The Caregiver (TCG) is the most recent j-horror experience to come out from Chilla's Art (CA)- who doesn't even need an introduction at this point! It's no secret, I'm a huge fan of theirs; I actually want to review all of their games but it's easier said than done because you must have nerves of steel and not prone to mini-heart attacks. If you love Japanese horror movies, and want to be a glorified "extra" then play any one!! My first ever was when I worked in The Convenience Store (TCS), but that's because I was shopping for more than I bargained for.

Then I went looking for those Missing Children (MC) and before this, I got on the The Ghost Train (TGT) to God knows where... But since I was graciously given a key by the devs, I just had to resuscitate myself and get right on it!! Every journey so far has been absolutely uneasy and you wonder- when will they lose their no jumpscare hot streak? That's always a neat little bonus to get you riled up more! With TCG, it's all of those games combined- the sum of their best parts. But has CA finally run out of things to give? I don't really care though~ XD


https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=2447002052

The Gist:
You are in a for a draining few days, assigned to care for Koga Shuichi- a recluse in his 80s and suffering from dementia(?). Arriving at his residence, the place is severely cluttered and his family members are nowhere to be found. He begins to exhibit more strange behavior, but nothing new in this line of work... right?

! You signed up for this.


(a) Teaching An Old Dog New Tricks.
It's just another day at work, prep and head on over to your client's home. Take in the quiet, dim and ghost town streets, maybe even look for patron cards :3 Once there, you must tend to his needs; bowel movements, hygiene and safety. But it goes without saying- you have to find him first (wow). Pace yourself and explore the house, making sure there is no threat from what or whoever's making them noises.

How? The house is a mess and so you'll need tools, keys and a scrappy inventory to get into places. Don't even think of bailing (until necessary) on the job, not that you can or will be given the chance to anyway ;) In a seemingly fresh decision, there's the 1 canon ending to go on! And it'll haunt you from beyond the grave~

(b) I Give, And. I. Give...
No doubt, it will give you major flashbacks to Ju-on, The Grudge or if you were unfortunate enough, Scary Movie 4. The iconic scenes and locations from those films make nail-biting cameos in TCG but with CA's own tense spin to them! A very sad story that shakes the audience by forcing you to go to places you knew was just a bad idea... There's the attic, tucked in bit and bathtub to name a few. Then the RE7 fashion of creepy old person getting around, which makes you skeptical of the whole situation.

(c) A State of Decay?
Even before you get there, the paranoia of the too silent area and "out at night" fear sets in... And it's even worse at the residence, I was repulsed by its messiness and the want-to-die vibe permeating. The longer than they should corridors, with countless sliding screen doors- trying to open each one is as stressful as playing peek-a-boo!!

There's even an achievement that bamboozles you because you worry the devs will betray your trust of having no jumpscares!! The sound design is immersive and foreboding! With the slightest of noises leaving me frozen and I sought shelter in the yard more times than warranted...

https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=2447000063

(d) Pray That Won't be You~
SCARY: It elicited a great deal of sympathy for both parties. Firstly, being a caregiver can be a thankless profession, one that's mentally and physically exhausting. I felt that once you exclude the occult, it's a spot-on representation of the loneliness that comes with the workload.

Secondly, the shoes of the "helpless" clients. Usually these are individuals abandoned by their own family members, so there's already a bitterness and lack of consent, willingness on their end to be treated as babies. But then again, it could have been the best solution, I hope I don't resort to this either...

Lastly, there's a bit of the old = disgusting, useless mentality. Maybe it's the fact that it's not a pleasant thought to stare at what could someday be you as well. There's a large parallel between life and death from where you're standing. The inevitability and just as likely to be given away at the drop of a hat... In fact "the caregiver" could also be a metaphor for God as there's a great deal of longing, regret and resignation.



(i) This Is Getting Old...
Story-wise, nailed the series of events but the style and what it ended up being was too far-fetched. There's always been somewhat religious, folklore elements added to CA titles- yet it felt too much here in terms of exposition and the mystery stirred. Also, why can't the devs ever decide on just ONE fixed method of saving progression across all their games? That would save time and no need for experimentation.

