play station official magazine

038

PREVIEW

“THEIR TANGLED

BODIES CAST EERIE

SHADOWS AROUND

THE ROOM.”

SILVER CHAINS

This one could be shockingly good

An old chair sits alone in a dark room,

lit by the light of the moon. The sound

of rain, muffled by old, thick Victorian

walls, patters somewhere off-screen, in

the gloom. Nothing is really happening. There’s no

monster. We can’t see anything moving. But it’s

absolutely terrifying.

Old is always scary, and the early-20th-century

architecture of Silver Chain’s (haunted) house has us

on edge from the off. But there’s more here than a

clever use of our fear of the dark.

The setup is as classic as the jump scares lurking

in the shadows. You, or rather your hapless alter ego

Peter, awake in the mansion with no memory of how

you got there. A vague recollection of an accident

persists but you put it out of your mind and focus

on what’s important; you’re not alone and you need

to escape the house.

HOUSE RULES

Played in first person there are a number of puzzles

and surprises between you and freedom. An early,

simple challenge involves finding a pair of scissors

so you can cut away a curtain of hanging dolls, some

headless; their tangled bodies cast eerie shadows

around the room. A bit of exploring and a snip

later, and Peter’s free. But instant joy reseeds into

trepidation as you realise you’ve only made it into

the broader confines of the house.

Clearly developer Cracked Heads understands the

true stars of its game are the creaky floorboards and

torn-wallpapered walls of its creepy house. Created

in Unreal Engine 4, it looks fantastic. Photoreal

rooms tread well-worn, carpeted

ground, from dusty bedrooms to tiled

bathrooms cracked by time. But it’s

the stillness of some scenes, such as a

kitchen table set for breakfast and left

abandoned, that’s spine-chilling.

The game isn’t scared of breaking its

atmosphere with old-fashioned jump

scares either. Exploring one corridor,

and put off by a locked door, a clock’s

even, regular ticking breaks the silence.

Following the sound, moving slowly

into the darkness, it’s hard not to feel

uneasy... then a child runs out of the

shadows and we jump into next week.

As you search for a way out, Peter

will uncover the mysteries of the

house, many of which are connected

to a wider story and terrible events

that have plagued this unnerving

place. Most odd of all, our protagonist

discovers evidence that suggests he’s

been in this house before.

FORMAT PS4 / ETA SPRING 2019 / PUB HEADSUP / DEV CRACKEDHEADS

FATE/EXTELLA LINK

The galaxy needs saving and

only a group of colourful

anime stereotypes are up

to the job in this hack-and-

slash adventure. There’s

even a cute pink-haired girl

who’ll learn to accept her

flaws and value her friends.

Truly revolutionary.

FORMAT PS4 ETA 1 MAR

GOD EATER 3

As a very hungry monster

you like nothing more than

to chew down on gods in

this open world belly full of

fun. To eat a deity you need

to time your button presses

to the rhythm and noise of

slapping gums.

FORMAT PS4 ETA 8 FEB

LEFT ALIVE

Three people are left alive

in a featureless white room,

and only one of them knows

how to get out. Happily,

he’s the one with the dirty

great gun. Left Alive is

PlayStation 4’s smallest

walking simulator.

FORMAT PS4 ETA 5 MAR

on

the

box

judged only by

their covers

Above An uncomfortably creepy pile of

clothes lays in a dimly lit corridor.

Is there anything

scarier than a creaky

old Victorian house

at night? Erm, no...