Suffer the Night just came out on PC, and it might be worth looking into if you are a fan of retro horror. Stacey plans on a quiet night of gaming, alone in her secluded cabin one dark and stormy night. But her quiet night turns into a night of nightmares and survival. Stacey must now beat her game and survive the horrors that manifest from it. Will Stacey survive the night, or is this Game Over?
Suffer the Night combines a text-based dungeon crawler with first-person survival horror. As Stacey, you must play through the retro dungeon crawler to progress through the story and survive rounds of traps and monsters in between. The text-based game will help players relieve a different era of gaming, while the first-person gameplay will give them anxiety. The trailer shows terrifying mayhem with fast-paced gameplay.
I like the game within a game motif for Suffer the Night. The meta-narrative, when done correctly, creates a dynamic where the game is given its depth by how well the two genres mesh. It isn’t a new concept, but it is one that I’d love to explore. I enjoy text-based games, and if done correctly, might prove harder than the fps that will exist outside it. I don’t do well in horror games, but I will try to get a review copy.
You can pick up your copy of Suffer the Night for PC through Steam, GOG, and itch.io. You can buy the game for $12.49, but it is currently on sale for $9.99 till April 24. There is also a demo available if you aren’t ready to commit.
To stay up to date on the news for this game, make sure you join the official Discord or follow the socials: Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook.
Movie Review: The Strays (2023)
While The Strays gives off some solid Get Out vibes, it remains an odd movie to recommend. If you are out of content to watch, give this movie a chance, at least for the experience. While it isn’t the perfect psychological thriller it pretends to be, it does enough right that you won’t hate having sat through it.
Neve lives her ideal life in the suburbs with her successful and loving husband, two lovely children, and a great job. All seems perfect until the day the ghosts from her past begin to haunt her, slowly dismantling everything she has. Will these ghosts be what sends her over the edge, or is there something more sinister in the works?
It is difficult to review this movie without spoiling it. I will try my best to be as specific as possible without ruining the mystery.
The movie has a strong start but builds up to its disappointing twist. The actors are great and give some terrifying performances, but the story isn’t good enough to take advantage of their abilities. What killed this movie for me was the sudden tonal shifts.
The first half is this creepy psychological thriller that keeps raising the stakes as Neve doesn’t seem to have as strong of a hold of her life as she pretends to. I loved the increasingly disorienting narrative as Neve’s once-sterile day-to-day becomes increasingly unhinged. Through small details like how she increases the dose of her medication, her nervous ticks, and her increasing paranoia, the movie does a fantastic job of showing Neve’s disorienting mental state. Are the ghosts real? Is Neve’s life real? It is genuinely hard to tell because of how frighteningly disorienting the narrative is presented. But whatever momentum the first half builds is lost.
After the big reveal, the movie turns into a generic thriller. Any interesting characters developed in the buildup are lost in the worst storyline of this movie. I almost turned the movie off because of how jarring and boring the shift became. The final minutes of the movie sort of makeup for the disappointment because of how well the actors do, but it wasn’t enough to save the movie from mediocrity. This movie had potential and even proved itself with a few scenes, but it doesn’t push the story enough.
The Strays is an okay thriller, and something you should check out if you have nothing else to watch. It isn’t a movie I would rush to see, but you won’t hate it if you sit through it. Check it out on Netflix when you are ready.
Movie Review: The Whale (2022)
If you haven’t seen The Whale yet, you need to go out and watch it. This is one of the best movies I have seen all year, but it is also one of the saddest. Be prepared to cry a lot.
Charlie is an obese man at the end of his life. He spends his days as a recluse, hiding away in his apartment and eating his feelings. As his health worsens, Charlie attempts to reconnect with his estranged daughter. Will he have enough time to amend his wrongs before his time is up?
Brendan Fraser shows the world his true gift as an actor in one of his most powerful roles to date. The chemistry he shares with the rest of the cast is truly moving. I am at a loss as I try to collect myself through the tears. This movie was that good.
Charlie’s story of addiction is very well done. Charlie uses food to cope with the emotional pain he carries with him. Charlie’s pain, issues, and mistakes weigh heavily on his conscience. As his time runs out, he becomes desperate for some closure. It can be hard to watch at times because Charlie faces issues common to the human condition. While some people can overcome their adversities and live the normal lives people pretend to have, others can’t. Addiction to drugs, food, or sex becomes an easy but temporary escape until it becomes a necessity. It is when a person becomes addicted to this escape that he gets stuck in a spiral toward the bottom. Some people need to hit bottom to regain control of their lives. Others will never get the chance. The Whale does a terrific job at showing the struggle of addiction as well as the collateral damage that comes with it. It can be very triggering, especially if you know someone struggling with addiction.
Anyways, please don’t let me dissuade you from watching this movie. The Whale is an important film that I believe everyone should watch at least once. The acting is fantastic, and the story is powerful. If you haven’t seen it or thinking of seeing it, watch it however you can. Just be prepared to cry a little.
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