Some bad games have a section where the player asks “Why couldn’t this have been the whole experience?” It’s usually the result of latching onto the one shining gem in a turd of a game, such as the Raven segment of Aliens: Colonial Marines. The tunnels of Bring to Light exist as a counterargument against that, as what starts out as a promising jaunt into a horrifying underground realm quickly devolves into tedium.
The story follows a nameless figure trapped in a subway system, one now seemingly bereft of other people. Travelling between the dimly lit immobile train cars and storage closets, it soon becomes clear that there is something else stalking the tunnels. Something which has crawled its way out of a place not made by human hands.
While as a basic premise, it’s a solid one for an atmospheric horror game. The lure of the unknown, the tension of knowing something is stalking your every step, and the deep shadows of an industrial complex all make for a great starting point. What’s more, the setting has clearly been cultivated to inspire a sense of isolation and hopelessness many indie horror games typically lack. The problem is that it never manages to effectively raise the stakes. While decent graphics, a good musical score and a brilliantly Giger-esque monster all serve as great building blocks toward something bigger, it never gets there. Bring to Light, unfortunately, starts out by playing its best hand, but never offers up a trump card to make things more challenging. The only time the game attempts this is during the finale, which all but abandons the game’s horror theme.
In one moment you can be hunting through the corridors of a subway, and the next you’re suddenly stuck performing block puzzles with lasers. There is such a shift in atmosphere during this that it quickly robs the experience of any tension or horror which might have existed before that point. Say what you will about Dead Space’s puzzles, but at least those were written into the main premise of the storyline and gave you context for your actions. It’s not made any better when Bring to Light starts resorting to abrupt jump scares, or locks more than two-thirds of its doors in order to keep you following an increasingly featureless path.
It’s not that Red Meat Games doesn’t have some obvious talent behind it, as many parts work well individually. Yet when they’re combined together, there is no coherent direction or narrative to keep the experience fresh and actually engaging. Unless you’re one of the few who can forgive many flaws for a moment of greatness, you should skip this one entirely.
BRING TO LIGHT / DEVELOPER & PUBLISHER: RED MEAT GAMES / PLATFORM: PC / RELEASE DATE: OUT NOW
