Infliction: Extended Cut – Review
Follow Genre: Horror
Developer: Caustic Reality
Publisher: Caustic Reality, Blowfish Studios Pty. Ltd.
Platform: PS4, Xbox One, Switch, PC
Tested on: PS4

Infliction: Extended Cut – Review

Site Score
5.6
Good: The narrative enriches the mystery and suspense, submerging the player in the horror atmosphere
Bad: Too many cliche elements from other games combined together making the playthrough exhausting
User Score
8.3
(3 votes)
Click to vote
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Rating: 8.3/10 (3 votes cast)

Clearly inspired by many well-known horror games, Infliction seems to combine all its base elements and smashed them together to bring us this first-person horror game with a strong focus on storytelling. By wandering and exploring through what once was a happy home, the player uncovers the tragedy that has befallen on the household.

Story

There’s not much that can be told without spoiling the story which absolutely makes up the whole game.

The story kicks off with an unknown protagonist driving up to a nice suburban home. After entering, it becomes clear that the player needs to find a pair of plane tickets that are laying somewhere around the house. By following the objective, you will explore parts of the house which leads you to discover footage of a tragic event that has happened on the second floor. Still in shock, the player has to hastily leave the place because it turns out that you are not alone. But leaving the house is not as easy as it seems.

Graphics

The game fully delivers the creepy, uncomfortable ambiance that you would find in a proper haunted house by using a well-balanced amount of light and darkness. The lighting complements the scenery which is very detailed and impressive in itself. Every surface, every object, every crack, every tear, … feels like it was thoughtfully worked out. The graphics look quite realistic while avoiding the Uncanny Valley effect. There’s something aesthetically pleasing about a realistic rendering in a video game without feeling a sense of uneasiness due to thinking that it is all actually real. But unfortunately, there is an inconsistency between the visuals. Besides the nicely rendered scenes, the environment is decorated with photorealistic items that completely break the balance. At times, it felt like the developers just searched for some stock photos and added them to the game. This is not acceptable if your game is strongly focused on story-telling through visuals. Especially not when you add a lot of portraits or pictures of a person.

Sound

The game mostly relies on sound effects that are applied to every action and interaction. This, combined with utter silence, creates an eerie atmosphere that gives the player a strong feeling of immersion. Because of this, the smallest sound could make the hairs on your arm stand up on end or give you shivers down your spine.

Infliction also uses great performance voice-overs that sound crystal clear and genuine. Accompanied by a subtle echo, every story told sounds charming yet haunting that resides with you throughout the playthrough.

Gameplay

Infliction is made out of different chapters, each with its own objective. It is up to the player to roam around the house, interact with the surroundings, find significant items and progress through the story. By exploring the residence, you will uncover more and more of the terrifying history behind the house. However, there is no time to peacefully discover every nook and cranny for there is a relentless entity following your every step. 

The game does not require a lot of action from the player. It is practically a first-person walking simulation where you only need to walk, crouch, click and look around.

To make progress, you will need to complete the given objective. This is the only way to continue on in the story. But it is often unclear what the player has to do or find to move on to the next step. This can get you stuck in the game easily, raising up frustration with the player.

Like every other house, this home is filled with basic household items but also plenty of memorabilia, pictures, portraits, notes, etc. Interacting with these objects uncovers more and more of the story that gives you clues to piece together the mystery behind the disturbing series of events. Most of these objects blend in with the environment really well which makes it unclear if you can interact with it or not. The latter could give the player the urge to try to pick up everything, making your actions feel very repetitive after a while.

Next to walking and clicking, you are also able to crouch and hide. But was this option really necessary? While walking around, exploring the house, you will notice that you are not alone. The malevolent spirit of a young woman seems to be following you and waiting for you at every corner. This leads to you being caught by her multiple times, making the game utterly frustrating to continue on. This happens so often that the game loses its eerily ambiance very quickly. The fear you once felt gets replaced by annoyance. Especially, when the game acts up and technical issues occur e.g. objects not interactable when it should or the ghosts getting stuck behind furniture. And yes, there are ways to momentarily expel the spirit. But if you see her, then it’s already too late. There is no time left for you to hide, turn the lights on or escape. You can only give in and sigh while you re-awaken back at your checkpoint.

Conclusion

What seemed promising and could have been the next P.T. (which a lot of us gamers were hoping for), Infliction: Extended Cut falls flat on its face. Unfortunately, the developers felt the need to take every element that makes up a basic horror game and cram it together into this one game, hoping it would make Infliction a good horror game by default. The foundation is solid, but the rest is badly executed. Like Frankenstein’s monster, the game seems interesting but it’s still a monstrosity, assembled from old body parts.

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Rating: 8.3/10 (3 votes cast)
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Rating: 0 (from 0 votes)
Infliction: Extended Cut – Review, 8.3 out of 10 based on 3 ratings
JenRox


“Keep your friends close, but your memes even closer”.

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