Visage released on October 30, 2020 from game developer SadSquare Studio. It was funded via the crowdfunding website Kickstarter and Steam Greenlight Campaigns. Visage takes its inspiration from the famous but canceled P.T. game that had previously been announced in 2014.
What would you do if you woke up from a terrible nightmare to find yourself with little memory locked in a house? Welcome to Visage….
PLOT
Throughout my playtime with Visage, I have gathered that we are trying to determine what happened in the house that we are apparently trapped. As I progressed, I unlocked doors and unraveled mysteries. However, every mystery that I unlocked seemed to lead to a further mystery. I have not gotten to the end yet and I am still working on it. I found myself unable to stop playing because I kept saying to myself just a little bit longer, I want to see what happens next, or let me unlock that door and discover what’s hiding behind it.
GAMEPLAY
Visage, is a first-person survival psychological horror game. It starts off with a bang, or actually six bangs. Then you wake up not knowing if what you just witnessed was a psychotic dream or horrible nightmare reality. As you play you find keys, which unlock doors and safes throughout the game. As you unlock doors you can open new chapters to play. The entire time you never feel like you are alone in this house and I found myself expecting to turn around and see someone behind me. While playing through the chapters you uncover clues that lead to a better understanding of what is going on. I got a serious Babadook vibe while playing.
PROS
If you like psychological horror survival games, then this is right up your alley. Visage knows what it is and states it right up front. It is a difficult game that many players will find challenging. The prize being the story is definitely, worth it though. One thing that I loved about Visage, is that it kept me wanting more. I just wanted to know the story what happened to the family. Who was Lucy’s friend? Questions that I still pondered after turning the game off.
CONS
Gameplay is tough, but to be fair the developers do state that right up front when you first load into the game. It is a bit time consuming and some of the puzzles take time and a bit of luck to figure out exactly what to do next. I am not saying that takes away from the experience, but I did find myself stump as to what I should do next in a few places. It is a bit slow going and some players may be turned off by that.
THE VERDICT
Visage is a good story told through a good game. It uses the atmosphere to build tension and the soundtrack is eerie. I would say that Visage is worth playing simply to experience the story.
RATING 7 out of 10
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