Here's The Thing:
You step into the shoes of Ben Richter, and your family of four are on vacation at a remarkable pad for a week or so! What initially started out as wholesome fun and quality time planned turns into a fight for survival as three strangers intrude on the property looking for something… or someone?


Game supports both VR & standard modes, however, let it be known that I played and finished it exclusively on the keyboard! Thus, this review only takes into consideration the non-VR viewpoint~



Gameplay is pretty much what's expected in the title; hide-and-seek. Although the nature of it changes from an innocent tone to one that screams out “wait, I’m an innocent!” I am in awe of the progression where you first get to live out your fantasy of being rich by exploring the house top to bottom, which serves a dual purpose that’s not all too obvious; building of familiarity with the layout of rooms, but also for learning lore through discovering interestingly colorful personal effects!

Actual hide and seek portions are fairly straightforward, where you’re thrown an objective and have to get to a spot inconspicuously. However, on the off chance that you do arouse suspicion or are flat out detected by one of the three patrolling intruders, that’s when you have to lose them by going into the many available designated hiding locations such as wardrobes, lockers, and the like. In cases where the intruders are hot on your trail, a simple minigame will play out when in hiding where you must calm yourself…!

The full experience contains 2 outcomes and should occupy about 3-4 hours. I’ll be entirely honest, it’s not a terribly challenging title; in fact it’s a gas! But that’s what I admired most about it- the lack of a learning curve or needlessly annoying mechanics. It kept things minimal, gave you space to maneuver therefore focused on the story and staying true to the role of a person whose house has been invaded~


TIPS:
1) Have your flashlight up whenever possible, it makes the interaction icons visible from afar (up to a point) for some reason.


It can take quite a few to get past the stiff facial expressions, animations and Borderlands-looking villains, so I want to turn your attention to the heavenly interiors of the Richter home. Which by the way, looks like it’s at home on the list of “Top 10 Videogame Houses” or maybe actual cribs on the criteria of beauty but also functionality!

A modern-day architectural Eden that gives you the impression that its 20+ rooms are vastly detailed, individually decorated and it just makes sense; I can’t get over that fact! It’s a home first and a building second! Of course, that notion is turned on its head once the break-in happens… where the house is ransacked and the warm atmosphere grows into hostility and eventually a prison!

At first I thought the sound effects were a little muted but then it hit me, why would the intruders stomp around thunderously? The unceasing downpour drowns out a lot of the noise too and that freaks me out… It’s missing a few tracks to qualify as a full-blown OST, but some really terrific stuff is on there when it’s not overpowered by tense chase music or those of the slow burn variety~
https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=2890095759


The story is one I’ve seen a hundred times in film format but never a game, so there’s that! It channels the precariousness, in other words, high-stakes cat-and-mouse action mainly from Panic Room (2002), which it even shares with it a sick protagonist and a trio of intruders! But it’s also reminiscent of The Collector (2009), The Neighbor, and See For Me (2021) when it comes to the matter of motives behind the break in!

I must praise the cast as well, particularly Irene and Jane who cranked up the believability and acted as if their lives depended on it- unless… were they!? The villains- not so much, but then again, they were meant to be detested~


You would think that the horror emanates solely from the intruders, but nope; it comes in waves like zombies or COVID. Starting with the enormous terror in having your thought to be impregnable castle stormed.

Then you’re forced to feebly listen as your family gets tortured, but since you cannot see what actually happens as a result of clever camera positioning, you can only feed into the worst of what your imagination has to offer!

Finally, the reasons behind the home invasion is made known, which could drastically lay waste to the dynamics of family interactions… maybe even to the brink of irreparability. I want to end this by pointing out two poignant metaphors; the gorgeous house facade and the jigsaw puzzle of a family picture both of which served as uncanny nods to the plot twist~
https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=2890094908



Firstly, the gameplay, which I’ve stated earlier to be so basic it could be a turnoff for some; not me though! Visualize the linearity to Perception but without any handicaps to keep you in line… In several instances, you had to hide ONLY because the scripted situation necessitated for them and they were very foreseeable! Besides, what else could you have done?

