Pandemic Horror Gaming

How is anyone expected to have fun when they're isolated?!

Me, personally? I like gaming, so I turned to that as a source of amusement, and utilized the game pass on our XBox One to see if there were any hidden gems. We (my partner and I) talked about each game that had an appealing concept and debated over whether I would like this one or that one, until I came across a game well-known as a movie title that made me pause and say, "Oooh, what about this one?"

I've always liked the movie, and my partner is a fan of horror things, so this was the perfect idea for our gaming time. We intended it to be a way to enjoy each other while taking a mental break from the horrors that were beginning to come up around us. If your entire world is collapsing in a pandemic and you need a good way to escape, follow me as I journey through two horror games that will make you forget about everything else you're doing (or supposed to be doing)!

The Blair Witch Project (2019) for XBox One

I decided to give Blair Witch the first try, and right from the get-go I was bombarded by flash backs, unfamiliar character names, and dramatic information about the story line. All of which was great, but it delayed the arrival at the woods, which was where I was ready to go. When you do arrive, you're able to customize your companion (a beautiful German Shepherd who is your only best friend) and do a small amount of exploring before entering the woods officially. Your mission is to locate a missing boy.

When you first arrive for the team to search together, you're alone, minus your good boy hanging nearby at all times. You explore the entire area and nab up any item that might be useful for the search. A cell phone seems useful, but it doesn't get you very far: the majority of your open-world exploration in the woods is spent without a cell phone signal, which leads you to rely heavily on your companion. He barks in dangerous directions and you can ask him to sniff items (that belonged to the missing boy) and have him seek that scent out. (Don't forget to give him a treat when he does well!)

One of the things I enjoyed about the game is when Ellis (you) picks up a video camera. From there, he finds various tapes, and nearly all of the tapes give him a clue as to what has been happening in the woods. He also finds that with a specific tape, if he pauses at just the right moment, it changes time itself and wherever he paused it returns the surroundings to the same conditions as in the video. This trick comes in handy for multiple situations in the game.

With the dog being part of the exploration, I worried initially that was just one more thing to have to worry about while looking for the little boy. The dog, fortunately, becomes quite handy when you're attacked at night by monsters whose only weakness is light. Your companion will stop, growl, and give you time to get behind him and hold up your flashlight. Once the creature it under the beam of light, it screams and vanishes. Those scenes can be the most adrenaline-pumping ones ever, because they are good at showing up unexpectedly. I ended up dubbing them the "Flashlight Monsters."

The great thing about Blair Witch is that it has elements of the original film while maintaining its own story line. Ellis (you) has a complicated past that brings up PTSD memories, some of which happen in the woods, and you have to learn to fight through those while trying to stay alive in the cursed forest known as the home of the Blair Witch. The mixture of not knowing what's real, being certain of what's real, only to have that turned upside down is so engrossing that I forgot a pandemic was even existing.

It is important to keep in mind that he has war scene PTSD flashbacks and that may not be easy for combat veterans and loved ones to witness.

Overall Score: I would rate this game a good 8/10. Some elements were impossible to navigate, and there are areas of the game I couldn't access that I feel should have had a bit more of an obvious explanation. Perhaps that's just how bad of a gamer I am, but I definitely recommend this game to people who need to escape one horror for one they have entire control of (unless those flashlight monsters get you.)

The Call of Cthulhu (2018) for XBox One

Since I have an interest in survival games, my partner found this one for me on Amazon to try as my next pandemic horror game. I am unashamedly in love with the works of H.P. Lovecraft, so a video game based on his work seemed like an absolute win. I went in with full bias.

The very first thing that happens? Mounds and piles of sea animal intestines, guts, organs spilling out, like some kind of horror scene for King Triton specifically. Disgusting, but manageable, until you make it out of the dream sequence and realize you're in your character's office.

Edward (you) is a detective, summoned to investigate the suspicious fire that had killed a prominent family in town. Dreams, whispers of prophecies, vague information, a battle with a demon in a painting...many might think that the game can run a bit slow in plot pace, and while I don't disagree entirely, I love the aspect of detective work around the island to find out as much information as possible.

Whales come up ripped apart, along with the entire island being plagued by endless nightmares. It is your job to figure out why. Through a series of rule breaking adventures, slipping into places one is not permitted to be, and small shooting battles with zombies give an exhilarating experience before you ever reach the depths of what's really going on in Darkwater Island.

The controls of Edward's abilities are fairly straight forward, and the navigation of information collected during the investigation is laid out well and organized appropriately. The downfall to Call of Cthulhu is that the Character Points and other perks system doesn't appear to be set up to allow you time for maximized skills.

The skills listed are:

• Investigation
• Eloquence
• Strength
• Spot Hidden (Notice more hidden objects)
• Psychology
• Medicine
• Occultism

It appears to be impossible to maximize more than one skill per game play, but I've only entered my second time playing a while ago so I will have to see if I can make a difference there. What frustrated me when playing, though, is that Medicine and Occultism can only be enhanced by finding and reading books on the matter. I've found plenty of books in the game, but not enough to enhance my skill to full. Call me a picky gamer, but I'd love to have the satisfaction of maximizing as many skills as possible. Who wants minimal edges in the game?

The open exploration of the port area, mansion, and other places the game takes you are enjoyable. There are plenty of objects to interact with while the ones available for being taken tend to always come in handy somewhere. The game comes with jump scares with a lot of "how is this happening" running through your head.

For gamers who like a lot of action, I wouldn't say this game is for you. Edward spends the majority of his time learning, recreating crime scenes, investigating, talking, and thinking. For me, I enjoy this pace so I can feel like I'm in the game with the character. I don't think there's much action besides some gunshots here and there; for the most part, you have information and assumptions to work with, and that lack of solid foundation for "how to fix this" is wonderful.

Especially when Leviathan gets involved!

Overall Score: I would give 7/10 on this one. While the story is amazing, the plot is creative, and the scares were more psychological as opposed to being jump scares, there is an issue with character points and being able to progress your character in the way you'd like. The ways you can enhance Edward as a detective are impossible if you want to focus on Occultism, as the books are extremely difficult to find. I hate resorting to game guides, but in my next play-through, I might have to. I'm determined to have an Occult expert for a detective!

The pandemic has been horror-ble. We've all faced a lot of terrifying decisions and experiences, so my theory was that horror gaming would give us something new to redirect our stress. If you can panic about the stranger on the screen who means nothing to you, that's five minutes less spent harassing your partner or children living with you during the pandemic. Not only that, but you can find a way to be a hero (especially in Call of Cthulhu!) Video games haven't always been my go-to, but in times like these, they're letting me explore and control dangers and it feels nice to have that for a change.