Videos
Reviews:
-
Watch this review on YouTube
While it takes entirely too long to get properly started, the creepy art and tension do deliver once it gets rolling
When it comes to indie horror games, more often than not I’ve honestly found many of the titles I’ve reviewed to be a bit disappointing. Whether the issue is simply the overuse of cheap jump scares, there being some great set pieces that are brought down with too much filler in between, or just simply a general clunkiness to the experience, there have been less clear successes than I would have hoped. The Coma series, while not necessarily perfect, has at least always delivered some chills with great atmosphere, a very creepy art style, and tense play.In the case of Catacomb, it’s actually a bit confusing in terms of the lineage of things, as it seems to be a sequel that picks up after the original, kind of ignoring Vicious Sisters (but having quite a bit in common with it). Especially assuming you’re playing this on the heels of one of the other titles, getting started is a bit of a grind to be honest. If you’re familiar with how things work the first hour is a bit of a slog as you’re left waiting to get back to where the game works best, with the tension of being pursued and on the edge of death. Instead, you’ll spend some time waiting for the storyline to evolve as you watch the school and your classmates slowly devolve and show signs of what’s coming. The rough edge is that if you hadn’t played one of the games previously I could also see this being a bit confusing, as you wouldn’t have much context for the characters and what may be happening.Once everything gets up to speed and rolling, things generally play out similarly to its brethren. You’ll need to explore, looking for supplies and whatever elements you may need in order to solve puzzles and advance the story. This works out mostly in a classic side-scrolling adventure style, though there are environmental elements to beware of, as well as nastiness in pursuit that you’ll need to be sure you’re out of sight for. It feels like that system is less forgiving this time around, and that will put you a bit more on edge, which is at least nice for the tension. In terms of the puzzles and sequences where you’ll need to work to survive, in general this time around it felt a little more difficult, even being familiar with the previous titles. I suppose that could be considered a good thing if you’re hoping for a challenge, but it’s not always great when things are tough for the wrong reasons.All in all, this is still a tense and well-animated horror outing. What it lacks in outright gore and sudden jump scares it tends to make up for in tension and some really creepy character artwork. Among its peers I’d say this may be my least favorite of the bunch, but that could also come down to taste and perhaps I’ve just become a little more jaded with the formula. Still, if you’re looking for a survival horror fix it certainly isn’t a bad option.
Justin Nation, Score:Good [7.1]