Music is likewise minimal, mostly taking the form of low bass keyboard tones reminiscent of a John Carpenter score. Your character is a blocky humanoid figure resembling a board game piece (both visually and in personality), and there’s rarely any set dressing beyond what’s immediately relevant to your purposes. The isometric visuals are bare and basic, with the backdrops consisting mostly of spartan chambers floating in darkness. Taken together, the trio present an intriguing and brain-teasing puzzle-fest with a unique minimalist aesthetic, though the collection’s short length and nearly impenetrable story might turn some players off.Ī few elements remain consistent across all three entries. (There was the small matter of completing the episodic claymation adventure The Dream Machine in the meantime.) Finally, in 2020, we have the commercially-released trilogy, featuring updated and remastered editions of the first two games alongside a never-before-seen third installment. Receiving a warmer reception than he’d expected, developer Anders Gustafsson produced a sequel the following year, and despite even more positive reviews it remained his final word on the subject for nearly two decades. I’d usually say go for it, but here, I’m not so sure it’s worth the time or effort.The first entry in what would become The Gateway Trilogy was created in 2006 as part of an amateur game contest held by the freeware site Jay Is Games. Despite different endings, there isn’t an ability to skip ahead and get back near the end to experience it without starting from the beginning. There are occasional glitches that pop up which break the immersion the entire game builds up from the beginning, and there’s very little replayability value that comes along with The Suicide of Rachel Foster. That’s not to say there aren’t some other smaller issues either however. Regardless of some interesting creative choices, some heavy themes left widely unexplored, and a two-sided approach to the game that feels a bit disjointed at times, The Suicide of Rachel Foster is fairly well-executed. It’s gross and just doesn’t sit right with me. Instead of focusing on the fact that Rachel is the victim, the narrative focuses on Leonard’s “love” for her. I wish they had called Leonard for what he was: a pedophile. Instead the story paints the entire relationship between Nicole’s father, Leonard, and Rachel as a simple affair. Though I desperately want to know more about her, and I’m driven to keep playing the game to find out, ONE-O-ONE Games just brushes over the rape of an innocent girl. Without revealing any big story spoilers the entire narrative centers around Rachel, and her relationship with Leonard. For a game so well-designed, where you can clearly tell the level of detail that went into designing the hotel and the characters, it’s disappointing. Though the narrative itself is thoroughly enjoyable and very well-executed, and the sound and graphical designs are knockout, some topics are just lacking genuine thoughtfulness. That said, I’ve got some mixed emotions after finishing The Suicide of Rachel Foster. Because of just how realistic everything looks and feels, this indie title offers a level of realism I haven’t seen in a while from a game of its size. Every aspect of the hotel really drives home that the building is, although not quite haunted, very, very creepy. The hotel is quite large and you’ll have to rely on your memory to find your way around. The level of detail that went into the hotel design is damn impressive and it’s no small feat either. Where The Suicide of Rachel Foster really shines however is with just how great it looks and sounds. Other than that there isn’t too much to keep track of outside of the steady stream of interesting tidbits of information about Nicole’s family and Rachel. Well, that and talking to Irving through the old phone as the only means to move the narrative-driven gameplay forward. You’ll have to walk around, exploring The Timberland, adding items to your inventory, and uncovering the sinister details surrounding Rachel’s death.
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