The Most Underrated Video Game You Should Play RIGHT NOW

Night Shift

Now, as you can probably tell, I love this game.

At £15 on the PlayStation store at least, I think it's an absolute steal. I've tried to remain as vague as possible in the hope you'll go out and play it yourself, but I don't want to end this video without talking about the part of Stay out of the House that truly hooked me in detail so, if you're sold, head off now, experience it for yourself, and come back later. If you've played it or don't care, let me talk to you about the title's incredible prologue, Night Shift.

Earlier I referred to the killer as the Night Shift Abductor, and the reason for that name is, naturally, explained in this prologue. What's fascinating is that this intro plays nothing like the game to come, being a far more scripted, story-driven, I guess you could say "walking simulator"-style experience.

It puts you in the shoes of Debra as she begins her night shift at an isolated gas station. And for pretty much the entire length of the prologue, nothing happens. You're given a list of chores you can do if you want, including sweeping the floor and putting items on display in the shop. It's tedious; intentionally so because working a graveyard shift like this always is, but that's actually why it's so scary.

Despite the graphics, the game does a good job of mimicking real life. Playing out this shift feels as mundane as it would in real life, but that also makes it as low key scary as a job like that can be. I mean, who among us hasn't been somewhere alone at night and had our mind wander about what could be lurking in the darkness?

The longer the prologue goes and nothing happens, the more anxious you become about every detail. You know something has to arrive eventually - this is still a game after all - and so every customer who comes through the door has you suspicious, thinking: "Is this it? Is this one going to be the killer?".

Every car that pulls into the gas pump attracts your attention, alert for any dangerous red flags. Again, the silence of this sequence draws you in and leaves you with your own anxious thoughts: "Why did that van drive around the gas pumps and not stop? Was it staking the place out, or is this simply a red herring?"; "Have I seen that car before? Why is it here again?" "Oh s**t... did I just hear the back door open?"

Of course, all of this builds to a jump scare, where Debra is attacked and abducted, but the genius is in this build up. The way it puts you in an eerily realistic situation, taps into real life fears and gets you anxious about the details - some of which you might miss completely as you can freely roam around the store at any time - makes the payoff so damn effective.

And that's just the prologue!

This game rules.