Visage appears in final form on PC, PS4 and Xbox One

Written by Jack Allin — October 31, 2020 at 11:26

The Halloween gaming treats just keep on coming, this time in the form of Visage, a first-person psychological horror adventure emerging out of Early Access for PC and consoles.

There's no overt plot in this game; instead it's comprised of a series of tragic horror stories to uncover as you explore a huge, ever-changing house that is "stained with a terrible past." As you "wander through the gloomy corridors, explore every dead room, and get lost in endless mazes, your head [fills] with memories of the dead families that once lived in this very home." At various points its disturbing history, some former inhabitants were "brutally murdered by their own family members, people went insane, many committed suicide, and other grisly events occurred." It is your terrifying task to "relive parts of this dark past," and the deeper you delve, the more you'll wish you could "join the dead's ranks in their abyss, but death won't help you leave this place." You're going to have to face your fears in order to find your way out again.

Visage is a free-roaming 3D adventure promising a "slow-paced, atmospheric world that combines both uncannily comforting and horrifyingly realistic environments." Its focus on exploration is intended to gradually build tension as you progress through four distinct chapters, each tackling "a different horror sub-genre, with a general overtone of surrealism." Don't think that means you're safe, however, as "the families that died in the house will haunt you," whether by "playing tricks with your mind" or attacking you directly for reasons as-yet-unknown. Unable to defend yourself, you will need to "pick up key elements, interact with the environment, and search for things that may help you escape this nightmare." In doing so, you must fight the urge to give in to fear, as "dark entities are attracted to it," so you must "figure out ways, like staying in the light, to avoid going insane."

After having spent two years in Steam Early Access, Visage is now complete, with a projected play time of "15 to 20 hours of slow-burning, fright-inducing gameplay." The game is of course available on Steam for Windows PC, as well as the PlayStation Store for PS4 and the Microsoft Store for Xbox One.