Greyhill Incident Review (OͦXͯMͫOͦRͬ)
Yet I was hyped and eagerly awaiting it.
Now I'm all the more disillusioned. On the positive side, the layout is quite impressive, especially considering that the game was developed by a single person. Graphically, it's not bad at all, with the main environment lit up by a greenish moon to great effect.
The tension is well conveyed, with indirect witnesses reporting disturbing events via walkie-talkie. It's a highly effective way of stirring the imagination: there's a strong sense of imminent threat, with strong inspiration from M Night Shyamalan's Signs.
What's more, the iconography inspired by UFO testimonies from the 50s to the 80s is very well rendered.
That's all well and good, but once you've actually played the game, it's a disaster. The sound design is poorly calibrated, with voices that are sometimes barely audible, and the overall game design is no slouch either, with vaguely defined objectives that regularly lead you in circles where you shouldn't be.
There's no pleasure to be had in exploring such a dark game, where interactive objects are indistinguishable from the rest and environmental interactions are ultra-limited.
Our avatar suffocates as soon as he runs for 14 seconds, with an indecent recovery time. The torch is an abomination (just like in Amnesia The Bunker, except that here it shines even less brightly and for even shorter periods). Fight doesn't work (8 bullets for the whole game and 2 bullets per alien), stealth doesn't work any better and escape and hiding are useless with an almost asthmatic character.
In fact, it's terrible, but the conclusion is clear: Greyhill Incident doesn't feel like a game once you've got the controller (or keyboard) in your hands. It's neither fun nor particularly scary, but rather frustrating and boring.
Another cold shower for indie games, as far as I'm concerned. And I can only regret it.