While I’m all for building dread through a sustained introduction, it’s always a pleasure to play a horror game that doesn’t waste time pulling the familiar out from under you, as is the case with Becrowned from 13th Street Studios. In fact the game demo I’ve managed to go from “oooh” to “ah!” three different ways before I had even left the starting lift. It also made me go “ugh” once because I chose against tank controls despite the suggestion to use them with mouse and keyboard. I come to you as a disembodied voice, caught between the worlds of video game inputs, with a terrible plea: don’t do that. Just use tank controls. I’d start over, but I’m already in too deep.
What a beauty, huh? There’s something about capturing the true ambition of PSX-era visuals, and not just wallowing in the limitations of grunginess, that I find truly endearing. Granted, there’s still a fair amount of grunginess, but with some added creative flair that makes Becrowned’s setting feel like its own place, despite clearly evoking some genre classics. I’m also happy to see the Silent Hill 2 tradition of playing as a premiere wanker, chased by his own wankery garment:
Richard Torrance is a man who will do anything to get what he wants. Не is a man with a strong will and an unbreakable character. He is rational and cool-headed. Richard strives to shape the world to his liking. Despite his efforts, he has never achieved what he truly desires: happiness. What led him to a world of endless suffering? Uncover the mysteries of the main character’s past to find out.
I actually restarted and finally opted for tank control. After the elevator scandals, I shuffled down a long hallway, found a knife on a corpse, then banged on a door until the person behind it got so annoyed that he sent a ghost with scythe limbs at me. Combat is incredibly tricky and your guy swings the blade like a ping pong paddle. In other words, it’s everything I want from melee combat in a survival horror game with fixed camera angles and tank controls.
I won’t go into too much detail about the discoveries you’ll soon make, other than to say that I feel like Dicky Torrance has done some very bad things. I’m really into the art and atmosphere here, and while we’re circling the periphery of old school survival-horror-revival fatigue, Becrowned has enough going for it to make it worth a look. Again, be sure to use tank checks unless you want to fully embrace the latent self-flagellation. I’m sure this one lurks somewhere near the surface of the main character’s psyche.