Visage is right up there with Condemned and Resident Evil 7 for perfectly engineered scares. The atmosphere created is exceptional and I have rarely been as unsettled and terrified playing any videogame. The tension ramps up as you progress through the story, with your imminent demise often signalled by the soundtrack which grinds and squeals incessantly as danger approaches. Most of your time will be spent re-treading the common parts of the house, but with an altered focus.Ĭhapter one, ‘Lucy’, sets a high bar of terror and features apparitions reminiscent of the most terrifying Japanese horror films like Ring, The Grudge and Dark Water.

Once you choose to begin a story, then additional parts of the house open up which are relevant to the horrors centring around that character. Rakan’s tale begins with footage of him battling his inner demons being replayed in black and white via VHS with you seemingly as his nemesis…įour chapters or stories are available to play, and each is triggered by a particular object which can be collected as you wander the corridors and rooms. Movement around the house is slow and methodical but holding L2 gives a slight increase in speed which you’ll need at numerous times when the terror needle hits red. With little in the way of obvious explanation for your character’s predicament and no guidance as to what or where you are supposed to go, it’s left up to you to slowly unearth clues and items which uncover the secrets held within the house. Fortunately, exploration takes precedence over action and offensive measures aren’t an option so running like hell is always the best policy. The limited inventory space is all well and good, but having to use multiple button presses to drop or access an important item whilst being pursued by a vengeful apparition is quite frustrating. Juggling your inventory and accessing lighters, keys, or tablets quickly is unfortunately an extremely fiddly and unintuitive affair and is the main Achilles heel of the game design. Light bulbs can also be collected to fix broken lamps so you’ll be genuinely pleased to come across these essential aids to quell the impending fear caused by the dark.

I haven’t seen you for weeks and I just wanted to check you weren’t dead.”Ĭollectable tablets enable you to fight the ongoing brain fog, and a smattering of Zippo lighters allow you to explore the dinge, occasionally letting you light one of the few candles which can be placed in the majority of the rooms.

Visage horror game commands