Withering Rooms | PS5

Steeped in witchcraft, occult mysticism, and medieval medical malpractices of the early 19th century we find a haunting roguelike gameplay experience featuring a patient of the Mostyn House Asylum known only as Nightingale. It is this poor unfortunate soul that finds herself in a perpetual dream or nightmare, if you will. Doomed to repeat her horrific attempt at escape until she finds the key to getting out. 

This entails both combat, and a stealth approach as not everyone who resides in this place for choleric and psychiatric help are friendly. Avoiding conflict, and sometimes engaging in it while amassing the items necessary to stave off various afflictions, and death are the only way to wake up from this hellscape that was 18 years in the making.

As Nightingale, in-patient of Mostyn House Asylum, you are tasked with quest objectives tied to your uncanny predicament centered around a constantly changing environment within the haunted grounds that transforms with each death and in each passing night. You'll encounter helpful haunts in the form of resident spirits, witches, and godly figures as well as run into some not so friendly rotting souls plagued with various afflictions. The latter of which have been morphed into grotesque violent creatures who are out for your blood. 

Your offenses, and defensive options in the matter come in the form of key items and equipment that can be obtained from killed creatures or by searching the asylum grounds. Some these items will be used to counteract afflictions such as bleeding, poison, and curse which will lead to the haunting of spirits and jump scares if not tended to. 

You'll also equip rings, offhand equipment, and weapons to better deal with the more dire situations and encounters along the way. Not only that, but you'll be able to create and cast spells via designated stations. All of which can be assigned to three quick access slot wheels for on the go use. Do note that while each attempt at completing the tasks or quests at hand will end in the loss of most these items, unless you opt to save certain ones via sacrificial shrines, there are some items that will be permanently attached to your inventory due to their rarity. Things like special rings or stat inclusive decorative attire can be used even beyond death are among these bits & baubles.

After each death, and reset you'll wake up back in your designated room wherein you'll find a few items including a starter weapon. It is from here that you must continue throughout the three floor asylum to complete quests pertaining to NPCs. This entails using hiding places to stay out of view of more formidable fiends as well as things like a lantern to light your way through dark paths. Only in a pinch is it good to resort to violence in which case the on hand weapon and spells will aide in that effort. 

Aside from that you will be reading clipped textual content from various books, and letters related to the Mostyn House Asylum and it's sordid history. This includes back story information on the founders, patients, and staff as well as contextual tips regarding in-game mechanics and features. Though death is a certainty in "Withering Rooms" you gain much more knowledge about the who's, what's, when's, where's, and why's with each new attempt as well as all the new features needed to fully complete your multiple quest objectives.

Mechanically speaking Nightingale is also very well equipped to deal damage, dodge, and stealthily hide if need be outside of equipment and item add-ons. She can peek through a door to see what's on the other side before committing to entering. She can also hide in cupboards, under beds, and under desks to avoid detection from any of the asylum's malformed monstrosities. With a weapon on hand she can attack, and with a shield she can defend. Alternatively she can perform an evasive roll or can run when being pursued. These basic tools in tandem with the items and spells will see Nightingale through this lucid dream.

The Presentation ...

Done up in a 2.5D perspective this Metroidvania-lite roguelike experience features a gothic/Victorian era 19th century English aesthetic filled with art, and an everchanging asylum backdrop wherein the dream reoccurs time and time again. It is designed to create a claustrophobic, and inescapable feeling that only serves to heighten the near Lovecraftian levels of fearmongering. Filled with classical music, and eerie sounds including haunting laughter the game delivers on it's fright factor creating a tense trek from start to finish. Only staving off the scares and hopelessness occasionally with the situational combat.

The Verdict ...

For a roguelike in the Metroidvania vein, "Withering Rooms" definitely sets itself apart from the competition. Comparatively though it sits somewhere between gaming classics like 'Clock Tower', and 'Resident Evil' with hints of 'Eternal Darkness'. It is a survival horror experience that has the gamer questioning Nightingale's reality to the very end as she faces many puzzles and peril. All in an attempt to discover whether or not this dream is a dream or something more grounded in reality. Only seeing it through to the end will bring closure to those underlying questions. It is that very mystery that sells it. That and the dabbling of occult themes, witchcraft, and the added element that is early 19th century mental health practices. The perfect nightmare fuel for such a horror game. 

Visually, and audibly 'Withering Rooms' also fits the bill. The art design that is 2.5D in nature compliments the time period in which the tale takes place. It has the early English/Welsh look about it with an asylum decked out as one might imagine. Pleasing to the visitor on the surface level, but haunting to the patients who reside there behind the scenes. Everything considered I am glad to recommend 'Withering Rooms' as an enthusiastic day one buy for anyone who is into horror games! It is a cool addition to the genre, and something worth the attention.