Fears to Fathom - Ironbark Lookout

Fears to Fathom - Ironbark Lookout is the second installment in this psychological horror anthology series. I had a lot of fun with this one and think that it is a much better and more fleshed out experience than the first part which I did still enjoy. This game is not full of gore or anything like that, it unfolds more like a surreal mystery where you are trying to figure out what is going on and if you are crazy or if there is something strange about this creepy place you have found yourself in.

Strange, But True

One of the things that I got a huge kick out of with Fears to Fathom - Ironbark Lookout much like I did the previous game, Home Alone was how it is based on true events. Now, I cannot say for sure just how true these stories are, but they are documented stories that the developer has based their game around. The fact that they are based on true accounts from people makes these games even creepier, although, I guess it does kind of spoil that our antagonist manages to survive if she was able to retell her story!

Never Get Out Of The Car

Our main character in Fears to Fathom - Ironbark Lookout is a young woman called Holly ho is making her way home after being at a gaming convention. She decides to take the back roads home and ends up with some car trouble and also finding two large logs on the road blocking her path! It is late, it is dark and it is kind of freaky as these logs were clearly placed on the road on purpose. She ends up hitchhiking back to a creepy motel where a whole bunch of weird stuff starts happening and she knows that there is something wrong with this place. She has to wait until morning for her car to be fixed and she just needs to try and stay alert so she can make it through the night while all this weirdness is going down around her.

Way More Going On!

As an actual video game, Fears to Fathom - Ironbark Lookout has way more stuff to do than Home Alone did. It is once again all played from the first person, but the area you have to explore is much larger this time around. Finding items, knowing what to do with them and finding out more about this weird place and the supposed cult that lives here makes for a very tense experience. I also felt like things were more open this time around and you were not on as much of a forced path as you were in the first game. It takes around 90 or so minutes to beat so it is not a huge time sink.

Creepy Dudes Looking Creepy

Fears to Fathom - Ironbark Lookout is sure not going to win any awards for the way that it looks, but the visuals more than get the job done. This motel has a real creepy vibe about it as do the different people you meet who range from being hostile to just flat out weirdos. The game has a kind of dull filter to it that is hard to explain, but it just makes this place seem even more uneasy and creepy. Perhaps a tad more polish could have made it a bit more immersive, but honestly, I like the way the game looks and think that the visuals fit the tone of the story very well.

Pros:

• There are some very creepy people in this game
• You have a larger area to explore
• I liked how there was a bit of mystery about this place
• The gameplay offers more to do than the previous chapter

Cons:

• I am not sure there is much reason to play through this more than once
• It can look a bit rough around the edges in some places