Secondly, the controls weren’t all too friendly or well thought out. For example, when within a hiding spot, you’re so inhibited in mobility that you can’t even peer out or angle your view despite all that space in there, being a 10-year-old after all… I disliked that it puts you through a ‘lil black screen when trying to enter a hiding spot. And, how the act of going out of a hiding spot was so mechanical and unintuitive! Also, how it didn’t tell you that “holding E” fully pulls/shuts doors whereas “pressing E” partially opens them.

Finally, it suffers from what I call “thriller movie problems” whereby there were countless escape opportunities but they were not entertained because (a) you’re dumb, and (b) it would cut the game’s runtime in half. Theoretically, you could free your mom on two occasions and your dad could have just told you things like three different times. Not a big deal though, it’s just how thrillers be!


x I am at a dilemma for a lot of the reviews mentioned AI-related issues, yet I didn’t find any? It’s possible they may be isolated to the VR version. Just something to keep in mind…
x Some visuals glitch out; light penetrating through walls, doors overlap with objects and etc.


~ Don’t see why I can’t refer to the map when you’re hidden in the designated spots or when in the vent.
~ No closed captions available for the intruders during gameplay, unless there were scripted events…
~ Why is hiding under bed contextually and automatically activated when crouching near beds, but the rest require manual prompting?
~ A fine selection of PARTIAL songs in the gaming room. What gives!?
~ In-game tutorials are biased towards the gamepad.


https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=2890096411

Last Words?
Effectually paced, but a drawn-out elementary game of hide-and-seek. Don’t let that catch you off guard for it sports impressively shrewd details, personal touches and an alarming home invasion story~

