Developer: We Create Stuff
Publisher: Modus Games
Genre: Horror, Adventure
PlayStation 5
I love a good psychological horror game. Anything that can give me long term scares in addition to immediate jump scares gets a thumbs up from me. In Sound Mind is marketed as an imaginative psychological horror game, and it mostly lives up to that title. While it is more tense than actually scary, In Sound Mind still manages to deliver a chilling experience due to fine gameplay and a compelling narrative.
In the beginning, In Sound Mind just throws players into a mysterious building without any context. As players control the amnesiac protagonist, they will uncover some horrors that were inflicted on the people that reside in the game’s world. In Sound Mind really leans on the psychological angle, with the protagonist being a protagonist who explores minds and treatments throughout the game. Players will see first hand what is haunting people, with some creepy sights always around the corner.
To progress through the game, players will uncover four different psychological dreamscapes via old tapes scattered around. Each one acts as a different environment for players to explore. It’s a novel way to progress the story, develop the characters, and give players a fresh change of scenery. The different minds gives players something new to see and allows for In Sound Mind to avoid looking the same throughout the game’s 10-12 hour story.
While In Sound Mind always has something new to show players, it doesn’t exactly stay scary throughout. The opening hours are the most haunting ones, but players will be more desensitized to the game’s horrors before they reach the halfway point. Still, the game remains tense throughout thanks to some fantastic atmospheric presentation and interesting environments. Some tapes will scare certain players more thanks to whatever they might fear, but none of them are particularly overwhelming.
The gameplay of In Sound Mind is solid throughout, ensuring that even without the scares, players will have a good time. Players will explore the world, fight enemies, solve puzzles, and defeat each tape’s boss. The puzzles aren’t exactly mindbenders, but they do just enough to keep players engaged. The puzzles are an efficient way to keep players from wondering too far off the intended path. Of course, wonderers will delight in all of the hidden upgrades and items scattered throughout the game.
The combat itself is admittedly a bit clunky. The gunplay simply doesn’t feel all that great. It won’t ruin the experience for everyone, but it is certainly the game’s biggest weakness. The enemies aren’t particularly terrifying, but they will stick around and add a little bit of a challenge. At the same time, they aren’t annoying either. This even applies to the ones that constantly stalk players. They don’t slow down the experience in a way that happens it similar horror games. They are just there as an additional challenge.
In Sound Mind unfortunately suffers from some performance issues. Throughout the game I encountered many hiccups, from visual glitches to the occasional hard crash. I never lost more than a few minutes due to a somewhat lenient checkpoint system, but it is still a nuisance to always worry if the game will perform well. The frame rate is also choppy throughout. Players won’t ever get a consistent frame rate which is a shame.
Despite the lack of scares and performance issues, In Sound Mind is still an easy game to recommend to horror fans. The interesting story and solid presentation make this another horror hit for We Create Stuff.
Despite the lack of scares and performance issues, In Sound Mind is still an easy game to recommend to horror fans. The interesting story and solid presentation make this another horror hit for We Create Stuff.
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Gameplay
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Presentation
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Enjoyment