INHUMAN

When we think of Asian horror, we might immediately think of some of the classic Japanese titles that have become landmarks of the genre over the years. However, China is still an untapped potential to bring a new light into the horror games genre, as INHUMAN readily proves.

Though not without its fair share of issues, INHUMAN is one of those games that you just have to play to believe. With its odd combination of non-challenging puzzles and weird attempts at horror, INHUMAN is the prime example of a title that's so bad in so many aspects, that you just can't help but enjoy the wild ride.

The Book of the Dead

Before anything else, INHUMAN is a narrative experience. This is made abundantly clear by the ungodly amounts of text you'll have to sit through to fully comprehend what the game's plot is all about. If one of the peak narrative maxims is "show, don't tell," then it's safe to say that the developers of INHUMAN skipped that class.

However, as much as the game tries to pass as a lore-heavy classic horror experience in the same vein as the legendary Silent Hill series, the translators weren't up to this task. If you understand some Chinese, you might understand a bit more of what's going on in this bizarre title, although I don't think the game makes much sense in any language; not that it has to.

Horrific Exploration

Once you're done reading the book-long pages of lore included in INHUMAN, you'll find that the game is amazingly enjoyable as a classic exploration-based horror experience. It might not be Resident Evil: Village, but the game retains some of the same core gameplay elements that turned Amnesia: The Dark Descent into such an unexpected horror hit back in the day.

As you explore dark hallways and come face to face with the unspeakable horror populating every corner of INHUMAN, you'll begin to notice why this game is so indecipherably enthralling. While other indie horror titles rely on cheap jump scares to become easy streamer bait, INHUMAN goes for a more methodical – and effective – approach.

Looking Weird

INHUMAN's visuals are not at the top of the class, that's for sure. However, they're certainly not at the bottom, either. The game exists in that sweet spot where it manages to look good enough to be enjoyable, but that doesn't mean that you'll need some kind of supercomputer to run it.

Additionally, the game looks relatively great for an indie title. We encountered only a few hiccups during our test run, with some of them being just minor slowdowns caused by some of the engine's quirks. All in all, this is a horror game that might not be to everyone's tastes, but it can be surprisingly enjoyable if you spend enough time tinkering with its mysteries – and enduring some poorly translated lore.

Pros

• Suitably eerie atmosphere
• Lots of creative puzzles
• Some truly terrifying creature designs

Cons

• Nonsensical plot
• Lackluster translation
• Too much text and exposition