kisui is Reviewing The Seance of Blake Manor
Alright, second round!
Today, I am reviewing Seance of Blake Manor. A detective game with Irish Gothic Horror tone and Folk Legends theme. Let me get started this... I don't like to play horror genre because I get scared easily. I do like watching other people play horror games though, but don't expect me to play something very horror. Fortunately. I saw some review and they said that the horrors were not that scary. Since the premise pulled me in (I like folk myths and legends), I decided to give it a try.
Let me preface with this, the game does have a horror tones and just a little bit of jumpscares. Though most people won't call it jumpscares, personally, there are some parts that makes me jumpy. I will explain detail in the full review.
Gameplaywise, the game is about doing detective footwork. Examining clue, interrogating people, and finding people at the right time. The basic premise is you are someone invited to find a missing person in a manor-hotel that is having a Seance in Victorial Era Ireland. For those who don't know what is a seance; A seance is a ritual to call spirit to talk to them, maybe long lost loved or unknown spirit that can help you in your troubles (since spirit have supernatural powers). Then as you got dragged deeper and deeper, you would find, the hotel and each hotel guests have their own secret that you need to solve.
I believe the game deliver a great experience for intense detective horror. It might get overwhelming at first but as your mastery of the game, expands. The game gets slightly easier but the plot thickens. Until it delivers an intense finale. As a story rich game, the plot development can be straightforward, but the storytelling is effective with several plot twists that hook you on the spot.
The price point is around IDR 160k (or USD 10) and I got it on a bundle with Esoteric Ebb (which I will review next) and a discount. So I got it around 80k or (USD 5). The gameplay is only around 10-18 hours, so don't expect a long game. But the game itself deliver a rare experience of it's genre that is definitely worth the price.
Heavier Gameplay and Story Spoiler Below
Now for the more detailed review. First, I will comment on the art and the music, I couldn't separate this because this is a game with horror tones. Both are important for delivering the horror ambiance. And this game does deliver those awesomely. The game highlight the horror not using scary creatures but using creepy environment. For example, all the room in the manor are dimly lit. Even during the day, the hallways are filled with shadows cast by the cloudy sun over the manor. When you open a door, what greets you are something almost like a shadowy humanoid, until you realized it is just a vase. An atrium filled with portrait paintings of manor historical figures, glaring at you with stern faces almost like they would leap out and chase you. A hedge maze, with no ones around giving a sensation that someone would jump out of a nook with a knife. Fortunately, the game is not about that and it makes that clears. With every scary ambiance, the game would assure you that those are just your imagination. Out of the nook, it turns out it is just a friendly NPC taking a walk. The paintings are just paintings and the shadowy silhouette are just optical illusions. There are few jumpscares, but not ones that would give you nightmares as you find out that none of them will give you harm. There are at least two horror chase sequences that could give you game over but their focus are more for plot device then deadly difficult chase. The game uses of visual art and music deliver a mystery horror ambiance perfectly, while also subverting them making you realize, no one will attack you in your sleep. There are some voice acting in the game, though not that much. I found the use of them are perfectly timed and delivered.
Despite all the realism and the horror is just an illusion trope, the game does include magical element heavily. At first, it is subverted as they are just... illusion of the mind. But as the plot progress, you found out magic and ghosts are real. Still, the game is not about evil ghost killing people. The ghost here are plot device that would need to exorcise by investigating. None of the ghost would attack you, as the ghost are more of human with unfinished business rather than vengeful ghosts. I love how they deliver the horror theme while keeping the game as a detective game.
Storywise, the game are set in Victorian era Ireland. Folklore, beliefs, and myths of Celtic lore heavily influenced the game which is a great theme as they are rarely used in games. You, as Declan Ward, an investigator (but not a detective, which will be revealed later but hinted at first) are requested by someone to investigate a missing person. At first, something is amiss as people seems to be mesmerized to not think about the missing person. They know a lady is missing but they quickly dismiss the thought to think about something else every time they are asked about that. As the game progress, the Celtic myths became deeper. You would find ghosts, hints of the Irish Gods, and a darker plot is haunting the manor. You would find each guests have their own secrets and problems which tie them to the manor (some very loosely). I will refrain saying more, since this is a detective game, but the game deliver magical realism perfectly without shifting the main focus from investigation. I will say that some of the side plot are just... too plain and some of them are just weird logically... The overall plot writing and plot delivery is just... slightly above average.
For the gameplay, this is mainly a detective game. You would need to explore the manor to find clues and objects and talk to people. The game give you "tutorial" objectives at the start to set the game tone. The game gives you a clock, which won't progress unless you do something new. So even if you run back and forth the same room, the clock won't progress. If you try to check something you haven't check before, the clock will progress. I believe this is a great way, since this enables you to take your time thinking without pausing the game while also forcing you to think on what to "click", there are lots of red herring in the game but eventually you will learn about what to click and not based on patterns. The game tutorial time limit is also very tight, giving you the impression of a urgency. But I finished the game with around 300 more actions before the final time limit, which is plenty even with tons of red herring clicks (unless you spam click). The game also gives you hint at start on what to progress the plot. There are a main plot of the missing Lady, and side investigation for everyone in the manor. The game heavily hints at the start that every time you finish an investigation on someone (and help them give closure on their personal problem), you achieve something that might give you the perfect ending. Alongside that, the main plot gives you clue on who causes the lady disappearance and you must make elimination deduction by the hint. With a major investigation and side investigations, the game deliver the detective experience greatly.
Another thing that I love that the game uses iceberg/cone mystery scheme. You would find 5 different clue at the surface level which will point you to deeper level, on the next level you would find 4 different clues then the cone gets narrower until you reach the final mystery. Finding all the clues give you the full picture while giving confirmation, but they also provide redundancies. You don't need to find all of them, you just need to find one of the alternatives, giving you a semi freedom on how you investigate and solve the plot which does not feel railroaded. That said, as the cone got narrower, the game also have its flaw. Some of the investigation can reach the climax point at the start of the game but has no way to "close" it until you finish someone else plot or progress to a certain time, which I found is very barely hinted. This can cause a major frustration. But I believe that is part of the detective gameplay, you either need to be lucky or you need to be extremely meticulous and smart. But even without with, the main plot progress is pretty much given. The game is easy enough for casual detective play but rewards you for being a master at investigating.
All in all, this is a great game. A rare gem of its genre, though not as brilliant as well polished diamond. I would recommend everyone who loves whodunit genre to try it even if you don't really like horror.