Also available on Switch, Android, Linux, OSX, and Windows I saw Detention on sale for like $1 or so on a recent PSN flash sale, so I decided I'd give it a shot. For that little, I figured it was worth the risk especially given my love for horror games. Rather than being developed by a Japanese or American development studio like most games I play, Detention was developed by a team from Taiwan (or, as it's officially called, the Republic of China. There's your history-teacher trivia for the day). Detention is set in the 1960s, a little over a decade after Mao Zedong's communist forces overthrew China's ruling Kumintang Party and established the People's Republic of China and exiled the deposed nationalist government to the island of Taiwan. Having recently lost a civil war and facing constant threats of a communist invasion, the island of Taiwan is under martial law and executing what is tantamount to a witch hunt against communist sympathizers. You play as a high school student trapped in a mysteriously deserted school during a typhoon. While this in itself is unsettling enough for a high school student, things get creepier when unexplained and seemingly impossible things begin happening as you try to contact the outside world. The story, while a bit confusing at times since I'm not as well versed in Taoist mythology as I perhaps should be, is really fantastic, and when coupled with the legitimately creepy atmosphere makes for a fantastic horror experience. With that said, I won't say much about the story so as not to spoil anything, but it's a fantastic little mystery with some puzzles to solve that are quite clever but not particularly challenging for the most part. Detention is a truly fantastic example of indie game design. The mood is eerie, and the journey through the game is filled with mystery as the truth of your situation slowly unravels. The visuals have a very simplistic style, but it gets the job done and fits the mood of the game. Even at full price, it's not terribly expensive and absolutely worth the asking price, but if you see it on sale on Steam, PS4, or Switch, go ahead and let it be an impulse buy. It's a truly fantastic experience. My Rating - A |
I'm a teacher.And I like to play video games. I like to collect video games. I like to talk about video games, and I like to write about video games. During the day, I teach high school history; during the night, I spend my spare time gaming. Then I write about it. Archives
April 2024
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