Also available on Xbox One, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Switch, and Windows Maid of Sker is my third horror game for October 2021, and it's my favorite of the three (the other two being Blair Witch and The Medium). Based on Welsh folklore, Maid of Sker is like a love letter to and an amalgamation of some of some of my favorite horror games all wrapped up in a setting that doesn't get enough love in my opinion - Victorian Wales. The game opens with the protagonist, a fellow named Thomas, riding a train to the Sker Hotel to meet up with his wife/betrothed/girlfriend/whatever following a concerning letter he received from her. He was asked to compose a "counter" song - one of four she had commissioned from four different composers - to a specific melody that she sent to him and to bring it to her in Sker. Complying with her request, he wrote the piece and raced to Sker, but when he gets there, he finds that something is off. The hotel is abandoned, and it's clear that some manner of malicious mishap has occurred. As he investigates the hotel, his wife communicates with him only through the system of phones in the hotel as she has locked herself in the attic for safety from the evidently mind-altered men roaming the hotel. Thomas must now brave the violent brutes as he searches for the other three pieces of the counter-melody and four golden cylinders that have the potential to alter the minds of a large number of people all at once. It's kind of a bizarre story, not gonna lie, but it's pretty interesting and definitely kept me wanting to know more. I mentioned that Maid of Sker is clearly influenced by a number of other games, and I personally think that's its greatest strength. The setting of a run down hotel has some serious Resident Evil vibes not to mention that you save by interacting with gramophones in safe rooms spread throughout the game's world. The gameplay that sees you avoiding and hiding from enemies with almost no way to fight back screams Outlast. The general atmosphere of the game and the design of the enemies are clearly inspired by The Evil Within and Silent Hill. A lot of people online throw around the term "rip-off" these games to describe games that borrow elements of games that came before it, but I think Maid of Sker strikes the perfect balance of being influence by a number of its genre predecessors while still managing to feel like its own thing, and that's not always easy to do. The story, while well written, takes a backseat to the atmosphere here. Very few horror games nail the atmosphere quite as well as Maid of Sker, and it's solidly creepy from start to finish while frequently bolting straight into downright scary. I audibly screamed numerous times through the game, and for someone who plays as many horror games as I do to be made to scream is a testament to the game's design. The music and overall visual design are fantastic, and while I enjoyed the story and the setting, the story is actually the weak point of the game; it gets pretty predictable pretty quickly, and never once makes you give a damn about the protagonist. The fact that the game still managed to impress me so much despite that given how story-focused a gamer I am, though, should speak volumes to how well-done the rest of the game is. The music nails that subtle "haunting" feel without making the mistake so many horror games do of trying to build tension through loud and often disorienting music; it's a lot harder to make a soundtrack haunting than intense, but if a composer can manage it, it will automatically elevate any horror game to the next level, and Maid of Sker is an exemplar of that. If you look at the critical reception of the game, you'll see that I disagree with most of the big reviews pretty heavily. Maid of Sker's reviews from the big names like IGN, Gamespot, etc. as well as its Metacritic aggregate scores are all middling, but I gotta disagree; I'm a big fan of this game and thoroughly enjoyed it. It's definitely got its flaws especially where the story is concerned, but as a spooky horror experience, I found it to be great. Not amazing, mind you, but solidly great, and the Victorian setting and basis in Welsh folklore just check all the right boxes for me. It's not going to be for everyone, and most of the complaints that the big reviewers had are truthfully pretty valid, but I think the sum here leaves a much better product than those reviews give it credit for. If you're a fan of horror games, do yourself a favor and play Maid of Sker. It probably won't knock most people's socks off, but I'm confident that you'll enjoy it and have no regrets with the time invested in a playthrough; I absolutely loved it. My Rating - B |
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
May 2024
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