Let's get one thing out of the way: This isn't a bad game. So, why am I not recommending it? It's not a game for me. I play games for the story telling and this one just didn't do it for me.

The game play is excellent. And I was tempted to keep the game on that basis alone. Sure, it isn't earth shattering, but not everything needs to be. And it definitely borrowed a lot from Dark Souls (more on that later). But all of that is okay. Everything is well executed.

It borrowed a system similar to Souls in the sense that you have to unlock certain respawn areas and you loose your points every time you die. Again, this would be a problem if it was out of place in the game, but it isn't. In fact, it fits perfectly with the rest of the game play. It's best described as a good imitation.

I also loved the telekinesis power and how they didn't feel cumbersome to use. And the reloading mechanics, again, while not unique, still works.

So where does it all fall apart? I can sum that up in one sentence: Jess is boring. The empty grocery bag I left out on my porch in the rain has more personality than she does. It's like the dev's thought that woman with a few snarky remarks here and there will make her interesting, but it isn't. There's no internal conflict or thing that she's trying to come to terms with. Not really. Sure, it talks about her brother, but that's precisely the problem. It "tells us" it doesn't show us.

yOu jUsT wANt thE sTOry tO hOlD yOUr hAnd, all the Control simps will come out to say. Well, yeah. I guess I don't have a big enough ego to pretend I don't see the naked emperor.

The story starts in medias res, which is basically the middle of the narrative and Jess is already well familiar with this paranormal world. And that's fine. In the Witcher III Garalt is already familiar with most classes of monsters he faces. Yet, the Witcher III Garalt talks to himself and/or readily shares his hypothesis with others. This isn't just a quirky character tick of his. This is an essential part of making the world work. As Garalt is working out the problem, gathering the clues, and thinking out loud, we're learning with him.

It's just not the case with Jess. She falls precariously in the "heroines I should like, I just don't" category.

I would like to think that, given time, the game play and story starts to come together, but it's not been a good first impression. I'm sure fans of more obscure sci fi web series like SCP, you might actually like it. And if you're a fan of the Alan Wake games, you very likely will love it. But for people not acquainted or with little interest in either of those things, probably not.

Let's get one thing out of the way: This isn't a bad game. So, why am I not recommending it? It's not a game for me. I play games for the story telling and this one just didn't do it for me. The game play is excellent. And I was tempted to keep the game on that basis alone. Sure, it isn't earth shattering, but not everything needs to be. And it definitely borrowed a lot from Dark Souls (more on that later). But all of that is okay. Everything is well executed. It borrowed a system similar to Souls in the sense that you have to unlock certain respawn areas and you loose your points every time you die. Again, this would be a problem if it was out of place in the game, but it isn't. In fact, it fits perfectly with the rest of the game play. It's best described as a good imitation. I also loved the telekinesis power and how they didn't feel cumbersome to use. And the reloading mechanics, again, while not unique, still works. So where does it all fall apart? I can sum that up in one sentence: Jess is boring. The empty grocery bag I left out on my porch in the rain has more personality than she does. It's like the dev's thought that woman with a few snarky remarks here and there will make her interesting, but it isn't. There's no internal conflict or thing that she's trying to come to terms with. Not really. Sure, it talks about her brother, but that's precisely the problem. It "tells us" it doesn't show us. yOu jUsT wANt thE sTOry tO hOlD yOUr hAnd, all the Control simps will come out to say. Well, yeah. I guess I don't have a big enough ego to pretend I don't see the naked emperor. The story starts in medias res, which is basically the middle of the narrative and Jess is already well familiar with this paranormal world. And that's fine. In the Witcher III Garalt is already familiar with most classes of monsters he faces. Yet, the Witcher III Garalt talks to himself and/or readily shares his hypothesis with others. This isn't just a quirky character tick of his. This is an essential part of making the world work. As Garalt is working out the problem, gathering the clues, and thinking out loud, we're learning with him. It's just not the case with Jess. She falls precariously in the "heroines I should like, I just don't" category. I would like to think that, given time, the game play and story starts to come together, but it's not been a good first impression. I'm sure fans of more obscure sci fi web series like SCP, you might actually like it. And if you're a fan of the Alan Wake games, you very likely will love it. But for people not acquainted or with little interest in either of those things, probably not.