Transference

A game that proves what VR is capable of achieving... despite that fact that it's still a great game played as a traditional game.

One of the best VR games we played this year. A tribute to Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind and Charlie Kaufman's work. It uses everything in its hands to tell us a story (graphics, sound!!, art department, colours, real actors, dialogue, plenty of secrets in the level), and it does it wonderfully, without making us feel stupid. Oh, and its scary as hell (aka PT).

Plucking inspiration from several unsettling sources of entertainment, Transference delivers a creepy, cerebral virtual reality tour through a broken family dynamic that is unimpeded by taxing puzzles and relishes in immersing players in a haunted house of tragedy.

Transference is an extremely interesting experiment and it succeeds in mixing the movie and videogame components. The use of audio will keep you on the edge, and a few jump scare work very well. However, the constant feeling of tension ends up holding the narrative back, as a greater variety of emotions would have benefitted the overall experience. Transference is remarkably short for a videogame, which might disappoint many players.

Short and horrifying, it’s worth coming home to your PS VR headset for this family reunion. These walls talk, and you’ll want to immerse yourself in what they have to say. [Issue#155, p.87]

Transference is confrontational and uneasy. It makes you feel unsafe in places that are usually perfectly fine. It is not just a scary game, it is the story about the scattered family which really stays on the mind.

Beautiful on a normal TV, amazing in virtual reality, Transference is an experiment that only a few will appreciate. Difficult to understand, enigmatic and complex, it proposes thematic that make you reflect. Poor in terms of play, fascinating in terms of art design.

The strange mix of video, gameplay and horrifying effects works really well. The atmosphere is great and the story is captivating enough to follow - especially in virtual reality because that's where this game truly shines. The major drawbacks are its current price and the playtime which is limited to only two hours.

Ultimately, Transference weaves an effective, but grim tale of one man’s descent into the madness and the horrific fate that he has sealed for his family. The puzzles aren’t particularly challenging, but their difficulty works well within the pacing of the story, engaging your brain enough without dragging the story to a halt.

A clever, creepy refashioning of familiar ideas that will make your head spin - in a good way. [Issue#336, p.78]

Halfway between graphic adventure and walking simulator (but with the plus of VR), Transference is not a game for everyone, but its atmosphere is priceless.

Transference is a particular piece but, besides its lack of content and its abrupt final, it also is an interesting experience. With a compelling story, great sense of atmosphere and astonishing graphics, we recommend it to everyone who likes titles that go beyond being just a videogame.

Transference exceeds the expectations. A first-person horror game, which every fan of the genre must play. The debut of the film production company SpectreVision with Ubisoft, in the videogames industry, is a breath of fresh air for the VR games. Original, complex and adult plot that encourages the audience to reflect about what has actually happened. We only need to know if the film company intends to keep developing videogames or if this title has been only a narrative resource.

It won't be a defining PS VR title, but it has interesting ideas and shows the potential of Spectravision on the VR medium. As their first game, its a decent offering that leave us dreaming with what they can achieve in the future. As an adventure it's a little bit simple, but if has "something" that, we hope, will grow on future productions.

Transference is a good walking simulator, with a great story. There's not much interaction, but who appreciates a great story will find what he searches.

Transference’s subtlety is meant to create additional depth, but keeping the player at arm’s length only works if you eventually let them in. Unfortunately, Transference never fully shows its narrative hand and that’s the game’s biggest detriment. Gameplay-wise, the game is easy but satisfying to navigate.

A psychological thriller that successfully mixes cinema, videogames and virtual reality. Transference has a thrilling and sufocating atmosphere. Unfortunately, even if it's a narrative success, the game lacks freedom and feels too short.

Despite the occasional stumble and sticking point, Transference will frequently leave you transfixed. [December 2018, p.120]

Transference is a novel concept with with adequate execution. It’s intended to be played in VR for the greatest impact, so those with multiple platform options should factor that into the decision process of choosing which one to go with. The story is fascinating and fans of horror will most likely find an enjoying and disturbing experience. The short length is a double-edged sword, though, as it can be comfortably played in VR in one sitting but is ultimately a very short game. Being story driven, the simplistic gameplay is just interactive enough to keep the player engaged, making Transference a worthwhile descent into madness to take once but offers little reason to come back for more.

