Sense - A Cyberpunk Ghost Story

Sense - 不祥的预感: A Cyberpunk Ghost Story is a 2.5D adventure game that mixes cyberpunk, horror and Cantonese mythology! It sounds like a strange mix, but it somehow all works and makes for a very engaging and thrilling kind of game that got its hooks into me right from the start. It is not exactly packed with XXX content, but there is certainly more than enough to make it worthy of having that tag. However, do not come into this purely based on the sexual content. This is a game that is all about the story and what a story it is!

A Mystery Years In The Past And The Future

I do not want to go into any spoilers here as the story is what I enjoyed the most about Sense - 不祥的预感: A Cyberpunk Ghost Story. The basics are that we play as a woman called Lei-Lin Mak and we live in this city called Neo Hong Kong in the year, 2083. Now, this is a cyberpunk city for sure with people, including Mei having cybernetic enhancements. However, the old world is still here and we find ourselves in the middle of a supernatural mystery that is over 100 years in the making and our family is somehow involved. We are drawn to Ching Song Apartments, or the ruins of them, and must deal with the ghosts, secrets, and horrors to find out what is really happening.

A Great Place To Find Inspiration

I will admit that I was already interested in Sense - 不祥的预感: A Cyberpunk Ghost Story, but what really got me excited to play this was when I read that the developer was inspired by the likes of Clock Tower and Fatal Frame for the story. If you have played those games, that is very easy to tell, pretty much right from the start as this game certainly has that same kind of uneasy and unnerving feeling that those two games had. However, I also think that the movie series The Grudge is also a very fitting comparison for the kind of story that you will experience here. This is honestly the kind of game that is best played knowing as little about the story as you can before you go in.

Staying On The Right Path

I guess I would have to say that point-and-click adventure games like Broken Sword are the best comparison for the gameplay of Sense - 不祥的预感: A Cyberpunk Ghost Story. You need to explore many different areas, looking for the right clues, items, and so on to solve various puzzles that are put in front of you. There are many ghosts/spirits that you will need to help move on and be helped by to solve the bigger picture, but there are also ghosts that will harm you which adds a bit of a survival horror element to the gameplay. I was kind of surprised at how rigid the gameplay was, when you are in an area and on a quest, things have to be done in a very particular order to move on. I did not mind this to be honest, but it does mean that some parts of the game can be tricky as you have to do certain things in a certain order to progress.

Now This Is Style And Substance

The blending of cyberpunk, Cantonese lore, and horror is handled so incredibly well in Sense - 不祥的预感: A Cyberpunk Ghost Story that it truly gives the game a style and vibe that is very unique. I just love this bright and vibrant cyberpunk world that they have created here, but then when you go to the ruins of that old apartment building, you have the “old world” stuff there and the way that blends and is at the other end of the spectrum from the cyberpunk stuff is pretty awesome. The game does have a few legit scary and freaky moments and there is also a bit of XXX stuff at play here too. It all adds up for a very stylish looking game that is nearly impossible to take your eyes off.

Pros:

• The story was fantastic!
• I loved the way the game blended horror and cyberpunk with old-timey lore
• The 2.5D presentation looks so freaking cool
• Do not underestimate the horror elements here, there are some big scares for sure!

Cons:

• Some of the puzzles can be hard to figure out, which can slow down the progression
• While I loved this, I can see why it would not appeal to some people