[code]Curator page here-->[url=https://store.steampowered.com/curator/37670120/] DaRevieweD #203 [/url]<-- [i]New review every Weekend[/i][/code] [h1]"BEN THERE, DONE THAT. BUT-!!"[/h1] [u] Here's The Thing:[/u] You step into the shoes of Ben Richter, and your family of four are on vacation at a remarkable pad for a week or so! What initially started out as wholesome fun and quality time planned turns into a fight for survival as three strangers intrude on the property looking for something… or someone? [h1] ! DISCLAIMER ![/h1] Game supports both VR & standard modes, however, let it be known that I played and finished it exclusively on the keyboard! Thus, this review only takes into consideration the non-VR viewpoint~ [h1][u][+] PROS;[/u][/h1] [h1]:) DAD’S THE WAY, NUH-UH 2X, I LIKE IT~[/h1] Gameplay is pretty much what's expected in the title; hide-and-seek. Although the nature of it changes from an innocent tone to one that screams out “wait, I’m an innocent!” I am in awe of the progression where you first get to live out your fantasy of being rich by exploring the house top to bottom, which serves a dual purpose that’s not all too obvious; building of familiarity with the layout of rooms, but also for learning lore through discovering interestingly colorful personal effects! Actual hide and seek portions are fairly straightforward, where you’re thrown an objective and have to get to a spot inconspicuously. However, on the off chance that you do arouse suspicion or are flat out detected by one of the three patrolling intruders, that’s when you have to lose them by going into the many available designated hiding locations such as wardrobes, lockers, and the like. In cases where the intruders are hot on your trail, a simple minigame will play out when in hiding where you must calm yourself…! The full experience contains 2 outcomes and should occupy about 3-4 hours. I’ll be entirely honest, it’s not a terribly challenging title; in fact it’s a gas! But that’s what I admired most about it- the lack of a learning curve or needlessly annoying mechanics. It kept things minimal, gave you space to maneuver therefore focused on the story and staying true to the role of a person whose house has been invaded~ [u]TIPS:[/u] 1) Have your flashlight up whenever possible, it makes the interaction icons visible from afar (up to a point) for some reason. [h1]:) A COZY & NICE HOUSE TO BREAK IN~[/h1] It can take quite a few to get past the stiff facial expressions, animations and Borderlands-looking villains, so I want to turn your attention to the heavenly interiors of the Richter home. Which by the way, looks like it’s at home on the list of “Top 10 Videogame Houses” or maybe actual cribs on the criteria of beauty but also functionality! A modern-day architectural Eden that gives you the impression that its 20+ rooms are vastly detailed, individually decorated and it just makes sense; I can’t get over that fact! It’s a home first and a building second! Of course, that notion is turned on its head once the break-in happens… where the house is ransacked and the warm atmosphere grows into hostility and eventually a prison! At first I thought the sound effects were a little muted but then it hit me, why would the intruders stomp around thunderously? The unceasing downpour drowns out a lot of the noise too and that freaks me out… It’s missing a few tracks to qualify as a full-blown OST, but some really terrific stuff is on there when it’s not overpowered by tense chase music or those of the slow burn variety~ https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=2890095759 [h1]:) PILL-EASE DON’T HURT THOSE. CLOSETS. TO. YA![/h1] The story is one I’ve seen a hundred times in film format but never a game, so there’s that! It channels the precariousness, in other words, high-stakes cat-and-mouse action mainly from [b]Panic Room (2002)[/b], which it even shares with it a sick protagonist and a trio of intruders! But it’s also reminiscent of [b]The Collector (2009)[/b], [b]The Neighbor,[/b] and [b]See For Me (2021)[/b] when it comes to the matter of motives behind the break in! I must praise the cast as well, particularly Irene and Jane who cranked up the believability and acted as if their lives depended on it- unless… were they!? The villains- not so much, but then again, they were meant to be detested~ [h1]:) 2 / 3 ON THE RICHTER SCALE, YET![/h1] You would think that the horror emanates solely from the intruders, but nope; it comes in waves like zombies or COVID. Starting with the enormous terror in having your thought to be impregnable castle stormed. Then you’re forced to feebly listen as your family gets tortured, but since you cannot see what actually happens as a result of clever camera positioning, you can only feed into the worst of what your imagination has to offer! Finally, the reasons behind the home invasion is made known, which could drastically lay waste to the dynamics of family interactions… maybe even to the brink of irreparability. I want to end this by pointing out two poignant metaphors; the gorgeous house facade and the jigsaw puzzle of a family picture both of which served as uncanny nods to the plot twist~ https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=2890094908 [h1][u][-] CONS;[/u][/h1] [h1]:( YOU COULD GET SEEK OF THINGS…[/h1] Firstly, the gameplay, which I’ve stated earlier to be so basic it could be a turnoff for some; not me though! Visualize the linearity to[url=https://steamcommunity.com/id/DeadeGuard98/recommended/426310/] Perception[/url] but without any handicaps to keep you in line… In several instances, you had to hide ONLY because the scripted situation necessitated for them and they were very foreseeable! Besides, what else could you have done? Secondly, the controls weren’t all too friendly or well thought out. For example, when within a hiding spot, you’re so inhibited in mobility that you can’t even peer out or angle your view despite all that space in there, being a 10-year-old after all… I disliked that it puts you through a ‘lil black screen when trying to enter a hiding spot. And, how the act of going out of a hiding spot was so mechanical and unintuitive! Also, how it didn’t tell you that “holding E” fully pulls/shuts doors whereas “pressing E” partially opens them. Finally, it suffers from what I call “thriller movie problems” whereby there were countless escape opportunities but they were not entertained because (a) you’re dumb, and (b) it would cut the game’s runtime in half. Theoretically, you could free your mom on two occasions and your dad could have just told you things like three different times. Not a big deal though, it’s just how thrillers be! [h1]BUGS:[/h1] x I am at a dilemma for a lot of the reviews mentioned AI-related issues, yet I didn’t find any? It’s possible they may be isolated to the VR version. Just something to keep in mind… x Some visuals glitch out; light penetrating through walls, doors overlap with objects and etc. [h1]NITPICKS:[/h1] ~ Don’t see why I can’t refer to the map when you’re hidden in the designated spots or when in the vent. ~ No closed captions available for the intruders during gameplay, unless there were scripted events… ~ Why is hiding under bed contextually and automatically activated when crouching near beds, but the rest require manual prompting? ~ A fine selection of PARTIAL songs in the gaming room. What gives!? ~ In-game tutorials are biased towards the gamepad. [h1]"HIDE NEVER CHANGE A THING~"[/h1] https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=2890096411 [u]Last Words?[/u] Effectually paced, but a drawn-out elementary game of hide-and-seek. Don’t let that catch you off guard for it sports impressively shrewd details, personal touches and an alarming home invasion story~ [h1]9 / 10[/h1] [code]Don't forget to follow my curator [url=https://store.steampowered.com/curator/37670120/] DaRevieweD[/url] for more games!![/code]