A "First Look" at Perception

by flotsam




What starts as an intriguing and promising premise falls by the wayside not too far in.

Cassie is blind, off to explore an empty mansion in Gloucester Massachusetts in pursuit of a what she has seen in her nightmares.

Being blind means being in the dark, and the dark is fearful in and of itself. Take a step and get a small "enlightenment" of the immediate surroundings. Tap your cane, and echolocation produces a broader perspective that will fade. It's a jigsaw puzzle, seeing what you can, piecing the environment together, before the dark comes back.

Then the Presence appears. He killed me once, and apparently responds to frequent tapping of the cane. I have found a bed and a chest, both of which offer the capacity to hide. I assume it is from "it" but haven't availed myself yet.

I don't mind dying. I do mind that it throws me back to the last autosave, which was about 30 minutes of playtime before. Its hard enough navigating in the dark; the autosave feature makes it un-fun.

I read a review that also says the house reconfigures, which if true will just add to the frustration.

Then I struck a glitch, which forced me to exit and start from the last save point.

I liked the first 20 minutes. I didn't much like the way the next 30 panned out. The glitch finished me. I won't be back.