PLATFORM: PC, PS4/5, XBOX ONE/SERIES (REVIEWED) | RELEASE DATE: OUT NOW
A narrative-focused psychological thriller set around circus worker Walter Thompson and his search for his missing wife and daughter, Reveil is a bite-sized escape room-esque puzzler / walking simulator in the same vein as Layers of Fear and Slender The Arrival. Waking up in his room with empty medication bottles by his bedside, Walter’s first mission – to leave the bedroom – hints at what’s in store. The door is locked, and he needs to find the key, which he eventually locates after interacting with a series of seemingly unconnected objects and items that lead him to a hidden drawer inside a music box. From there, he heads downstairs to check in with his wife and daughter… but where are they?
Reveil‘s choice of setting helps to set it apart from similar games, with the generally creepy vibe of the circus / funhouse environments lending themselves well to the unsettling story and claustrophobic escape room gameplay. Slightly less successful are a couple of stealth sections, the first of which is too brief to be effective and the second too long and confusing to be enjoyable, and some underwhelming voice acting that makes the protagonist come across disinterested rather than confused.
Very much a psychological thriller at heart, horror fiends shouldn’t go into this expecting too many jump scares. Made by a small independent team of developers, it might not have the same level of polish as some of the more well-known games in the genre, but the story contains enough intrigue to keep fans of similar titles engaged for the 3-4 hours that the game takes to complete.
