The Wanderer: Frankenstein's Creature | PS5

The story of Frankenstein is a twofold moral lesson about what it is to be the creator of life and what it is to live as a creation. On one side we have the creator creating through questionable means a mimicry of a man who he does not see as his ideal human counterpart when all things are said and done. A failed attempt at replicating the very process with which he too was created. 

On the flipside of the same creationist conundrum the created creature of a man struggles with his understanding of the world he's been birthed into. Wondering why his own creator would look at him with such disgust and why humanity, in general, would see him as a monster instead of one of their own. Fleeing the world he was born to fit into Frankenstein's creature seeks to find an understanding of it's own existence while trying to ward off hostility it does not understand. Thus is Mary Shelley's contribution to literature ...

Like that very story Hidden Traps', "The Wanderer: Frankenstein's Creature" aims to explore the idea of life, but from the created creature's point of view. What follows is a narratively driven, and exploratively interactive adventure that is both enlightening and full of life's experience. It's as much a living work of art with paintings and symphonic music as it is an interactive gaming experience with a lesson worth hearing out.

Starting off true to the source material, "The Wanderer: Frankenstein's Creature" begins in the castle laboratory where the creature was borne into existence via the patchworking of stolen human remains, and electricity. Through Frankenstein's efforts the creature awakens as a newborn would. Curious of it's surroundings, and confused about a whole lot of things. Going through an identity crisis it flees the castle into the world looking for answers. It is here through player guided movement that the creature investigates, and interacts with the world around it. First coming to it's senses and slowly, but surely piecing together it's own place in this unfolding story about the gift of life.

Using Frankenstein's creature as a sort of pointer in a point & click style game you will uncover the environments around you, make sense of your surroundings, and come to know of the humans who share the same world as yourself. This is achieved through simple movement, interactions, observations, stealth survival, and mini-games. All to the tune of an artistically crafted world with a melodic and symphonic soundtrack playing out as a textual narrative unfolds with each discovery milestone completed. The end goal is to see the creature come to terms with it's existence or fight against those who would do it harm through morally decisive moments where decisions change the fate of the creature in question.

The Verdict ...

As a horror and long time literature fan I've always been fascinated by the genius of Mary Shelley's "Frankenstein". It perfectly encapsulates mankind's obsession, and fascination with life. About how humans desire to understand their purpose for being, and how they to seek to copy the creation process which brought them to life in the first place. Through Mary's lens we get to understand why a creator would view it's creation as flawed, and why a creation such as the creature would not fully grasp the reasoning for it's flawed existence. 

When it comes to "The Wanderer: Frankenstein's Creature", and the choice to follow the creature instead of the creator it sheds an entirely different light on the morally driven tale. Letting us come to terms, as the creature does, to the point of understanding why it is we live. Not only that but why we choose to act, and react to the world around us as we do. It even delves into the creator/creation relationships coming full circle to conclude what is essentially the meaning of life. 

To this end I congratulate the team behind the game for their profound achievement in storytelling and artistic expression. Like it's inspiration, "The Wanderer: Frankenstein's Creature", is a story worth paying attention to. It's lesson about life will no doubt resonate with the audience. That having been said, I have experienced some flaws in the game and some glitches that have prevented progress at times. Seeing as this is an old release I don't know if it can or will be patched to perfection, but like the broken creation of a man that is Frankenstein's creature the game still makes it's point.