Here They Lie

Here They Lie is grotesque and horrifying, but it’s also a thought-provoking, philosophical head trip that makes some of the best use of VR to date.

Wonderfully horrible. [Issue#180, p.47]

Its enigmatic visuals, choice-driven narrative, and provocations on morality are the driving forces that warrant multiple playthroughs, and all of those aforementioned elements combine to make Here They Lie one of the standout offerings among the PSVR's launch lineup.

While the story of what happens to the main characters is unfulfilling, the descent into the hellish world of Here They Lie is, on its own, worth taking. Its dreary, evocative environments, dark tone, and horrific imagery would stand out even outside the realm of VR games. Some of its places, acts, and monsters will stick with me for a while. It creates a strong sense of place, and while I wouldn't say VR is crucial to experience, it definitely amplifies it.

Here They Lie is without a doubt one of the most traumatic experiences we've ever had in videogames. We dove deep into the horror, and only the motion sickness got us back out of VR.

A walking simulator with a disturbing and unique atmosphere, but also with a limited gameplay and basic and poor graphics.

Horror is a very natural fit for the technology, but some awkward juxtapositions between Here They Lie’s art direction and theming, and the critical lack of physical feedback after providing such a sensory overload in other ways, is perhaps an argument that the best horror experiences we’ll see on VR will be the “walking simulators” that focus on psychological fear rather than physical threats.

Here They Lie is a clever game for the PlayStation VR and its motion sickness does make wonder whether this game would be better suited for the PS4 Pro for faster framerates. The game’s momentum starts slow and every now and then the game will really make you jump which is where the developers have succeeded. However in terms of gameplay, it is a little light in its nature but the nonetheless is an interesting look into both the horror genre and into the psyche of the main character in this horror thriller.

I’ll be honest; by the time Here They Lie’s credits rolled, I still didn’t really have a firm grasp of what it was all about… All I know is that it kept me on the edge of my seat from start to finish.

An engaging surrealist horror that is elevated by some great sound design and a wonderfully nihilistic setting, Here They Lie might not change up the formula too much but it remains an effective PSVR scare-a-thon that you don't want to leave in the ground.

The developers care more about affecting your mind and controlling your emotions than they do about your physical ability to complete their slice of grim fantasy.

Here They Lie is not a perfect horror game – but it's tense and well worth experiencing if you're looking for some frights for your new PlayStation VR headset. The narrative could have been stronger, and the way it displays textures is odd, but the cavernous environments and clever control scheme make this a ride worth taking.

Here They Lie is a disturbing psychological thriller, the digitization of a nightmare. The gaming experience is, for this reason, interesting and meaningful. Much of the credit goes to the virtual reality headset, which transforms this disturbing Walking Simulator in a hellish journey.

As a PSVR launch title from a new development studio, Here They Lie impressed me. Tangentlemen have good ideas, atmosphere and sound design, but ultimately the meandering pacing and sporadic story beats of their work left me feeling more disappointed than scared. I’ll be keeping my eyes on these developers, though — if this is what they deliver for their debut game, I’m eager to see what they serve up next.

There are wonderfully horrifying moments and some lovely little details, but they’re too few and far between – and getting to them is an exercise in resilience rather than pleasure. [January 2016, p77]

A nightmarish virtual reality world that scares and sickens in equal measure. [Christmas 2016, p.86]

Horror elements are overcooked and, alongside seriously limited interactions, lead to a game that’s not half as frightening as it thinks it is.

Daring and provocative, but also poorly written and technically inept. PlayStation VR will no doubt get much better horror games in the future, but this is still a notable first step.

A psychological horror experience blended with a walking simulator that will make you ask for an antiemetic.

A nice idea that does not work due to its repetitiveness and because it can cause (a lot) of nausea.

With Here They Lie, I stared long and hard into the abyss, only this time it didn’t stir; instead, I was left gazing at an under-cooked horror experience that while surreal, fails to deliver a fulfilling end product. Horror games should present an exercise in nerve-shredding tension whether they’re built for virtual reality or not. Sadly, Here They Lie leans too heavily on VR as a novelty to justify a by-the-numbers entry into the genre.

Here They Lie offers a strong atmosphere and can be really terrifying. The only problems are the poor graphics and above all the fact that it will make you sick very quickly in VR.

Here They Lie is a successful use of the PlayStation VR, but outside of the novelty of transporting yourself into the veil of a unique hellish landscape created by beautifully tortured souls, the actual delivery and writing fall flat.

This is definitely the weirdest title in the PSVR launch lineup. Sometimes an impressive showing of how immersive and claustrophobic horror in virtual can be, mechanically most of the time it is just not interesting enough. Plus there is a decent issue of motion sickness that even hardened VR players might succumb to.

It offers everything we look forward and everything that we fear about virtual reality. It's a charismatic game, but certainly confusing and opaque.

At first, Here They Lie is quite the scarefest. Unfortunately, this sense of creepiness doesn't last long. In the end, Here They Lie is a confusing walking simulator that simply doesn't offer enough in terms of depth or content to deserve your hard-earned money.

Here They Lie seems like a game made for a very specific type of player who values experience over challenge or even clarity, and thus will leave many gamers cold and nonplussed at its exotic design decisions.

Here They Lie is not the VR-horror game that it could have been. While is does have some tense moments, the technical imperfections and vague storytelling spoil most of the fun. Because of that, Here They Lie is not a blast to play through.

The best I can say of it is that it’s left me curious as to what might come next. If nothing else, it illustrates how the unparalleled immersive properties of virtual reality make possible some truly unsettling interactive horror experiences...Now someone needs to create a horror game that’s not just scary, but also fun to play and has a good story.

Here They Lie manages to create a succesfull sick atmosphere; the problem is that the player will get motion-sickness far too early in the game to really enjoy it or even finish it.

The first true horror game for PlayStation VR is an unpleasant and revolting experience. But not for the reasons you are thinking.

A surreal horror game sounds like a good idea on paper but the predictability of the scenes and the atrocious & nauseating camera movement makes this game an dull, discomforting experience.

Predictable jump scares, ringing telephones, spooky notes, guys in animal masks humping things and malfunctioning flashlights litter the landscape, and with each new instance, you’re left less and less impressed.