PLATFORM: PC, PS4, SWITCH, XBOX ONE (REVIEWED) | RELEASE DATE: OUT NOW

The latest survival horror game to conveniently hit store shelves just in time for Halloween is Chris Darril’s follow-up to the highly regarded Remothered: Tormented Fathers, released in 2018. Directly continuing the story from Tormented Fathers while also filling in some narrative blanks from prior to the events of the first game, Remothered: Broken Porcelain acts as both a sequel and a prequel rolled into one. Unfortunately, that is precisely as confusing and ham-fisted as it sounds.

Players take control of Jennifer as she sneaks, creeps, snoops and hides in various locations of the (clearly The Shining-inspired) Ashmann Inn. Gameplay is predominantly stealth-based, as the majority of your time will be spent trying to avoid various mind-controlled inhabitants of the aforementioned spoopy hotel. Narrative and exposition also take forefront, as a good chunk of the game is made up of either cutscenes or plot points. That wouldn’t be so bad if the narrative was coherent and the plot points were easy to follow but, truth be told, this game’s story is a convoluted mess. We’re treated to an optional recap of the events of Tormented Fathers before starting the new story, but this only serves as a reminder to those that played the first game and will make very little sense to those that haven’t.

Unfortunately, R:BP isn’t saved by its gameplay either, as numerous technical issues blight what is already an incredibly sluggish and unresponsive game engine. Things feel almost broken compared to its predecessor and competing with the in-game AI can often feel frustrating or unfair. Remothered: Broken Porcelain isn’t a game without merits – it has a fantastic setting, creates some decent tension and often looks quite stunning. But that doesn’t remotely make up for all its shortcomings, so the game might be destined for a different type of porcelain…