Intruders
As a child, I had the same worries and fears as anyone of the same age. Aside from my irrational fear of spiders, some nights I've been kept awake by the illusion that a burglar could come at any time to harm my family and me. Luckily I have been spared this misfortune so far, but this worry will probably not let go of me for the rest of my life. The adaptation of the horror game Intruders: Hide and Seek for the Nintendo Switch, which tells the story of a devastating burglary, falls on particularly fertile ground.The premise appears initially manageable. You play as the little boy Ben, from the first-person perspective, who drives back home together with his father, his mother and his ailing little sister after the house has been renovated. On the first night, a horror scenario happens that will probably remain in his memory forever: burglars attack the family while he and his sister wander around the house without permission and explore a secret panic room. While his parents are being held hostage in the basement, it's up to you, Ben to be more precise, to save the family.
The surprisingly found panic room reveals the approaching danger for the whole family
© Tessera Studios / Daedalic Entertainment
The gameplay is simple: From Ben's perspective you look at a game world that consists only of his family's modern villa and the forest in front of the house . You can run at different speeds. The faster you run, the louder the footsteps. There are few objects in the area that you can interact with by pressing a button. The central element is on the one hand the flashlight, which I never used out of fear, and the cupboards, beds or cupboards in which you as Ben can hide.
The goal of the game is easy to say, but incredibly nerve-wracking to execute. As Ben you try to save your family, which is no easy task with three ruthless burglars and a very large house. While Ben's sister sits in the panic room and keeps track of things thanks to the cameras installed in the house, she guides you from one corner of the house to the next using a walkie-talkie. If an intruder spots you, you can try to run away and hide in a closet. But you can also get caught and be brutally beaten to be able to start again at a checkpoint.
From my observation, the enemies move on a fixed path , which adjusts based on progress in the storyline. They react to you if you are in their immediate field of vision or make noise. For example, it happened to me that I knocked over a billiard racquet in the hobby room - the panic that set in as a result is simply indescribable. Since the burglars came during the dark and cut the power and telephone lines, the area is pitch black. The game environment is in stark contrast to the house you got to see at the beginning of the game.
The high and low point of the game is definitely the storyline itself During Ben's robbery and attempted rescue, you'll learn about the criminal gang's motives. In doing so, you'll reveal some chilling secrets that probably should have stayed buried. The story doesn't leave out any details and shocks with brutal scenes that play out before children's eyes. Unfortunately, the greatest weakness is the abrupt ending – or rather endings. While the game has three endings leading to this shockingly suspenseful plot, they come so quickly and suddenly that the sense of arc of suspense is destroyed. Almost as surprisingly as the story takes its course, it ends suddenly.
In a hiding place, the conversations of the enemies can be overheard and a good moment to flee is needed Intruders: Hide and Seek's voice acting is a double-edged sword. The characters fascinate with their consistently authentic dubbing. Thanks to German subtitles, everyone can understand what they say. However, reading the text of the spoken English during an exploration may be less pleasant for one or the other. What is interesting about the game is that when it comes to the sound, a lot of attention was paid to how you perceive the different voices, steps or effects in relation to your own line of sight. This was especially important for the original game, which was actually designed for VR systems, and increases the feeling of actually being in the game.
Graphically the indie game doesn't have to hide. The environment is reflected in many details. However, some objects appear unnatural or have less clear textures. The movement of the figures is also partly puppet-like. In the end I have to admit that I wasn't really interested in that, since the game with the sound and the graphic style forms an interesting and authentic unit. You'll be far too focused on the night of horror to count the mistakes. While this may seem very brief at first glance, it feels like an eternity during gameplay. The tension and dark atmosphere will not only captivate you, but will also drag you into the depths of your primal fears. This production plays with the brain, because during a panic or stressful situation you have to make quick and rational decisions, which can often go wrong. Unlike in real life, mistakes are not paid for with life: A fair new chance is granted until you survive the night - whether in the whole piece is up to you.