The Most Underrated Video Game You Should Play RIGHT NOW
Sound And Vision
The sound design of course elevates this tension, helping accentuate the intent of the graphics and animations. What's remarkable is the game's use of silence. You'll go long stretches with truly unbearable quiet, listening to only the thumps of your character and the stamps of the killer.
Like the visual haze though, this draws you in further, making you second guess yourself, thinking "Was that noise I just made too loud? "Is a musical stinger gonna break the silence with a jump scare?" "Are those footsteps getting louder, or is my brain playing tricks on me?"
And when the music and sound effects do come in, they're more than worth the wait. The squelch of metal hitting bones, the barks of dogs, screams from victims all hit in their grainy, distorted clarity. Likewise, every time the killer is alerted to you - which will happen a lot - you're informed via his inhuman squeal and the quickening of footsteps as he makes his way to slice you up. And genuinely, while so many game monsters become too familiar once they begin to catch you, this guy always remained scary thanks to that terrifying scream piercing the silence.
Outside of gameplay utility, it's just an oddly beautiful game to look at and live in. From the stunning titles to the character designs, there's an artistic cohesion to the retro design that brings it to life and makes it more than a gimmick.
[Continued]