Despite the fact that Afterlife VR isn’t doing much new, it has a certain charm. As Adam Bernhard, you arrive at Black Rose Mental Hospital to locate your missing sister. However, as you navigate the facility, you notice something strange.
In VR, horror is an easy sell: a headset offers a level of immersion that makes it perfect for the genre. But many horror games rely too heavily on jump scares, the worst type of horror. Afterlife VR doesn’t rely too heavily on them, apart from a couple of moments towards the end of the two hour campaign. Throughout the game, you’ll explore a surprisingly nuanced and ambient mental hospital, familiar from games like Outlast, but still surprising well executed.
While a small title made by a small team, the technical aspects of the release are quite impressive. Sound design is a major standout, with Black Rose being downright frightening at times. In the hospital, a subtle, bassy hum permeates the walls and floors, while dark shades of gray give everything a deathly pallor. All textures and environments look good, except character animations.
It’s a fairly straightforward level with mainly key location objectives. Getting the correct items out of your inventory can be difficult, since interactable items are only well-telegraphed in the dark. After the first few fetch quests, you’ll get used to a handgun and, weirdly, telekinesis. Gunplay is surprisingly good given how insignificant it seemed to be, and telekinesis is mostly a puzzle-solver.
Afterlife VR is not brand new, but it blends horror tropes and settings well, delivering a worthwhile collection of experiences.
Pros:
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Sound design to die for.
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The game looks good.
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The gunplay works.
Cons:
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There’s too much telekinesis.
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Jump scares too late in the game.
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An unimpressive animation.
It’s a six over ten for this game.
