AFFECTED: The Manor (PSVR) Review

AFFECTED: The Manor is a passive horror gaming experience, released by Fallen Planet Studios.  In VR you navigate a creepy mansion at night, referred to – ominously as “The Manor”.

The experience is roughly 30 minutes long and would require you atleast 2 playthoughs in order to see both of the branching pathways and a third one if you want to 100% get all trophies as well.
AFFECTED: The Manor is a passive horror gaming experience, released by Fallen Planet Studios. 

In VR you navigate a creepy mansion at night, referred to ominously as “The Manor”.  The experience is roughly 30 minutes long and would require you atleast 2 playthoughs in order to see both of the branching pathways and a third one if you want to 100% get all trophies as well.

The experience begins with the player outside of the manor, allowing for the full size and scale of the structure to be fully observed before entering.  Once inside, doors will sequentially shut forcing the player forward along the route. 

This experience is definitely for fans of horror or for persons looking to be genuinely terrified in VR.  This hands down, was my most terrifying experience to date in VR.  You are warned at the start of the experience to expect jumpscares but this is little comfort for how well they are implemented to great effect.

The graphics are clear and textures are high resolution adding to realism of the experience.  You can play with either the dual shock 4 or with the PS Move controllers.  While playing with the Dual Shock 4, the light of your torch, corresponds with viewing direction.  Whereas, when playing with the Move controller, light from the torch is directed from the controller.

For those interested, there are 5 trophies to be collected.  2 of which are story related and the other 3 are time based.  Due to lack of free exploration, in order to achieve the time based trophies you will have to either loiter around “the manor” until the specified amount of time passes.  Unfortunately, gameplay time is not cumulative and if you want to get the 2 hour long explorer trophy, it has to be done in one sitting.

AFFECTED is an example of what it would look like if you were to combine the best part of Layers of Fear with the VR mode from Resident Evil 7.  The best way to describe AFFECTED: The Manor is as a premium haunted house experience in VR. 

The game is available right now on the North American PS store for $7.99.  It’s the perfect price for what you get and is a definite ‘must buy’ for anyone interested in the horror genre.

In Death (PSVR) Review

Based on the preview trailers, In Death may come across as yet another VR shooter with a medieval skin on top.  This is where you would be wrong.  I myself went into the experience with tempered expectations, but an open mind.  Needless to say, the game more than proved itself.  So should you give it a try? Let’s take a closer look in our review of “In Death” for the PlayStation VR (PSVR).

In Death is a VR first person shooter that puts you in a procedurally generated medieval world of floating ruins, in which you must defeat various enemies on your journey progressing forward.  From the start, you aren’t given any context or story points at all.  You are literally dropped at a starting point, given a bow and left on your own.  My first time playing, I was caught off guard, as there is no hand holding or objectives to guide you at all.  This strategy definitely did pay off on the part of the developers, in forcing players to hit the ground running and start figuring out the mechanics of the world for themselves.  That being said, this is means that story telling is non-existent, so those looking for any meaning narrative will be sadly disappointed.  What you can discover however, is the context of the world as you journey forward.   With each play session in game being referred to as the “afterlife” – This is because, as the title suggests, from this point you are journeying forward ‘in death’.

The game features various types of enemies that require varying amounts of hits to take them down, with head-shots being the most encouraged way of quickly dispatch enemies.    From the undead looking, zombie-like creatures called the abominations being easily dispatched with one hit – to flying enemies like the cupids that require a constant barrage of hits to be defeated. 

‘In Death’ is an unforgiving, and extremely challenging first-person shooter.  Each play session is treated as one complete journey through the “afterlife” – the point at which you die is the end of that journey, there is no continuing afterwards.  You then restart, back at the starting place called “Sanctuary”.   This is most frustrating for boss encounters, as death means you must play your way back to the boss fight, entirely from the beginning.   

