LogFAQs > #969708821

Snake5555555555 posted...

When it comes to survival horror, I feel like location is at least 2/3s of what makes a game scary. Hell, that goes for any horror medium. The environment is the conduit for the terror. YOU'RE the one that has to traverse this. YOU'RE the one that has to directly interact with this. Horror is adept at making even the most simple of areas a hostile environment, twisting what you deem as "safe".

This is a such a great take. Can't think of a scary horror game/film/book that lacks a strong setting and/or atmosphere.

On that note, you know what else is terrific in this game? The sound design. The sounds in P.T. are so well crafted and organically integrated that it's almost like you're living inside the game. Every clunking footstep, the pitter-patter of the rainfall, the swinging chandelier, these numbing sounds become part of your routine, and you begin to almost ignore them - that is, until a new sound enters the mix, usually something unknown and jolting. Every sound that emanates from the bathroom is nauseating and thought provoking in equal measures. The sounds of the baby crying feel so raw and unsettling and is inherently ear-catching. I also particularly love the radio sounds and voice actor in this, and how the radio broadcasts lend themselves to an intimate experience the creators were trying to invoke.

Nailed it. When I played P.T., I wore headphones and was absolutely immersed thanks to the sound design. It's almost as if the sounds themselves are their own story, or at least their own character.

The game's sense of reality starts to crumble. The hallway, you realize, is a long way away from ever providing the same sense of repetitive comfort it once did. Roaches now infest the whole house, a sign of abandonment. Pictures are ripped and defaced. Lisa surrounds your entire presence. No matter how long you've been there, you will never get used to it. Eventually, the swinging chandelier is replaced instead with a blood-soaked refrigerator, The sound effects and flickers on the screen now become your constant companions, always out-of-sync with your brain's perception, and confusion becoming the constant state of mind. The game completely validates its created nightmare and you're just another hapless victim of its poisoned narrative. I applaud P.T. for taking the metaphor so far into the realm of hopelessness. You're trapped, trying to figure out just what exactly to do while trying to solve the final puzzles. It's an onslaught on the senses in every regard. The room grows increasingly more distracting, the puzzle problems increasingly more complex, even the fetus starts taunting you.

Love the analysis here. The nightmare quality and themes of hopelessness are what have always stuck with me about this game.

Like you, I didn't buy a PS4 until the Slim model came out in 2016, but I was fortunate enough to have a buddy who downloaded P.T. the day it released. He let me play the game in his living room in broad daylight, and even on a sunny day in the company of a friend, P.T. terrified me. Hell, the game was so scary that my buddy--who had already beaten P.T. twice at that point--jumped and spilled his seltzer everywhere when Lisa appeared during my playthrough.

The only knock I have against this game were the obtuse puzzles. You basically have to use a guide finish the game, and that unfortunately detracts from its powerful atmosphere.

Aside from that, you could argue its the best survivor horror ever made.