![]() Without revealing any big story spoilers the entire narrative centers around Rachel, and her relationship with Leonard. For a game so well-designed, where you can clearly tell the level of detail that went into designing the hotel and the characters, it’s disappointing. Though the narrative itself is thoroughly enjoyable and very well-executed, and the sound and graphical designs are knockout, some topics are just lacking genuine thoughtfulness. That said, I’ve got some mixed emotions after finishing The Suicide of Rachel Foster. Because of just how realistic everything looks and feels, this indie title offers a level of realism I haven’t seen in a while from a game of its size. Every aspect of the hotel really drives home that the building is, although not quite haunted, very, very creepy. The hotel is quite large and you’ll have to rely on your memory to find your way around. The level of detail that went into the hotel design is damn impressive and it’s no small feat either. Where The Suicide of Rachel Foster really shines however is with just how great it looks and sounds. Other than that there isn’t too much to keep track of outside of the steady stream of interesting tidbits of information about Nicole’s family and Rachel. Well, that and talking to Irving through the old phone as the only means to move the narrative-driven gameplay forward. You’ll have to walk around, exploring The Timberland, adding items to your inventory, and uncovering the sinister details surrounding Rachel’s death. I knocked a couple of stars off for both the lack of vital clues, and the miserably slow speed the protagonist moved through the game.The gameplay is quite simple. To be honest, I think the final solution was slightly Poirot'd in that we didn't have the information needed to solve the mystery earlier than it was presented to us, and it was presented, ratehr than revealed. Breadcrumbs were there to suggest many different possibilities, and honestly, the finaly mystery was not one that I predicted, though I did predict many of the other events of the game. It was incredibly atmospheric, and you could never tell if what was going on would turn out to be supernatural, oddly science-fictional, or the product of the chaarcter's imagination. The unseen irving was the most realised character in the game, and was delivered with the strongest performance, in my opinion. The plot was decent, and the writign was serviceable, though a little hamfisted in places. A lot of that clickbait was driven by American moral norms, which fall flat in many other countries, as we do things differently, and at different ages. ![]() That's the problem with internet reviews. ![]() I, like a lot of others, had seen the clickbait on YouTube portraying this as a game with a story much darker than it turned out to be. The atmosphere though was perfected and I hope to see more games like this. Horror that 'could' actually happen, is the scariest without a doubt. True horror needs to be rooted in our humanity. HORROR GAME DEVELOPERS NEED TO TAKE A LESSON FROM THIS GAME WHEN WANTING TO CREATE A HEIGHTENED STATE OF FEAR FOR THEIR PLAYERS. The ending kinda speed away and I am not sure I loved the conclusion,however. ![]() Overall the game wasn't completely perfect. If anything that part of the narrative added to the discomfort of the game, as it is a uncomfortable topic and contains many emotions and human behaviors that are not easily addressed and dealt with. I do not believe that they were condoning the behavior of certain characters. It was presented through different characters perspectives, and they attended to all of these in a balanced way. I am a licensed therapist and I'd like to say that the way they handled this topic in my opinion was very tactful. Again without spoiling I will attempt to address this issue. Secondly, some critics have claimed that the way they approached the taboo nature of the narrative, was done inappropriately. No over the top horror tropes and no cartoony scares. The sound, the music, the graphics, and the relationship between the main characters gives such a sense of reality, the horror seems to be rooted in our world somehow. I found myself constantly feeling watched, and peering down the empty halls expecting someone or something to arrive at any moment. I will tell you, that this game is horror, the game is very subtle, but slowly and deliberately works into your mind, causing a palpable paranoia as you wander the giant hotel. Firstly, some say it is not a horror game. Without spoiling I will attempt to speak to the various aspects of the game. I felt I had to review this game, as aspects of this game are what I have been looking for.
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