A captivating albeit disturbing setting is Transference's greatest asset, rooted by strong performances from the cast and a smart approach to storytelling.

Transference is equipped with a fascinating premise that suffers from a substantial disconnect because there’s no apparent connection between the Hayes and you, the player. Who are you supposed to be? How did you stumble onto this simulation? Is this supposed to be some new twist on the “found footage” genre? Tying the player into the narrative to some degree would have gone a long way to make me feel more attached, involved, and invested in these people’s lives and why they matter outside of the empathy you develop in seeing them suffer from Raymond’s apparent physical and mental abuse.

Transference certainly showcases the potential of VR storytelling in the style Spectrevision are attempting. Even if its short story isn’t always effectively told, and some of the puzzles distract, the atmosphere that’s been created through detailed world design, incredible lighting effects, and intense sound design makes for a terrifying experience.

Transference is an experience fit for VR, and from that perspective, the game does a phenomenal job of providing tension, scares, and narrative beats. Those looking for value may feel a little short-changed, especially so without the implementation of virtual reality, but the overall package should leave you satisfied if horror and terror is your forte.

Transference is a very original idea that does not develop all the potential it could achieve with a limited environment and basic puzzles that just scratch the surface of an increasingly deep and complex genre.

Transference offers a unique experience. If it scares away with now known gimmicks, its unhealthy atmosphere, exploded storytelling and the imagination left to the player as well as the meta aspect of browsing a faulty software in a video game make it a unique and successful experience.

As far as virtual reality games go, Transference isn’t the best, but it’s definitely one of the scariest. Anyone looking for a solid horror game will want to give it a go despite its shortcomings.

It has an interesting premise and an atmospheric, well realised world brought to life with gusto, especially if playing in virtual reality. But despite all of this, it never truly transcends the slew of similar games that came before it and is over much too quickly.

It’s a game worth checking out, but is far from the great narrative experiences other games of this type have come to be known for.

The game flows in a frantic manner, dominates the user with visual and sound inputs, never leaves the serenity to appreciate the construction of the story.

Transference is a game with great ideas and a not-so-good execution. It’s quite short and never gets to show its full potential, but it’s enjoyable nonetheless.

Transference is a competent narrative-driven game featuring some well-crafted puzzles and an amazingly eerie atmosphere. Sadly, the narrative doesn't really go anywhere, despite a very interesting premise, with no twist and no surprises at all, making it very hard to recommend to people looking for an interesting story. Coupled with its very short length, Transference is not really worth its current price.

In the end, Transference is in an odd position. The atmosphere is completely engrossing, since the crumbling digital landscape and ominous repeated dialogue and other sounds create an unsettling world. Jump-scares are light, and almost all the puzzles are easy enough to solve even with some fumbling around. With that said, the tale can seem disturbing, but the scattershot way it's told doesn't make the game very memorable when compared to either its horror or walking simulator contemporaries. Transference remains a game that's worth checking out, but it's not one that players should be in a rush to seek out over other similar titles.

Transference is a intense story about a broken family. The addition of VR makes the experience complete, but the game is very easy and short and way too expensive.

A strong, if sometimes frustrating debut. [Issue#206, p.81]

I do have to give Ubisoft some credit in terms of atmosphere. The ambiance and sound design were incredibly creepy.

Transference’s inventively spins its story of obsession and broken families into a game that’s all about perception and twisted realities. It’s not entirely successful, failing to confront the topics it raises and failing to live up to its Hollywood billing and origins, but it’s still deeply atmospheric as you flick between realities, solve puzzles and figure out the lengths to which Raymond Hayes would truly go.

The challenge of Transference's puzzles tapers off, and there's little subtlety when it comes to certain themes, but great use of some grim audio make this a decent little horror game.

It might be a good enough VR tech demo, but as far as interactive thrillers go (including those low budget), Transference is merely an exercise which falls short of what Observer or excellent Soma achieved artistically, technically and story-wise. [12/2018, p.85]

Transference is a very short experience. The puzzles don't represent any challenge and the story lacks anything that makes it intriguing. In the end, its a forgettable experience.