THOSE WHO REMAIN

Hello darkness, my old friend…

What better way to spend sunny days than curled up indoors with a thriller? This game, unfortunately, may not quite fit the bill. Protagonist

Edward has turned to drink in the face of his personal problems but is about to turn a corner. Unfortunately, the nearby town is besieged by murderous creatures lurking in the dark. As if that isn’t bad enough, a young ghost girl won’t leave him alone, demanding he judge all those who wronged her.

It’s a story that shies away from breaking the mould, and is perfectly serviceable at shepherding you between areas. Edward’s journey is split between exploring wherever the light takes him, solving lock-and-key puzzles, and being chased by distinctly feminine monstrosities. 1 Exploration feels very classically adventure game-y though is far from a shining example.

Navigating some genuinely lovely interiors, more memorably dream-like sequences are drowned out by disgruntling design. It’s not always obvious what you’ve missed and why the story won’t progress. For example, why on Earth did we need to nip back to the loo, a room that was fairly nondescript up until this point, to judge the soul of the condemned? 2 Talk about praying to a porcelain God…

Poor signposting is a problem throughout, compounding frustration in by-the-numbers stealth/chase sequences (though each of these is mercifully to the point once you figure out what you’re supposed to do). Bright spots, such as the early story’s compassionate portrayal of childhood bereavement and some genuinely unsettling sound design, are too often overshadowed.

We’re not leaving the light on for this. Jess Kinghorn

One of which is called ‘Mother,’ and the other has their boobs out. Far from subtle. There are plenty of contrived moments, such as how Edward keeps losing portable light sources.