Summary
Reveil, a first-person psychological-horror game by Pixelsplit, is carrying on the legacy that Kojima’sP.T.left behind, built around a tense atmosphere and supported by a relatable, intimate narrative. AlthoughReveiltakes steps to make itself stand out, and it isn’t a carbon copy ofP.T., it’s symbolic of the gone-too-soon game’s impact on horror gaming as a whole.
Thestory ofP.T.andSilent Hillsis a tragic one.P.T.is a two-hour, first-person horror experience released on the PlayStation Store back in 2014. The game traps players in a loop, forcing them to walk through the first-floor hallway of a typical suburban home dozens of times, solving obtuse and enigmatic puzzles in order to escape. Once players manage to leave the house, the camera zooms out of the first-person perspective to reveal that the player-character was Norman Reedus the whole time, and thatP.T.itself was actually a “Playable Teaser” for a newSilent Hillgame spearheaded by Hideo Kojima and Guillermo del Toro. Sadly, the notorious split between Kojima and Konami led to the game being canceled, andP.T.getting pulled from the PS Store. Still,P.T.lives on as a legendary marketing tactic and one of the most effective horror games ever made.
Reveil Is Carrying the Torch that P.T. Dropped
Reveil’s Psychological Horror Approach
The world of modern horror games is dominated byaction-survival-horror titles likeResident Evilwhich, while great games in their own right, aren’t always the most effective when it comes to inspiring actual, lasting terror. Visceral, nagging, enduring horror is whatP.T.manages to evoke, and it’s this approach to game and narrative design that titles likeReveilare aiming to recapture.
Reveilis a slow-paced, narrative-driven horror game built around exploration and puzzle-solving rather than action or combat. The game issimilar toP.T.in terms of presentation, placing players in a fairly normal and pedestrian environment, a circus, but framing the setting in an uncanny and unsettling way; the main character doesn’t know how he wound up in this circus, and his wife and daughter are missing. The player-character’s personal life and psyche are reflected by the environment, which becomes more abstract and bizarre as the game progresses. In this sense, the game is much likeSilent Hillas a franchise, in that the gameplay and exploration are informed by the narrative, and everything ties back to the shattered mental state of the protagonist.
The Spirit of P.T. Is Alive In Reveil, But It’s Not An Exact Replica
It’s no secret thatP.T.has influenced horror games, especially those coming out of the indie scene. The game’s minimalist, subtle approach is alluring and effective, but it’s not easy to replicate. The dark mystery at the core ofP.T.is expertly delivered through various in-game narrative devices, and the game’s overall tone and structure help make it an oppressive, unnerving experience. All that is to say that whileP.T.might look simple upon first glance, there’s a lot going on under the hood that makes it work as well as it does.
It’s a good thing, then, thatReveilisn’t trying to be aP.T.replacement, as some other horror games have done. Although the game takes more than a few notes from Kojima’s ill-fated masterpiece, especially in terms of familial-horror storytelling and vague, psych-terror narrative elements, it ultimately establishes its own distinct identity by way of striking visuals, a unique setting, and a memorable hook. It doesn’tlook likeSilent Hillsis coming back, but with releases likeReveillearning from and adapting the short game’s major design facets, the legacy and soul ofP.T.will hopefully live on for years to come.
Silent Hills
Harry Mason and his daughter Cheryl are driving to their favourite vacation spot. Late that night, a figure suddenly appears from out of the darkness. Harry turns the wheel in panic, and the car careens off the road, knocking harry unconscious. Awakening sometime later, he realizes that Cheryl is missing. Stumbling out of the wreckage, he heads towards the small town of Silent Hill.
