Developer: MrCiastku
Publisher: Fat Dog Games
Platform: PC
Tested on: PC
Apparition – Preview
It’s that time of the year to get spooky again. Some of you will dress up and go out trick or treating while others will crawl under a blanket, grab some popcorn and put on Paranormal Activity. And then there’s those that enjoy Halloween by staying put behind their computer and booting up their favourite horror game. For those, we have just tested a new game that might be right up their alley. With Apparition releasing on October 31st, it’s the perfect game to get spooky!
In Apparition you take on the role of a paranormal investigator. Your job is to look for paranormal evidence and sell it afterwards. After studying the rich history of Green Creek, where a murderer named Plague killed countless people over the years, you’re off on a new adventure. Plague is still on the loose, so it’s safe to assume it’s all his work. Or is it? Now it’s up to you to find out who or what is behind the mysterious disappearances by doing what you do best; collecting evidence of paranormal activities!
The story is told by the investigator himself, accompanied by some fitting drawings and subtitles. The soft music playing in the background adds to the feeling of mystery that surrounds the story and the game in its entirety.
Your investigation takes place in a haunted forest in the dead of night, a.k.a. your typical scary place. Since there is moderate to barely any light, the game looks very dark for a majority of the time. When you’re not using your candle to light the forest, the trees look very dark and less detailed, making the game seems lose its charm a little. Furthermore, the graphics are rather mediocre and contain just enough details to make it enjoyable.
Where the game lacks a bit in good graphics, it makes up for it with its in-game sounds. The clearest thing you’ll hear are your own footsteps. There is also some mysterious and scary music playing in the background, be it rather quiet. Every now and then it rains, which is also accompanied by the right heavy rain sounds, making it feel like you’re actually standing in the rain. Since you’re still in a haunted forest, you’ll hear creepy monster growls.
Apparition is a first person survival horror game where you walk around trying to collect evidence of paranormal activities. Sometimes a demon or ghost appears in front of you out of nowhere. These might give you little jump scares, but don’t expect anything that will scare the bejesus out of you. You have to be quick though if you want to take a picture of this phenomenon, they usually only stay like a second.
Taking pictures is an important part of collecting evidence though. You can collect evidence by snapping photos of demons and ghosts, talking to them through the Ouija board and recording this, or taking photos of other evidence like body bags and blood. Collecting evidence will earn you points which you can then use to upgrade your investigation gear in the equipment shop and access new places in the forest. Upgrading your gear can come in handy since the batteries of your first basic camera die really fast.
To help you a little, you’ll find drawings of some of the different apparitions scattered around the cabins in the forest. If you turn this paper around you’ll find some helpful tips on each apparition. However, one thing is consistent; you can only escape by hiding from these creatures from the beyond. If you feel like you’ve gathered enough evidence, and thus points, for one round, you can just go to your car and leave. This brings you back to the shop, and then you go on another run. Fair warning though; you won’t even reach your car quite a few times, especially in the beginning. Dying and trying again is a big part of the game, so you might as well get used to that.
The developers have also recently added a leaderboard, giving players a chance to upload the points they gathered by collecting evidence and competing with other players around the world. If you want to be in first place, you better start collecting fast.
While this game starts out mysterious and fun, it gets repetitive real fast. Even with the upgraded gear and the access to new places that are added along the way, it’s still the same thing you do over and over again. Some variation in the gameplay is recommended for the full release.
Conclusion
Apparition is a fun survival horror game that’ll give you a few hours of fun before it gets boring. Within those few hours, the game might just absorb you and keep you focused and on edge a little. But with the gameplay being repetitive, not a lot of new things are added on your journey in Green Creek, making it feel monotonous. Besides this, the graphics are just mediocre. Apparition does get points for the in-game sounds that are being used. And even though the story itself is not very original or imaginative, the way it is told fits in with the atmosphere of the game greatly. With a few adjustments, this game could become a fun addition in the horror section of your Steam library.
Apparition - Preview,
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