The pace is rather slow and frustrating, especially when you have travelled a long distance and you can’t fast travel back to village centre. The problem is easily remedied if you stop thinking like a manic gamer! This isn’t Call of Duty, folks! Try to soak in the atmosphere, marvel at the dead critters which lace the country paths, revere at the gentle rustling of leaves at the mesmerising sunrise which bathes the valley in a golden glow. The effect, is beautiful, yet very creepy.
The ‘event’ appears to have happened moments before you arrived. Half-drunk pint glasses at the pub, freshly-washed and hung bedsheets rippling in the breeze, cigarettes still smouldering in ash trays. You could almost believe everyone has dashed off to the village fete. There are also more ominous signs of this sudden disappearance of civilisation. Bloodied tissues littering pathways, derailed trains surrounded by debris, even a blood soaked barn with a hammer which seems to be thrown haphazardly on the floor, indicating a sticky end for one poor soul.
I rather like the chosen decade for the game. The 1980s is a prominent decade in Britain, an age of nostalgia but deep rooted fear and uncertainty on the great political and social-economical stage, but village life continued as it did for hundreds of years. It strongly reminds me growing up in a small village in Essex and returning there as an adult. Nothing much changes in the countryside. The developers also cleverly chose this decade due to the lack of instant communication. One of the main characters has to literally run from one scene to another when the landlines are down! Which leads nicely into the interaction within the game, being there isn’t any. Imagine yourself as the (almost) passive observer, walking at a glacial speed around Tipworth and Yaughton, watching dramas unravel in front of you. The fore-mentioned orbs darting amongst the houses and trees lead you onto storylines which are played out by shimmering, golden figures representing some interesting residents of the village.
There’s Catherine (Kate) and Stephen, an unhappily married pair of scientists who scurry back from America to Stephen’s childhood home and set up work at the nearby Valis Observatory. For some reason. Then there’s Stephen’s mother Wendy, the bully-ish village busy body and casual racist who can’t stop yapping on about her dead husband and the damn birds. Lizzie Graves, Stephen’s ex-fiancée who he unceremoniously dumped to pursue a career in America, forward-thinking country bumpkin Frank Appleton and Euthanasia-enthusiast and local God Squad disciple, Father Jeremy. There are other characters but they are not that important.
Saying this, all the storylines, major and minor are riveting. It’s like following a classy soap opera, filled with all the delicious dramas and twists that keep you pacing the paths of this apocalyptic agricultural setting. Arguably the everyday lives of the residents (a cheating spouse, a scorned romance between youths, an alcoholic husband) are more intriguing than the over saturated main theme.
To unlock main plot lines you have to jiggle the controller a bit in front of a big, static orb to hit the sweet spot. Admittedly this took me a while to figure out and I had moments yelling ‘What do you want?!’ at the fuzzy ball of light pulsing on the screen. However, some balls of light simply want to mess with you. You can spend ten minutes chasing one down the road and it might suddenly do a U-turn and double back on itself. It’s sometimes unclear whether you are supposed to follow them or do your own thing (I ended up unlocking more stories by exploring on my own).
Despite rather clumsy gameplay, the graphics are astounding. The skies can morph from beautiful morning rays piercing through illuminated clouds on hilltops, hazy summer light filtering through cornfields to familiar English summer rain spattering on abandoned caravans in the campsite. The villages are expansive yet easily navigated, with many country footpaths leading back to main areas and handy ‘You are here’ maps so you can never get lost.
The soundtrack is absolutely one of my favourite ones if the year. It’s mystical, ominous, dazzling and familiar all at the same time. Composer Jessica Curry has created a masterpiece of choral voices and strings, which blend seamlessly into the environment and evoke emotions you think you couldn’t have about a game.
Although I loved this game, there are some very irritating aspects which I simply must cover to make this review as honest as I can. Spoilers ahoy.
• Unresolved issues: What happens Terry and June’s (Insert English chortle) dog Harvey when he runs away? Why are those symbols (infinity pattern) painted on some cars and random things? What was that bust-up in the barn about? Why does the sky change from dark to light? Why have all the clocks stopped at 6:08am?
• The ending. I was expecting a big reveal. No. It’s pretty much the game as you play it. No real exciting climax. A bit dull for the end of the world.
• Why is the walking pace so slow?? Even the ‘jog’ is slower than my grandma’s gentle saunter
• Why oh why is there not more saving options?? The game only auto saves after a major plotline occurs, and trust me, it doesn’t happen a lot at first. If the developers wanted us to enjoy the surroundings at a relaxing pace, why couldn’t we save when we like? Hours of my life wasted re-doings bits until I figured out how to use the Rest Mode on my PS4
• Who are you? No seriously - if everyone is gone and taken by the 'pattern', then who are you playing as first person? God surveying the fallout of his orby-raged rapture?
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