Thursday, January 7, 2021

Sense: A Cyberpunk Ghost Story | Nintendo Switch Review

Top Hat Studios' indie game "Sense: A Cyberpunk Ghost Story" was subject to some misplaced scrutiny at least a week before the scheduled launch. The SJW portion of the gaming community decided to not only spread disinformation regarding the game, and it's contents, but also to threatened the developers if they did not censor it. Having played enough of the game to see what it's about I found that there's nothing remotely offensive, sexually or otherwise, within the game. While there are some suggestive themes, and some sexual imagery/innuendos it's nothing worth censoring, or fretting over. The game itself is a far cry from the pornographic experience it is claimed to be. It is instead a horror sleuthing, and survival game centered around an Asian character known as Mei who is a part of a dystopian cyberpunk world set in 2084 Hong Kong. 

Through Mei, and her enhanced eyes, we get to see the world in great detail as she goes about solving puzzles, and interacting with the various NPCs. We get a glimpse of the state of the world, it's politics, and how it operates on a civilian/governmental level. Additionally the game's story throws things for a loop with a sort of supernatural twist that happens after Mei honors the dead for a mystery man. Turning her world into a haunted nightmare where she encounters ghosts whose souls have yet to pass over. Through back and forth investigations within the spirit realm Mei must try to find her way back to her world while simultaneously dodging the dead, and freeing them from their trapped state. The horror that ensues due to the methodical, and slow burning nature of the artistically rendered narrative adventure is more suspenseful, and less of a jump scare in that the atmosphere set is one that is both melancholy, and foreboding. Filled with an air of expectation, and dread as you try to assist Mei in figuring out what it is she needs to do to remedy her situation.

Much like an oldschool point and click adventure, "Sense: A Cyberpunk Ghost Story" plays out in  side-scrolling diorama based setting. In these 3D lanes, and transitional environments you control Mei, and her actions. Mei, at base level, can inspect, switch between what she is inspecting, dodge the dead, and even attack. A majority of your time as Mei will be spent finding clues, and items within each room, corridor, or area. That, and interacting with NPCs or ghosts. The NPCs, in particular, offering multiple choice options along with alternate options for some other environmental interactions. To help her sort through the clues, and view the items she collects you'll find that Mei has a PDA handheld device which stores such things. This PDA device will allow you to change Mei's outfit via cosplay, view journal items, and interact with key items. Things which you'll need to progress further, and use to deal with the ghosts that you encounter.

When it comes to story progression in 'Sense: A Cyberpunk Ghost Story' it is a mixture of intermittent comic book style panel art, basic animations, and the actual gameplay sequences in which you'll guide Mei to do what it is that she does. As far as that goes it's heavily inspection based with lots of puzzle solving, and some occasional hide or dodge encounters when it comes to the resident ghouls and ghosts. It's not too deeply involved, especially outside of the character and world building. Visually it's a neon lighted spectacle, with tons of shadowy darkness. A blend of Asian horror aesthetics, and cyberpunk machinations. A blending of two distinctly different genres that are combined in such a way as to be complimentary in their conjoined state. Soundtrack-wise the game is very atmospheric, and ambient. It includes brief voice-overs in relation to Mei's verbal expressions as well as the usual creaks, groans, and haunted house sound effects that you'd expect from the horror portion of the game. Overall it's an experience amplified by mood, and a looming fear.

The Verdict ...

The story, or stories within 'Sense: A Cyberpunk Ghost Story' are intriguing enough to make a gamer feel like it's something they'd want to see through to the end, for the most part. At the same time though some inspection sequences are so puzzling that it can be a turn off at times. The back, and forth of it can get old as you'll find yourself backtracking numerous times through certain sections of the game just find what it is you need to do to advance to the next part. I think it drags on for a bit too long in those instances, but that's not always the case. In regards to the game's selling point that is it's take on Asian folklore, and cyberpunk futurism it does well enough to blend the two themes. Additionally you'll find an interesting side story that is Mei's own back story. Her bloodline curse which explains why she's able to see the spirits like she does. All in all I feel there's a gradual heightening of intensity as you make progress, and an increasing of spirit realm activity the further you dive in. Of course getting to the scary bits is a bit of a daunting task early on when the world, and character building are the main focus. If you don't mind a slow burning ghost story set in a dystopian cyberpunk Hong Kong it might be worth it to you. Expect a lot of textual reading, and puzzles between the ghostly encounters. In closing I will say the game does have a good creep factor, and lives up to the types of scares the developer boasts about.

 



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