Floating Ruins (In Death PSVR)

Three Abominations about to attack (In Death PSVR)

The game allows for use of either the Dual Shock 4 or PS Move controllers – it also allows for full movement locomotion, with snap turning at various angles of rotation.  The dual shock 4 allows for greater efficiency and simplicity while playing – whilst the PS Move are more immersive.  Using the Dual Shock 4, you reload and fire your arrows with the right trigger, whilst changing your arrow types with the right shoulder button.  The left Trigger is used for teleportation and left shoulder button activates the shield for blocking incoming enemy attacks.  The left and right analog sticks are used for locomotion and rotation respectively, with the D-pad being used for directional dashing.  Despite having PS Move support, my preference in this case was the Dual Shock 4.  If this was a stationary shooter, the PS Move controllers would be perfect, but the added complexity of full locomotion, shooting and dodging was beyond the design capabilities of the Move controllers and was more of a disadvantage while playing.   In which case I opted for the Dual Shock 4.  In this case, I suggest trying both control methods – then deciding which method works best for you.

Unfortunately for all its good points, the game’s biggest stumbling point is in the sound design.  It starts on a high point with low toned, religious themed music – setting the atmosphere.  Fitting well into the narrative of being in a Christian inspired interpretation of purgatory and the afterlife.  But after this, it sadly falls flat.  There is no background music in game, which is not a negative for me as I prefer not having background in most cases – however, some may find the silence not to their liking.  The real issue is the lack of proper sound effects for the enemies.  Enemies approach silently with no audio cues, which prevents the player from being able to listen for enemy footsteps or noises.  This allows enemies to sneak up from behind unnoticed until they attack.  In fact, the only sound effects you will be hearing constantly is the clanking of weapons before and during attacks and the death cries of enemies when they are defeated.

Anakim the Abomination - Boss Fight (In Death on PSVR)

Holding crossbow (In Death PSVR)

All in all, after spending many hours roaming the medieval floating cathedrals, secret dungeons and tortured infernos of “In Death”, it has without a doubt earned a spot of being one of the best PSVR titles I have played to date.  Its premise is not for everyone, and it does have a few minor issues, but for those who are interested - it is a definite buy.  We give In Death on the PSVR a 4.5 out of 5

Déraciné (PSVR) Review

Déraciné is the latest VR exclusive game from the creators of the Dark Souls franchise ‘FromSoftware’.  The game is about the story of a fairy that is summoned by one of the children of a boarding school.  You are the invisible fairy and it’s your job to interact with the people and objects in the world to achieve certain outcomes.

In European folklore, a Deracine is a person who is take from their home to another place.  This ties into the narrative of the game – as it includes pieces of folklore in its storytelling.

From the start you will realize that Deracine is not for everyone. The mystical approach, and heavy focus on storytelling is very different from the previous games the studio became well known for.  If you are not put off by this and decide to take the journey however, you might enjoy what the game has to offer.

You progress the story by teleporting around the world and interacting with objects. Thankfully the puzzles are fairly simple and exploration is encouraged.  The graphics of the world is crisp and clear. Environments and objects look great in VR and everything has a natural tone from the ambient lighting.  

The game soundtrack is heavily low toned, with looping melodies.  It matches the style and feeling of the world very well.  Deracine can feel like a point-and-click adventure to some people, but the choice to make it only playable in VR was a good one.  As playing in VR allows the player to better connect with the characters and experience the story of the world more fully.

Sadly, there are some bad points about the game as well.  Some of the puzzles don’t make much sense and can become annoying trying to figure out what they require you to do.  Persons who aren’t fans of teleportation movement will not be happy, as there is no free movement.  And lastly, the game is not very long but once you see everything – there is little interest to go back see play it again. 

As we mentioned before, the game is not for everyone.  Many will be turned off by this type of game from the start, but if you are willing to commit and pick up this title for the $29.99 asking price there is an experience in Deracine for you to enjoy.

