works if you’re new). Even if you’re newer to horror, this game never felt too scary to me and would be decent as a starting point. And this game will only become more essential to play as this universe hopefully gets built upon in its sequels. From what I’ve heard this game is just an introduction to the universe and the future chapters will fully take advantage of it.
1. Bagman
2. Wrecked
3. Coral Kingdom
4. Deadwood Saloon
5. Metro Mayhem
6. Missing
7. Breakfast All Day
Particularly interesting or different
Yes
I really don’t find this game that scary. Obviously if you’re super anxious and scared of horror don’t do it, it’s still a horror game. But as long as you’re playing into what the actors are doing I never felt isolated or mentally in danger (not that I want to actually feel in danger) and as long as I subconsciously knew they were actors I was having fun along with them in the scare scenes. The set is also not at all gory and only kind of creepy. I also don’t remember more than 1-3 actual jumpscares, and those were all minor. There’s still some cool surprises and yes he does get up in your face, so it’s still definitely scary, but to me it definitely doesn’t deserve the very scary average it has on Morty right now. Don’t let that turn you off from it if you’re on the fence but not 100% against horror!
They will be around a lot, but you don’t really have to talk much.
Physically active
Somewhat
You will be asked to quickly hide a lot, there’s a lot of less physically active things you can do in response though.