Autosave is impractical as leaving without clearing the current day will restart it when you press 'continue'. I thought having either TGT's area save would suffice or better yet MC's manual saves... Accessibility, you have to quit the application instead of just going to main menu. It's a blast from the past to TCS and not the good kind~

(ii) Not as Easy as It Used to be!
BUGS: TCG was off to a rocky start, with achievements not working at all and lots of getting stuck in places; stairs, behind a chest and etc. There are still others and I want to bring them to the dev's attention. Essentially inconsequential but can sour the experience!
~ Unintentional shortcuts; interactions through walls, phasing through bathroom wall/ceiling to backyard
~ Camera angle manipulated during cutscene and peeking
~ Weather reset after death screen

NITPICKS:
Not sure if it was on purpose, but the doors closing by themselves at set intervals are terrifying. I get the doors with hinges, but entire sliding doors!!? It was funny the first few times but got awkward and distracting quick!


https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=2447016522

TCG screams out The Grudge- but you'll be unpleasantly blindsided! Launch bugs will be long gone before your discomfort, distrust of old people and dissonance in pursuing a similar profession~ The dread of there constantly being something around the residence be it in unruly sights or unnerving noises can get too much. Pacing of the story was phenomenal as is the buildup of tension that crescendos only in the end after giving your heart a real test! Notwithstanding the paranormal turn, I felt deep empathy for all those involved and newfound respect for elderly.

The story direction, though bold and still packed a punch, did lose its nuances of the "unknown". Progression saving issues make an at times, unwelcome return. Of course, there were bugs too, but I wouldn't worry about it! All in all, another fine addition to your j-horror collection and if I had to rank (a real ouchy) them, this may be one of the best there is~ Might be too early to say, but look forward to the next~~


Support their Patreon- no regrets!!

Indebted to Chilla's Art for the key!

