Suffer The Night

If you like your first person thrillers to come with a fair amount of fear attached, then Tainted Pact’s latest game, Suffer The Night, might be worth keeping an eye on. Due for an April release, this looks to be a highly enjoyable survival horror shooter that is as mysterious as it is terrifying. If you are a fan of games that force you to be on your toes at all times, then there is a charm to Suffer The Night that is sure to capture your attention.

Atmospheric survival horror done right

At the moment, there is ‘only’ the first chapter to try via Steam. This allows you to play the first part of the game and get a rough idea of what is actually going on. In this first person game, you are up against it from the very beginning. As you work your way through the first chapter, you need to try and do as the game implies – get through the night unscathed. The game takes place in 1989, and Sleepy Woods is enveloped in a horrifying storm. An envelope, funnily enough, lands through your letter box – and it is the beginning of a terrifying sequence of events. You will need to try and escape the ‘pale man’ – the antagonist who is like something from one of the old Scream movies.

Within the game there is an old text-based game that you need to play along with, and as you play the killer will try and get to you – if you do not deal with the interruptions he causes, then you will likely die. By bringing two types of game into one package, Suffer the Night offers a pretty compelling example of how horror can be strengthened using atmosphere as opposed to outright gore.

SUM UP HEADER (7/10)

The game maintains an absurdly creepy mood more or less from the moment the game goes on. If you are a fan of classis 80s slasher films, then there is absolutely something for you to enjoy here. In this game, you will be spending much of your time basically trying to avoid the madness of a psychopathic killer who wants to take you out. You need to play along with his game to an extent, but the main challenge you will find here is keeping your nerve. Moment to moment gameplay is actually somewhat serene, but in the first chapter that is available you will find yourself basically getting used to the edgy could-happen-at-any-time atmosphere.

That is fun, and it should immediately give you a feeling of games like FEAR – not in the actual gameplay, but in the mood. There are some elements of the game that can feel a touch like something like Dead by Daylight; you spend a lot of your time being tactical and trying to avoid the killer as opposed to face them head-on.

Pros

• Interesting premise that uses its atmosphere to really create a thrilling experience
• Excellent atmosphere and feel makes it easy to get lost in the moment

Cons

• Not enough content in Chapter 1 to really define exactly what Suffer The Night offers