Decarnation

Sometimes we find ourselves held hostage by circumstances and traumatic experiences. But we have the power to break free—and that is the metaphorical message of this game. Plus, it has a great soundtrack.

Recommended. A story-first adventure about a fading Parisian cabaret dancer turned captivity narrative told through symbolic dreams, whose central reframe lands with genuine shock and justifies every slow-burn minute. Riddle-based dream puzzles crack with real satisfaction, the French-language cabaret soundtrack carries even the minigames, interactive credits turn the ending into one last playable beat, and the dream symbolism of hope and recovery gives the whole arc a visual language of its own. The captivity acts drag through repetitive daily routines, a couple of rhythm minigames spike unreasonably hard, and one tacked-on post-credits beat shifts register jarringly. Psychological disturbance rather than jump-scare horror, and all the better for it, with a four-and-a-half-hour span that makes the whole trip easy to endorse.

NOTE: I am recommending this game solely upon the fact that it was beautifully built. A lot of effort was clearly put into this. However, I do feel obligated to leave a warning to potential buyers, as this isn't made clear in the store page. WARNING: THIS IS NOT MUCH OF A GAME. What I mean is, it's basically a story that you press 'A' to progress. I'm almost at the end of the game, and it has been about 80% cut scenes/dialogue, with some puzzles in between, as well as some quick time events/"mini games" that are mostly irrelevant (you can literally do nothing and it changes nothing for almost all of them). That said, it's a very well-made experience. The art is beautiful, and for being a story you move through, it's an interesting story with an incredibly unique subconscious world. Just don't expect much actual gameplay. I'd describe it as an 'experience' more than I would a 'game'.

Not difficult to play, but definitely some difficult parts to process. Good experience through some difficult topics.

Decarnation is the type of indie game you don't think you'll like, but it turns out to be one of the greatest and most memorable experiences. The game takes inspiration from David Lynch to Silent Hill to Alice in Wonderland, so you just know it's gonna be packing a punch from the get-go. Short duration aside (I hunted every achievement with around 6.8 hours under my belt), the game had me glued to my screen, experiencing Gloria's feelings, thoughts and emotions as if I were Gloria herself. Seldom that I feel such dread from a psychological horror game, and I imply that as a huge compliment! I absolutely loved the sound design, music, quotes, artstyle, characters and story, and I find it hard to compare which aspect outshines which most of the time. What might come off as tedious to some is the implementation of mandatory minigames here and there. That didn't bother me at all, but I can see how people could find them repetitive and/or irrelevant. Between the symbolism, food-for-thought scenes and mastercrafted environments, I'd recommend this particular title any day to psychological horror/thriller fans. Absolutely killer job, Shiro Unlimited!

I've had a lot of fun playing this game. The art is very detailed and I liked it a lot. I really loved how things were portrayed in the game, the emotions, exploration of the inner world, etc. I do wish there were more puzzles/mini-games at a more challenging level as well throughout the gameplay but I didn't mind. Overall I strongly recommend, the game felt very insightful! :)