Developer: Phosphor Games
Publisher: Phosphor Games
Platforms: PC
Tested on: PC
Corpse of Discovery – Review
When you think about ‘Walking Simulator’, the first thing to come to mind is ‘QWOP’. What doesn’t come to mind is a game about a stranded space traveller who got abandoned by his government and has to find a way to send a message to Earth to show he’s still alive. Corpse of Discovery will definitely leave you chilled.
Story
This story of a space traveller is a gloomy one, abandoned by his country, all alone on alien soil. It’s your job to finish some objectives so you can send a message to Earth to come pick you up. This way you’ll have earned the money to retire and spend the rest of your days with your loving family. Your doting wife and loving children are what drives the whole story and as the story progresses, and the message logs sent to you by your family start to show their emotional wear and tear, you’ll start to feel more and more depressed.
Every time you wake up from another mission, things around you start changing. Inside the base, only minor things change, it’s once you set foot outside that the real changes become apparent. The changes keep the game intriguing and keep you going. Corpse of Discovery is a very dark game. Especially your partner, the AVA, will really make you feel lonely and helpless.
Graphics
Corpse of Discovery is a really pretty game. There is just no way around it. The changes in and around the base really set the mood for the game and the layout of the levels make things really clear on where you are supposed to go.
Platforming in first person view is something that becomes a hit and miss thing and sometimes the game just completely misses it by making the landscape confusing to navigate. Having an underground part of the game is cool, but when the entrances are hidden and finding them happens by mere chance then it means something is wrong.
Sound
When it comes to sound, the real star in Corpse of Discovery is the voice acting. When you listen to logs sent by your wife and kids you’ll hear their emotions. Every time you wake up, a new log will be waiting for you.
Your kids are growing up and your wife is growing older. The kids will talk about their achievements and the little things in life. They sound extremely convincing. This creates a sense of dread. You want to hear what they’ll have to say in the next log, but you also don’t want to hear it. Because the next log would mean you’d still be stuck there, and no closer to them.
There’s another voice that really is worth mentioning, namely AVA, the robotic A.I. which will accompany you in the bigger parts of your journey. Usually halfway into the journey her battery will die and you’ll be left to wander the planet alone. At first she seems like a pest, then she makes you feel helpless, but soon you’ll grow fond of her.
Gameplay
Corpse of Discovery is a walking simulator. It basically means you’ll be walking from a to b and see some things. To be honest, Corpse of Discovery shouldn’t be labelled a ‘walking simulator’. It has more of a horror vibe to it and big parts of the game will be spent afloat due to the jetpack strapped to your back. The controls are fairly easy. W,A,S,D for movement and shift for running. Spacebar makes you jump and in some cases you’ll be granted a double jump.
When you are in control of a jetpack, holding down spacebar will make you fly. Aside from the flashy and colourful scenery, there is some dark mystery going on. Large winged creatures soar through the sky and kill you if their gaze falls upon you. So you’ll often sprint from one place to another trying to outrun them. This makes the game so tense. Some parts of Corpse of Discovery pit you in a solar radiation.
So it’s up to you to make sure you stay in the shadow, and should you venture into the light, it should only be to scurry to the next patch of shade. Failing to do so, will strip your suit of its protection and you vulnerable to the elements. In short: you’ll die.
First you’ll have some missions to do which mostly involve walking or flying or floating to some place, pressing E to interact and then moving on to some other place. Easy to comprehend and execute. Child’s play as it’s called. Don’t think that this makes the game boring however. The narrative and intrigue will keep you going.
Conclusion
Corpse of Discovery is a walking simulator. If you are looking for a drama free, straight cut, non-emotionally loaded game, then give this a pass. What seems like an innocent genre is actually quite a dark and creepy adventure. The downside is also a blessing as the game is rather short. You’ll shoot through it in about 5 hours and the ending is a bit… meta. The price is definitely justified. It’s just up to you whether or not you are into trotting from one spot to another.
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