Perception

While Perception isn't consistently great, it does do certain things very well and is worth a play by anyone looking for an interesting experience. By taking away one of the most important senses most people have, Perception gives players the feeling of being thrust into the unknown and absolute darkness.

Perception’s unique echolocation gameplay hook is enough to sustain the game for its 4-5-hour run, but I was saddened that The Deep End Games didn’t explore this mechanic any more than it did. Had it, Perception’s shallow plot and characters might have found some redemption. Ultimately, Perception is more carnival than amusement park – cheap thrills than top shelf. If you like horror games, you’ll like Perception, but you’ve probably already experienced a bunch of horror titles scarier than this one.

Perception is the latest in a recent run of walking sim horrors to try and deliver a satisfying game in each genre. It's also the latest game to lend evidence to the theory that these two genres simply don't mesh well. Perception tells an intriguing story and if that's enough for you, it's worth playing. Its audio-visual experience is also unlike anything else and if you're looking for a fresh idea, The Deep End Games' debut is worth supporting. It's important to keep in mind, however, if you expect the game to also scare you, there's nothing to see here.

Perception is a short experience but a bit of a dull one for those looking for a good story. It can be really frightening, especially if it manages to play into your own personal fears and crawl under your skin, but the story is nothing super fresh or remotely interesting. The game’s mechanics can be too frustrating and unpredictable which is a shame because there’s a lot of potential at the game’s core. If it weren’t for the game’s fantastic sound design, it may be a complete swing and a miss but it’s more of a foul ball in this case. If you’re looking for a really juicy new horror game, you may have to wait for something like The Evil Within 2 later this year.

The writing isn't half-bad, and Cassie makes for an appropriately spunky heroine. However, the crucial ingredient would be for the game to be on VR, where it could come closer to its ideal of sensory deprivation to offer a genuinely frightening — rather than frustrating — experience. However, Deep End Games have already nixed that idea, which means that what you're left with is a whole bunch of frustratingly squandered promise.

Perception's got some interesting ideas and touching and adult stories to tell, but all this gets lost in an overly easy and boring game, hindered by several bugs too. It's a pity.

There’s very little reason to replay the game once you’ve completed the story unless you’re searching for all the hidden collectibles. The gameplay is very repetitive and generally devolves into you frustratingly getting lost and going in circles until you happen upon an object you missed the first ten times you walked by it. Perception has some great ideas and concepts though, and there’s definitely some tension and suspense that highlights the horror aspect, but as a game, it’s more unsatisfying than it is entertaining. I applaud its uniqueness and blind girl heroine, but there’s too many shortcomings and bugs to offer it a full recommendation.

Despite its originality, Perception is only worth a look for those who can see past its shortcomings in pursuit of a fairly compelling narrative.

Perception‘s mediocre narrative, annoying art style, and frustrating gameplay mechanics add up to a horror game that most fans should skip.