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.