[code]Curator page here-->[url=https://store.steampowered.com/curator/37670120/] DaRevieweD #81 [/url]<-- [i]New review every Sunday[/i][/code] [b]The Caregiver (TCG)[/b] is the most recent j-horror experience to come out from [b]Chilla's Art (CA)-[/b] who doesn't even need an introduction at this point! It's no secret, I'm a huge fan of theirs; I actually want to review all of their games but it's easier said than done because you must have nerves of steel and not prone to mini-heart attacks. If you love Japanese horror movies, and want to be a glorified "extra" then play any one!! My first ever was when I worked in [url=https://steamcommunity.com/id/DeadeGuard98/recommended/1228520/] The Convenience Store (TCS)[/url], but that's because I was shopping for more than I bargained for. Then I went looking for those [url=https://steamcommunity.com/id/DeadeGuard98/recommended/1306620/]Missing Children (MC)[/url] and before this, I got on the [url=https://steamcommunity.com/id/DeadeGuard98/recommended/1349960/] The Ghost Train (TGT)[/url] to God knows where... But since I was graciously given a key by the devs, I just had to resuscitate myself and get right on it!! Every journey so far has been absolutely uneasy and you wonder- when will they lose their no jumpscare hot streak? That's always a neat little bonus to get you riled up more! With TCG, it's all of those games combined- the sum of their best parts. But has CA finally run out of things to give? I don't really care though~ XD [h1]"When You Care Too Much..."[/h1] https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=2447002052 [u]The Gist:[/u] You are in a for a draining few days, assigned to care for Koga Shuichi- a recluse in his 80s and suffering from dementia(?). Arriving at his residence, the place is severely cluttered and his family members are nowhere to be found. He begins to exhibit more strange behavior, but nothing new in this line of work... right? [spoiler]! You signed up for this.[/spoiler] [h1][+] PROS;[/h1] [b](a) Teaching An Old Dog New Tricks.[/b] It's just another day at work, prep and head on over to your client's home. Take in the quiet, dim and ghost town streets, maybe even look for patron cards :3 Once there, you must tend to his needs; bowel movements, hygiene and safety. But it goes without saying- you have to find him first (wow). Pace yourself and explore the house, making sure there is no threat from what or whoever's making them noises. How? The house is a mess and so you'll need tools, keys and a scrappy inventory to get into places. Don't even think of bailing (until necessary) on the job, not that you can or will be given the chance to anyway ;) In a seemingly fresh decision, there's the 1 canon ending to go on! And it'll haunt you from beyond the grave~ [b](b) I Give, And. I. Give...[/b] No doubt, it will give you major flashbacks to [b]Ju-on[/b], [b]The Grudge[/b] or if you were unfortunate enough, [b]Scary Movie 4[/b]. The iconic scenes and locations from those films make nail-biting cameos in TCG but with CA's own tense spin to them! A very sad story that shakes the audience by forcing you to go to places you knew was just a bad idea... There's the attic, tucked in bit and bathtub to name a few. Then the [b]RE7[/b] fashion of creepy old person getting around, which makes you skeptical of the whole situation. [b](c) A State of Decay?[/b] Even before you get there, the paranoia of the too silent area and "out at night" fear sets in... And it's even worse at the residence, I was repulsed by its messiness and the want-to-die vibe permeating. The longer than they should corridors, with countless sliding screen doors- trying to open each one is as stressful as playing peek-a-boo!! There's even an achievement that bamboozles you because you worry the devs will betray your trust of having no jumpscares!! The sound design is immersive and foreboding! With the slightest of noises leaving me frozen and I sought shelter in the yard more times than warranted... https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=2447000063 [b](d) Pray That Won't be You~[/b] SCARY: It elicited a great deal of sympathy for both parties. Firstly, being a caregiver can be a thankless profession, one that's mentally and physically exhausting. I felt that once you exclude the [spoiler]occult[/spoiler], it's a spot-on representation of the loneliness that comes with the workload. Secondly, the shoes of the "helpless" clients. Usually these are individuals abandoned by their own family members, so there's already a bitterness and lack of consent, willingness on their end to be treated as babies. But then again, it could have been the best solution, I hope I don't resort to this either... Lastly, there's a bit of the old = disgusting, useless mentality. Maybe it's the fact that it's not a pleasant thought to stare at what could someday be you as well. There's a large parallel between life and death from where you're standing. The inevitability and just as likely to be given away at the drop of a hat... In fact "the caregiver" could also be a metaphor for [spoiler]God[/spoiler] as there's a great deal of longing, regret and resignation. [h1][-] CONS;[/h1] [b](i) This Is Getting Old...[/b] Story-wise, nailed the series of events but the style and what it ended up being was too far-fetched. There's always been somewhat religious, folklore elements added to CA titles- yet it felt too much here in terms of exposition and the mystery stirred. Also, why can't the devs ever decide on just ONE fixed method of saving progression across all their games? That would save time and no need for experimentation. Autosave is impractical as leaving without clearing the current day will restart it when you press 'continue'. I thought having either TGT's area save would suffice or better yet MC's manual saves... Accessibility, you have to quit the application instead of just going to main menu. It's a blast from the past to TCS and not the good kind~ [b](ii) Not as Easy as It Used to be![/b] BUGS: TCG was off to a rocky start, with achievements not working at all and lots of getting stuck in places; stairs, behind a chest and etc. There are still others and I want to bring them to the dev's attention. Essentially inconsequential but can sour the experience! ~ Unintentional shortcuts; interactions through walls, phasing through bathroom wall/ceiling to backyard ~ Camera angle manipulated during cutscene and peeking ~ Weather reset after death screen NITPICKS: Not sure if it was on purpose, but the doors closing by themselves at set intervals are terrifying. I get the doors with hinges, but entire sliding doors!!? It was funny the first few times but got awkward and distracting quick! [h1]"-You Can Get Careless!"[/h1] https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=2447016522 TCG screams out [i]The Grudge[/i]- but you'll be unpleasantly blindsided! Launch bugs will be long gone before your discomfort, distrust of old people and dissonance in pursuing a similar profession~ The dread of there constantly being something around the residence be it in unruly sights or unnerving noises can get too much. Pacing of the story was phenomenal as is the buildup of tension that crescendos only in the end after giving your heart a real test! Notwithstanding the paranormal turn, I felt deep empathy for all those involved and newfound respect for elderly. The story direction, though bold and still packed a punch, did lose its nuances of the "unknown". Progression saving issues make an at times, unwelcome return. Of course, there were bugs too, but I wouldn't worry about it! All in all, another fine addition to your j-horror collection and if I had to rank (a real ouchy) them, this may be one of the best there is~ Might be too early to say, but look forward to the next~~ [h1]9.4/10[/h1] [b]Support their Patreon- no regrets!![b] [i]Indebted to [b]Chilla's Art[/b] for the key![/i]