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| Image Credit: ONE-O-ONE GAMES |
I've never been one to state my opinions publicly. Deeply rooted beneath the strong belief that arguing over one's point of view on the internet is an exercise in futility (I'd rather do actual exercise) lies a tendency to disown the things I like for fear of being judged. But recently, someone close to me has been encouraging me to be more confident. There's a difference between keeping a distance from online debates that lead nowhere and not having confidence in oneself. So I'll just say it: for all the controversy surrounding it, I enjoyed playing The Suicide of Rachel Foster.
You play as Nicole, returning to the family hotel to conduct an inspection to follow through on selling the property. In typical horror fashion, you get trapped there owing to a particularly severe snowstorm. The hotel itself is very spacious and beautifully designed. Described as an indie game, I definitely wasn't expecting this level of visual polish from the game. I loved the obvious nod to one of my favourite walking sims through the phone dynamic with Irving, the only other human you interact with.
**Spoilers for the plot of the game to follow**
The game does have its issues. The ending wasn't particularly satisfying. The stunning hotel feels very empty. One would expect notes or diary pages or audio logs from a walking simulator to flesh out the environment and its characters; the hotel is strangely devoid of them. There is a constant feeling that the game wants to dabble with horror but it never quite takes the opportunity to capitalize on the perfect setting to go all-out on creepiness. And then there's the way a sexual relationship between a 16 y/o girl and a much older man is dealt with. From my understanding, the writers added these elements to lend credence to Nicole's hatred of the setting. We are never offered a look into the lives of the people involved in this messed up - and that's putting it lightly - situation nor does it attempt to be a character study (which I would have loved for it to be). The lack of accountability is what's most concerning here. Bottom line, one could get so much more from this polished-looking game. If only.
You play as Nicole, returning to the family hotel to conduct an inspection to follow through on selling the property. In typical horror fashion, you get trapped there owing to a particularly severe snowstorm. The hotel itself is very spacious and beautifully designed. Described as an indie game, I definitely wasn't expecting this level of visual polish from the game. I loved the obvious nod to one of my favourite walking sims through the phone dynamic with Irving, the only other human you interact with.
**Spoilers for the plot of the game to follow**
The game does have its issues. The ending wasn't particularly satisfying. The stunning hotel feels very empty. One would expect notes or diary pages or audio logs from a walking simulator to flesh out the environment and its characters; the hotel is strangely devoid of them. There is a constant feeling that the game wants to dabble with horror but it never quite takes the opportunity to capitalize on the perfect setting to go all-out on creepiness. And then there's the way a sexual relationship between a 16 y/o girl and a much older man is dealt with. From my understanding, the writers added these elements to lend credence to Nicole's hatred of the setting. We are never offered a look into the lives of the people involved in this messed up - and that's putting it lightly - situation nor does it attempt to be a character study (which I would have loved for it to be). The lack of accountability is what's most concerning here. Bottom line, one could get so much more from this polished-looking game. If only.
We live in sensitive times. There's more awareness about the offensive nature of words among the general populace. Things have changed dramatically over the last two decades in a good way. Let's see (mild spoiler for The Sopranos ahead) Tony Soprano call his daughter's mixed-race boyfriend an "Oreo cookie." These simply aren't acceptable. For a long time, there have also been people mouthing vile things intentionally and getting away with it; but often you see cases like TSoRF, caught up in this web - not quite sure how they stumbled in there but chastised for their insensitivity. The games that truly justify such outrage and were intentionally created to cause a stir often go under everyone's radar (RapeLay, Suicide Simulator or AIDS Simulator) though thankfully they do get taken down or banned outright.
The lesson I take home from this game for any stories I write in the future is: if you want to touch upon a sensitive issue in your story, make sure it goes somewhere and gives the player a window into the characters' mental state. Use appropriate terms that acknowledge the heaviness of a topic - for a specific example from TSoRF, don't use words like 'love' and 'affair' when the person involved is underage and the relationship is plainly wrong in all ways.
TSoRF is not a bad game, nor did I think the plot twist was terrible. It simply fails to clear the hurdle of delicacy and solemnity that comes with choosing to talk about serious issues.
The lesson I take home from this game for any stories I write in the future is: if you want to touch upon a sensitive issue in your story, make sure it goes somewhere and gives the player a window into the characters' mental state. Use appropriate terms that acknowledge the heaviness of a topic - for a specific example from TSoRF, don't use words like 'love' and 'affair' when the person involved is underage and the relationship is plainly wrong in all ways.
TSoRF is not a bad game, nor did I think the plot twist was terrible. It simply fails to clear the hurdle of delicacy and solemnity that comes with choosing to talk about serious issues.
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