I cast a decoy spell, then dodge roll behind a shambling monstrosity and beat its head in with a lead pipe. Then I run out a nearby door and slap it with an explosive arcane trap as I pass, killing the backup that stupidly lumbers after me after seeing what I did to the back of its friend's skull. I loot their corpses for plants to turn into paralysing agents and acid bombs, then re-equip my Norse shield for the next fight. My frilly blue dress is stained with blood and the rings on my fingers make me itch for violence. The lady in my peripheral vision laughs at me again. I don't mind. ---- All is well with the witch leader who incinerated me on sight when I first got here. The beef has been squashed, and I now cordially toss her all my spare change and rotting limbs, and in return she makes my bones into steel. There's still a big, lumbering problem in the dining hall, who is apparently so juiced that it takes three paralysing grenades to even make him flex his traps. He has dashed my skull into the nice shiny floors a few too many times. Along with that, if I even slightly approach his buddy Mozart while dodging his swings, the guy immediately stops playing Serenade No. 13, stands up, and starts striding towards me like I punched his grandma. I can't even see him unless he is reflected in a mirror, I have no way to harm him, and the big man still scares me. Fuck the dining hall. I need to become one with the mirror. ---- Later, I exit the witch basement, so high off bad juju and spirit dust that local furniture is floating through the ceiling and being replaced by bloodied, caged mannequins. I crawl through a hole in the mirror to reach Nowhere, a serene, starry ether plane where business is booming. I sell photographs of spirits to a man who can't remember his name. In return, he deals me ghostly trinkets, and loads of cash money american dollars. You see, I've found my calling in this dream, not even four nights in. Ghoul hustling. I'm a dealer of the damned. A haunt huckster. A poltergeist peddler. A shade smuggler. And as this bandaged junkie keeps satisfying his memory-fix off my photographs, I get richer and richer, AND I get free passage throughout the mansion with the mirror's portal network. If I use any more magic at this point, my soul will rot from the inside out though, so I'm kind of stuck with my trusty pipe, and that's bad news for the rest of the mansion. ---- I'm still in a dream, snake eater. I've been popping flash bulbs into most spirits in the house, and getting profit in earnest to keep me going strong throughout the rest of the house, letting me explore more. The paranoid butcher in the basement that was hired to dissect bodies now dissects bodies for fun. Despite this man openly confessing to me that he kidnaps children to take apart in the dream to be a better surgeon IRL, I continue to talk to him. He goes berserk at the drop of a hat, and after many throwing knives, invisible witch branch sucker punches, and clutch closet dodges, he goes down. I now mix his blood in the sacrifice altar so that I can keep my trusty lead pipe with me next time I mess up and wake up in here. My next destination is the hedge maze outside the house. A devout man in a Crusader's helmet tells me not to associate with witches or their spells lest I be cast down in the eyes of the Lord. Little does he know, I'm so high off the Coven's arcane bath salts that the hedges around me are made of meat. Despite this, I do in fact carry a bible, and Matthew 4:10 is my greatest weapon against the paranormal next to flash photography. I ignore him, he's a hater. I catch a child rummaging through the body of one of my kills. One of the Wretch's little scavengers again. I crack it over the head with my pipe, and it goes limp. My turf, my business, my loot. That should send him a message. My vision blurs constantly, so I drink more coffee. --- While I shoulder-check my way through my fellow asylum patients and rummage through dressers, I'm finding more out about Mostyn House, and the dream that keeps me trapped rotting in my bed in the waking world, while I fight for my life in a shared consciousness with other patients. Alfred Mostyn, a Welsh coal mogul, had this house built as a country home, and then died from pneumonia along with his daughter. Before the final member of the family, Peter, also passed, he gifted this house to an American physician and his daughter Margaret... the same woman who's been guiding me through this nightmare, and one of my few allies here. Hang on, if she owned this place along with her father, what's she doing wading through the dreamscape with the asylum patients? Before I can return to the foyer to talk to Margaret and catch myself up on her story, the floor begins to shake as footsteps rapidly approach. The tallest chambermaid I have ever seen sprints towards me, and proceeds to beat me over the head with a candelabra. As I back away to apply first aid, I am jumped by a skeletal apparition. Before I can pull out my lens piece and escalate gang violence with a snapshot, it sprays me with so much ghost coke that my tolerance gives out, and my skin crumbles into ash. ---- I wake up in the bed again, my hand already gripping my lead pipe and camera. I have lost everything else, but that's fine, for what else need I remember, in a place like this? My memory is sharp, and my friends are just a mirror away. I know my way around this mansion, even as it shifts to disorient, and I will build my empire again. I have abominations to concuss, witchcraft to study, and a story of bloody tragedy to unravel. ---- I'd recommend this game if you're interested by what you saw in the trailer. I promise it is even more than it seems. This game mixes so many genres and it all blends, introducing all of its mechanics to you at a reasonable pace and allowing you to make the most of them as you scrounge for resources to figure out strategies to deal with each section of the house. The combat is definitely janky, but I found that an enjoyable challenge to work around, and as you get more familiar with your weapons, items and rings, you find ways to circumvent obstacles and tip encounters to your favor. The atmosphere is downright oppressive at times, especially with the well-done sanity mechanic, which leaves you toeing the line of madness to reveal hidden secrets and benefits from being at a high curse level. The game rewards a sharp eye and frequent checks of your inventory, map and notes. The soundtrack and environments are surreal and you never feel fully safe. The game also opens up as you play, with a massive map, an arena mode, minigames, a NG+ hook, and a smaller roguelike microcosm inside the game, which is fitting considering the story. Speaking of which, the story goes places far beyond the initial 'escape the house and dream' goal, with a lot to say on ethics, industry, and surprisingly, abuse. The worldbuilding is surprisingly deep, and the many notes you find throughout your playthrough help piece together how the world operates and how people have adapted to the setting. I only wish there was a wiki for the game where I could see all the characters' dialogue to better piece together the history of Mostyn House and the many people and factions inhabiting it, though I guess the NG+ is there for a reason. Not only is the game replayable with the vast amount of gear and playstyle options you have at your disposal, but multiple endings and a fresh view on the world will change the way you see many characters from start to finish. I plan to replay it at some point, but I need a breather for now. Make no mistake, this is a fully finished game with a lot of love put into it, which is more than many triple A games can say for this price. A worthy tribute to classic adventure games, and a solid entry that stands up well on its own. Hats off to Moonless Formless for one of the most engrossing games I've played this year.
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