Beyond Senses (Indie Appstore Horror Throwback)
I always have some form of compelling respect for a solo developer trying to bring a dark, hellspawn of a vision to life with blood, sweat, and tears. That’s why it’s all the more of a bummer to see indie developer Sky Haubrich’s co-operative survival horror game Beyond Senses join the “dead on launch” club, transforming into a depressingly compromised wasteland days after release. Thank the divine this game doesn’t fully depend on its multiplayer approach otherwise you wouldn’t even be getting this review, so let’s cut the cake on my single-player experience. Beyond Senses screams tweaker-level, smoking-McDonald’s-toys-in-someone’s-backyard, off-the-hooks, indie horror. I got legitimate “rough around the edges” Slender Man vibes here. Unlike that one’s simplicity, however, this game blends numerous items like holy water, pentagrams, etc., into a showdown against whatever hideous creature you’re pitted against.
Unfortunately, the scares are as “iPod touch” as it gets, a surprise at first… but what now? Lame chases, stealth and co-operative mechanics leave something to be desired, especially when facing a numbskull bot instead of an oblivious human player. There’s totally missed troll potential here; I mean who doesn’t love to dictate the fate of a bunch of squeakers and mic spammers as you float around assuming Cardinal George Pell’s shadow. Disastrously, a basic progression system and multiple game modes can’t save otherwise shallow and repetitive play. The risky promise of future content and a minimum player base is a gamble. Regardless, your purchase will support a solo developer’s crusade. Who knows? This could be your cup of tea with a few buddies but I personally wouldn’t pay full price for a limited and disguised early access.
Written by The Moore of Babylon
Beyond Senses
Sky Haubrich (developer), Pyxton Studios (publisher)
3.4 / 5
