Title: Those Who Remain
Format: PS4, PC, Xbox One, Switch
Price: USD 19.99
I like playing Indie titles, although I recognise “indie” may be a slightly fungible term these days. Nevertheless, straying away from a pure diet of hyped so-called Triple A titles can be very rewarding. There are some gems out there. But there’s also a lot of them. So how to choose?
I choose beer!
With Those Who Remain, I was drawn in by two things: the box art (although it’s probably more accurate to say “e-store representative icon,” that seems less romantic) which shows the protagonist from the rear facing what looks like a 60’s American muscle car surrounded by dark figures with glowing blue eyes; and the title, which seemed at least moderately literary. What I got was an uneven title, sometimes detailing an interesting mythos, sometimes incomplete, sometimes with flashes of brilliance, sometimes game-by-numbers.
If you suspect that at the end of such a corridor, you might turn around, and find the world is not as you left it…well, I could not possibly comment.
As we’re introduced to the protagonist, Edward, he is clearly a troubled soul. We see evidence of alcohol abuse, family issues, and guilt. Then, we’re driving to a motel for a liaison with a mistress, with the intention of ending this affair. Then, we’re in crazy time, as Edward’s car is stolen by parties unknown, the motel is entirely empty, and as we head toward town on the road, it becomes apparent we’re in exceptional danger, as any inch of darkness results in sharp object murder.
Absolutely with Edward on this one. Why *are* they holding an axe?
This is an exploration horror game. We have no means of defending ourselves, although it is not a walking simulator, as there are puzzles to solve, and some limited stealth sections as more mobile enemies are introduced than the intimidating figures standing in the dark. There is an interesting mechanic in that Edward occasionally has to enter an alternate reality, which is overgrown by foliage and marked by the objects from the real world floating around in eery fashion, and solve puzzles here in order to advance in the real world.
Nobody ever explains why this happens.
From a narrative perspective, the game unfolds the idea that a particular demon will not directly judge souls, but drag in a human to do that, that being part of their amusement. I don’t think this is a spoiler, as the game advertises the idea that we’re in hell and demons are at play not just with every other document found, but with every load screen, which is adorned with some form of literary quotation to this effect. This is then applied to a Twin Peaks-esque scenario where a terrible event has happened in this town in which everyone is culpable. The central idea is then: how will you judge them? And how does that reflect on you?
Deffo how newspaper articles get written.
There are a number of things the game does well. I do like the inversion of the game trope we should hide in the shadows; in this game, stepping into the dark gets you killed, absolutely immediately. Without a path forward in the light, well, there is no path forward. I did like the idea that a demon has dragged in a guilty soul to do its dirty work, and some of the backstory exposition of this demon is quite innovative.
Damn. Can’t argue with that. Although maybe such revelations are not best promulgated in a public lavatory.
However, there are also some weaker areas. We know the protagonist needs to be in the light to be safe, and the second set piece sees him get a lighter to progress. He then, inexplicably, loses the lighter between cut scenes. And throughout the rest of the game, as he moves through diners, stores, and saw mills, finds no further more autonomous lighting sources, is a bit silly, not least with the amount of flammable objects with which he is surrounded.
Curse you, you stabby wraiths! If only these boxes, crates, books and other items I encounter might be flammable!
The events of the town which Edward has apparently been dragged in by this demon to judge are supposed to be nuanced. However, the trophies/achievements are to either forgive everyone, or condemn everyone. That betrays the nuance that the game was, I thought, trying to present me: that maybe some of these people deserved the results of the decision of their own lives, others did not, and I should learn as much as possible to understand why someone made a choice. I felt that was removed from me by this “Pure Forgiveness” or “Pure Condemnation” choice.
Necronomicon. Actually, I don’t think this reference helps the game. If you want to try to correlate the idea of purgatory and demons from Christian dogma with Lovecraft’s Cthulhu mythos, we need a bit more than a sawmill.
Oh, also, I thought we’d established that first-person view games shouldn’t try to be Mario-style platformers. Especially if the game requires you hold up a barrel that blocks 90% of the screen.
What? We passed Sorrow 15 minutes ago? Do you even know how to read a map? Oh just give it to me
Overall, I do like the idea that there was a terrible event in a town, that has locked some of the key actors into purgatory over hard decisions, and our protagonist has been co-opted by a demon which will ultimately judge us too. However, there are some narrative inconsistencies, and indeed absences, and some gameplay irritations that stop this being a definite recommendation. 5