After a great success among audiences and critics, Remothered: Tormented Fathers also arrives on PlayStation 4 and Xbox One. The title of Darril Arts e Stormind Games is the first of a survival horror trilogy, a jewel that underlines how many steps forward our local developers are making, offering a truly excellent quality level. Chris Darril and companions have in fact created one of the best titles ever presented in the boot, and the arrival of the game on the flagship consoles of 2018 further increases its usability. We can say with great satisfaction that this was not a simple adaptation of the version we reviewed on PC, but that those small improvements made to the title after its release were also included.
Once again, still in the dark
In this third-person horror, we're going to play the doctor Rosemary Reed, who arrived in the sinister mansion of the Felton - Gallo family declared that she wanted to ascertain the health conditions of the elderly landlord, who until some time before was hospitalized in a clinic. Without keeping the low profile she had set herself at the beginning, the woman (with the features of Jodie Foster) will uncover her cards: she reveals that she is looking for news on the disappearance of Mr. Felton's daughter, which took place many years before and without leaving a single trace. Clearly the doctor's questions are not well received, and in addition to being unmasked she is badly expelled from the house. Returning secretly in the night, looking for an answer at all costs, the real nightmare will begin. His, and ours. Trapped, trying to escape in any way not to be killed. Yeah, because once Mr. Felton catches us wandering around his rooms, he won't be happy to see us… neither him nor anyone else. Without going into too much detail to avoid spoilers, Remothered: Tormented Fathers is a whirlwind succession of twists, focusing on its greatest strengths: anguish, anxiety, fear, and the clear feeling of helplessness. What are the reasons that pushed Rosemary Reed to re-enter this infernal trap at all costs? We warmly invite you to find out.
Without Pistol, but with a Pad
One of the fundamental characteristics in Remothered is precisely this feeling: not being able to do anything to fight back, postpone the inevitable with the few things that the moldy house offers us between drawers and furniture. It goes without saying that to make the most of this title, you need a certain level of comfort, with every single action and every second that are worth gold. Clearly the main difference between the PC and console versions of Remothered: Tormented Fathers lies in the way it is played. A more accurate study and less prohibitive times, have made the mapping of keys to pads instinctive, perhaps also taking inspiration from other genres to find a general coherence and make the player feel at ease. Where we manage to gain readiness, there is the other side of the coin, where the precision in pointing and the search for the exact angle of the camera to perform an action are much more complicated than what we would get with the mouse ... and also in this case it is a matter of losing precious milliseconds.
No Way Out
Yes, because in this title we will be hunted down, we will have to sharpen all our senses, make the most of them to seize the right moment, and in the meantime take advantage of our cunning to escape our tormentors in a mixture of hide and seek. We will also use hiding places, ropes to lock doors, and of course objects and keys to open others. The enigmas that the title poses to us are easy to solve… but where their intrinsic difficulty lies in the patient backtracking necessary to implement our plans. This means having to avoid dear Mr. Felton several times by exploiting the narrowest spaces of the house, or slowing him down by throwing blunt objects, or even distracting him with expedients to create loud noises. If he finds out, we can defend ourselves with some improvised sidearms which will render it harmless for a very few moments. But if we were to feel his stinking breath on us without something like that to save us… well, you can imagine what would happen. Palpitations will always be accelerated, and your heart will become the protagonist and spectator of the game. But remember that staying calm will be essential for the success of quick time events dedicated to your safety.
Once upon a time…
The plot plays a central role in this game, moving the threads and intriguing the player enough, a feature enriched by the excellent direction behind the title. The only flaw from this point of view lies in theexcessive speed with which the information is found and assimilated by Dr. Reed, consuming the player's curiosity quickly. According to about 4 and a half hours of the total duration of the game, on the other hand, this speed in offering as many clarifications as possible to the player finds its own dimension.
On a technical level, we can be satisfied: as already mentioned, the various improvements made to the title have also been implemented in the console versions, even if a slight graphic downgrade was necessary to standardize the relationship between the quality of this sector and the frames per second. Of course, if you are looking for the maximum experience from this point of view, the advice is to use the game using a top-class PC, but we can assure you that the PlayStation 4 version (the one we tested for the review) manages to perform excellently on screen, keeping the strong point on the grays and blacks without disdaining the most illuminated areas… perhaps from the small torch we carry with us. Get ready to be kidnapped and oppressed by the excellent level design, by a constant claustrophobia ... and in some cases even more pressing.