Heavy Fire: Red Shadow (PSVR) Review

Heavy Fire: Red Shadow is 360 degree wave shooter with you in the command seat.  Its operations are simple – fight off waves of enemies approaching from all directions.  The goal of each stage is to defend your position from the oncoming attackers.  Depending on the type of enemy, the force required to take them out will vary.  Some enemies approach on foot, making it easy to take them out with simple gunfire, while others come in various vehicles such as jeeps, trucks and ships requires more fire power.

The game graphics are not the best.  In the VR mode is clear enough to see what is going on but the general world is a jagged mess.  The best approach to playing Heavy Fire would be for short intervals, because anything beyond that point and the game becomes a repetition of doing the same thing over and over once you master it. 

There are a variety of stages to battle on, each with a daytime and nighttime version.  There are no boss battles at the end of the stages, which is a disappointment.  The game itself is not very challenging but you can feel overwhelmed when there are many enemies approaching at all sides.  There is a demo available on the PSN store if need to decide if this title is something you might enjoy or not. 

Heavy Fire: Red Shadow’s biggest problem is its price.  The game sells for $19.99 for the standalone basic game and $9.99 for the VR mode.  That makes the complete package a total of $30.00.   For that price, it can be hard to justify purchases the game when you compare it to other games of similar prices that offer greater value.  

Home Sweet Home (PSVR) Review

Home Sweet Home is a heart stopping journey down the halls of a twisted nightmare.  But the question is, is it worth your time? Let’s find out in our review of Home Sweet Home for the PSVR.

Home Sweet Home is a game that tells a story of a wife that has gone missing, and a husband’s journey to find her.  One night, Tim wakes up in a seemingly abandoned building instead of his home. While trying to escape, he’s hunted by a hostile female spirit.  Her approach is made even more terrifying by her constant wailing and the disturbing clicking sounds she makes with her box cutter.  The player not only has to focus on stealth, but also solve puzzles and investigate their surroundings to unlock the mystery of what exactly is going on.

The events of the story take place in Thailand, and feature many interesting cultural beliefs and mythology.  The game explains its backstory along the way by use of ‘collectibles’ such as logs, diary entries, and newspaper clippings - that give details of past events in the story. 

Graphics are crisp and clear, and the world is highly well detailed.  My main complaint is with some of the character models, specifically of the humans in the game.  While the demonic creatures and monsters look fearful and as realistic as could possibly be, the human characters seem to just miss the mark.  Often looking odd and sometimes unnatural in the greater context of the world.  

The game can be played in TV-Only or VR mode, but to get the most immersive experience – obviously the VR mode should be played.   For the most part, the majority of Home Sweet Home is extremely straight forward.  The most frustrating part is getting stuck on some of the puzzles.  Some puzzles give no context and can become rage causing-ly difficult.  Requiring the player to search the environment for hints and then using trial and error to hopefully find the solutions. If not give up all together and seek a walkthrough online.

"Box cutter" dead girl from Home Sweet Home (VR Game)

The game does its best to keep you the player always on edge. The environments often shift and change as you turn around.  Sometimes moving through a doorway can take you to a different world than the one you entered.  Avoiding enemies feels like playing hide and seek.  Waiting for the enemy to move out of sight before rushing onto the next progression point.  I have learned first-hand that attempting to sprint your walk through to the end of a level doesn’t work.  At times it can feel like an extreme test of patience to sit wait and wait- as your heart pounds out of your chest to be sure it is safe before progressing forward.

The sound design in Home Sweet home is amazing.  The music changes and sound effects give clues for when danger is approaching.  As mentioned before, you are alert to danger when the ghost girl is nearby auto cues as well as the sounds of her haunting cries and footsteps.    The only major stumble is the voice acting, as some parts can be laughable funny with how bad it is. 

Home Sweet Home is fairly short, and can be completed in approximately 5 hours.  This time can be longer if you try to get all collectables hidden throughout each level.  All in all, the game is an enjoyable horror experience.  The Thai mythology and setting is very interesting and there are truly scary moments to enjoy.  The game is available right now on the PSN store for $29.99.  Be aware however, that this is only episode 1 – the story is set to continue in futures episodes but no release date or additional is available at this time.