Horror is a genre that has always fascinated me, across all forms of media. I’ve always had a deep love for horror fiction and comics and a nearly obsessive interest in horror filmmaking. But as the medium has grown, I’ve found that the best scares can be found from horror games. There is of course something inherently more thrilling about any scenario when you are involved in the action, but I find that scares work particularly well. As someone who decries the overuse of jump scares in modern horror cinema, I find that the tension and sting of the jumps are still very much alive in interactive media. A solid example of this is the Italian survival horror title by Darril Arts, Remothered: Tormented Fathers.
While the name itself is scary enough, the set up is certainly right at home in the genre as well. Following Rosemary Reed, a mysterious woman looking to find information about a missing girl, as she lies her way into the mansion of an aging doctor with a mysterious illness, Richard Felton, who also happens to be the missing girl’s father. Rosemary’s ruse is quickly discovered and she is ejected from the mansion by Felton and his nurse Gloria. Waiting until the evening, Rosemary sneaks back inside, and that’s when the fun begins. She finds herself seemingly trapped in the massive home with an increasingly aggressive Dr. Felton as she frantically searches for clues and a way out. It’s a fairly vague and interesting introduction that makes for a nice set up for the hide-and-seek nature of the gameplay. Everyone seems at least a little untrustworthy and at most completely unreliable, and the core mystery of just what was going on is quite bizarre and fascinating to uncover.
The gameplay itself is where I thought this title really shined, as it goes back to the roots of survival horror titles, certainly being inspired by classics like Clock Tower. There is no in-game map or stock of healing supplies, only fixed save points that you can heal and take a break at (though they’re not always in safe locations). There are no fancy boomsticks or real weaponry, only vases and teacups to be thrown, alarm clocks and dolls to be set for noisy diversions, and at best scissors or a knitting needle as a last resort defensive item. You must use your wits, stealth, and spatial memory (or maybe a hand-drawn map) to make your way around the massive and well-designed mansion without getting busted by the good Doctor. And he’s always around.
I really enjoy this particular mechanic, and while this isn’t the first title I’ve seen use it, Remothered does a good job with it. Those familiar with game like Alien Isolation, Hello Neighbor, and even the recent Resident Evil remakes will feel right at home. Your “stalker” is a persistent AI existing within the game world, and his only goal is to attack you on sight. The directional sound design is excellent, and you can hear his clomping footsteps on the ceiling above you, his incessant nursery rhyme spewing through the walls around you, him screaming for his meds through the door just to your right, it works very well to keep you aware of where he may be at any given time. But he’s not always shouting his location, at times he is on the hunt a bit harder than others. Then you must rely on the well done musical score, composed by Metal Gear Solid series vet Nobuko Toda, to plan your routes. The music swells slowly and piercingly with strings very reminiscent of the Jaws Theme, as played on your spine. If you start to hear it, he’s on the same floor, and the dread grows with the crescendo of added instruments until the tone is nearly unbearable, and then there he is, mere feet away in the shadows. It is effective nearly every time, especially in those first few hours, as the build-ups and releases of the jump scares occur more organically, and thus more unpredictably than films really can.
While the gameplay is unpredictable and constantly shifting you to the very edge of your seat, the story itself can range from fairly predictable to insanely vague. Although, I could certainly believe it’s all purposeful. The predictable parts fall into place quickly enough, so it keeps the engagement and pace rolling since the stealthy hide-and-seek aspects can drag out, depending on how well you’re sneaking and finding key items to move forward. The collectible items found throughout the mansion definitely flesh things out, but if you do miss them, you can miss out on some important information. The references to the things that inspired writer/director/designer Chris Daril are worn on his sleeve from the overt imagery of the Hawkmoths of Silence of the Lambs fame to Rosemary being a straight up Jodie Foster as Clarice look alike, not to mention sharing her name with another important horror character. And judging by the Shining and Misery inspired bits of this title’s upcoming sequel Broken Porcelain, this referential flavor is part of his brand. I for one really enjoy the surface level references, blended with the more original storytelling framework he has built. It allows the game to feel simultaneously familiar yet unknown, which helps add to the uneasy feelings while wandering around in this spooky world.
I finished Remothered: Tormented Fathers in around six hours, so it wasn’t a huge commitment. Though if you find yourself really exploring or getting chased more often than not, it could run you a little longer. However, this game is a bit punishing with its few save points and rare autosaves, combined with one-hit deaths during set-pieces. While this can add to the tension of failure, be aware that it may not be the easiest game to drop in and out of, though it at least can thankfully be paused. If you’re looking for something scary and super weird, with a good dose of referential imagery but an original story, this title is a nice horrifying little ride. It’s currently on sale for Xbox Live Gold members for $10.49, and on Good Old Games for $6.99. It’s also available on PS4, Nintendo Switch, and Steam.