Afterfall: InSanity

Afterfall: InSanity is developed by an indie studio from Poland and has had quite a history of being in development. However, I don’t like it when reviews mention the backstory of the developer because really it has nothing to do with the game you are playing at all. So let’s just start.

Story

The story follows Psychiatrist, Albert Tokaj, as he lives life on a post-nuclear winter Earth where everyone has taken refuge in underground shelters. The shelter looks somewhat like Mass Effect’s Citadel but without all those pesky aliens. The game soon changes into darker Dead Space like corridors when the confinement syndrome hits the shelter. The syndrome basically makes everyone into a crazy person that is out to kill you. So you set out to escape the shelter and discover who is responsible for the outbreak.

Music

The music in this game is amazing. It’s perfectly moody and scary at just the right times. The game knows this and therefore places it in ways that let it shine and emphasize the action. It’s actually so good it has little business being in this game. That being said, there were a few tracks where I could hear the spot where they looped but that’s just a minor quibble.

Graphics

I can run Afterfall: InSanity with almost all the settings maxed out and it looks great. Even on medium settings it still looks good. At times the game can rival most AAA titles in this respect. Each area feels visually different from the next while still adhering to the style of the game overall. Character models are the only things that are not as detailed. Some of the later levels make you long for the day of a Fallout game with this level of graphics because that’s what it looks like. And it looks crazy good.

Cut-scenes

Now, Afterfall: InSanity has an emphasis on its story but the cut-scenes themselves do not live up. The character animations are awkward in almost all of the scenes. It’s clear that motion capture was not done and if it was, then the people they got to do it sure do run funny. It’s not noticeable all the time but when it is, it is looks bad. Characters will wave their arms, for example, based on a canned animation and not on what is actually happening. This kind of thing might have been acceptable a few years ago but now it just looks bad, especially when the graphics are as good as they are.

The cut-scene animations and dialogue get a little bit worse as the game goes on which his sad because the plot gets more interesting (it’s hard to feel like this is a crisis situation when the voice acting doesn’t seem too scared about it and everyone moves funny). Even so, the story is interesting and I did want to see how it continued, even if it was just to understand what the game, based on the dialogue, assumed I knew was happening.

There are also missing sound effects from some cut-scenes. It could just be a simple ting noise but when it’s missing, like it is, it takes you out of the experience. There’s also a lot of unnecessary slow motion and the associated swooshing sound.

When I finished the game, I was confused as to what all happened in the story, but not in a “slowly piecing it together kind of way” but more of, “I have no idea what happened and it feels like I should based on what they are saying.” Because of that, I played the first 30 minutes again and I think I understand more now. Even so, the story is muddled in places where no plot twistery is happening.

The voice work ranges from good to just ok and that is unfortunate in a game that is fairly focused on story. The voice acting can also vary from line to line depending on the character. It’s nothing too horrible but it won’t be winning any awards in that regard.

Closely related to the voice acting is the actual dialogue itself. Since this game is made by an all Polish team, I feel that it often gets lost in translation. Some scenes are fine while others are almost laughable. It can feel disjoined and nonsensical. That’s not a problem if it was the goal but I don’t think it was.

Tokaj, the main character narrates the game and the main problem with this, besides him saying really obvious stuff sometimes, is that he swears like an idiot. I’m not saying that he swears too much, he just swears incorrectly, at strange times and with no real reason.

Scare Factor

Once I took control at the very beginning of the game and the Dutch angle of the camera set in and slowly wobbled about, I knew this was going to be scary—or at least that’s what I thought the aim of Afterfall: InSanity was. It has some jump scares early on and a few more scattered about the rest of the game but overall you are left with little sense of horror. That isn’t to say that sections of the game aren’t scary though.

There are some definitely scary images and situations that you are put into beside those jump scares. And the sound effects and various ambient noises fit the mood to scare the crap out of you. Some of the sound effects are creepy as hell. These are unnerving sounds that nothing should ever make.

When Tokaj is supposed to be scared the onscreen color gets kind of messed up and aiming a gun becomes shaky and unreliable. It’s a nice touch but it has little impact on the gameplay.

Gameplay

Now to the actual game parts of the game. The main problem here is that for most of the game the core gameplay is so-so. Afterfall: InSanity features a melee combat system that strongly reminds me of Silent Hill Homecoming. It feels clunky and somewhat awkward but thankfully the enemies that you are forced to fight with melee weapons are pretty easy to take down. Also, chopping off some enemy’s head is still cool no matter how odd the controls feel. Although that doesn’t excuse it from just not being very much fun.

The shooting is thankfully much better than the melee combat. The guns feel and control well but gunshots are a bit too quiet, especially the shotguns. The game gets better towards the end when it opens up and allows you to shoot things in brighter, but still sometimes creepy, areas. The final areas are also the best in the game in terms of visuals. The game follows a linear path but the level design does a great job of not making it too obvious by fleshing out most areas.

In addition to the melee and shooting there are canned quick time events that are fun but have the same issue, depending on your opinion, as the quick time events from Resident Evil 4. In addition, little minigames are used for hacking various computers as well as for puzzles throughout the game. The puzzles are simple but fun, used sparingly and are a nice break from the action.

Conclusion

Afterfall: InSanity is supposed to be coming out for XBLA and PSN eventually and if it then carries a lower price, I would say give it a shot. However, the great graphics and music cannot make up for the awkward cut-scenes, dialogue, and the base gameplay being average.

Unfortunately for Afterfall: InSanity, it came out on black Friday right after MW3, Saints Row 3, Zelda, Skyrim, etc but if you’re a fan of the horror game genre, and don’t mind the issues I outlined in this review, then you might want to give it a shot. It was an interesting experience and I did enjoy my time with it, just don’t expect too much.