The most recognized origins of the horror genre come from folklore and urban legends. While this game doesn't offer much in terms of broad content, there's something about it that has to keep me playing. It has some jank, but I was willing to go through that for the mysteries I'd uncover. I am way past Halloween for this, but least I got to try it.
Saturnalia is this horror survival taking place in a remote village with a terrible, ancient secret underneath. Having control of multiple characters, the game features a robust cast with each of their different stories and reasons for staying around. Until their task is complete, they will not leave this town.
I'd say this is like a high and seek game, where the main goal is to locate items, and solve puzzles. Doing so while surviving the terrifying menace at night, and these characters would have achieved their goal. But the gameplay also has a neat, interesting twist too.
In a small town within Sardinia, Italy, there's a legend that requires a ritual to come alive. There are a lot of scary things about it, but let's just sum it up to that being an Italian boogeyman roaming about. The real story begins when a woman named Anita, working as a geologist to find a buyer for a mining settlement in the village.
There, she fells in love for a guy named Damiano, who works in the local church and was also married. Then after a few flings, she got pregnant and now that her work is done, she is telling the guy that she's keeping the baby before leaving the town. Queue the unsettling build up right when she comes back.
First off, not really a fan of the stop-motion animation, and how it is inserted in sketchbook art style. But I do dig the latter part, it feels like you're reading a horror graphic novel. Especially with how decrepit everything around you looks. It's a shame that it wasn't translated well in live rendering.
Now, one of the other neat trick that this game has is that the village reshuffles. Meaning, it changes pathways that would usually lead you from one location to the other. So, you need to have your characters memorize the route. Firecamps in the middle of the street acts as wave points for that route. And it's important that you know where you're going, because of the good chance that you can easily get lost. This is where the main challenge of the game comes from.
All these levels you have access to, if the route you have, doesn't help, you will easily get lost, and your character will, well, they'll be easily chased out and worse, die. That is the setup for the horror element of the game, you have to be ready not to get caught by the threat in the shadows.
And the one way you know it's coming, is from the unsettling cackling noises from the distance. It gets louder as it gets closer to you. Meaning, well, you have to run for your life. The easiest way of not getting lost in the middle of the night, is by lighting the way using only the matchstick. Which is pretty limited in stock. If it continues to be on your track, find a hiding place like a closet or garbage chute.
As mentioned before, this is a survival horror game, but you have no ability in combat. The only thing to do is run and hide. You get access to 4 different characters, you could either make them follow you or go at it alone. Even switch if you want.
Each of them has their story that has to be finished, task completed, all in relation to the ongoing situation in the village. One character in particular is a journalist and is looking to find out about his biological parents, originating from here. Some of these story bits have intriguing parts, it's either a good drama piece or conspiracy case. There's definitely a narrative hook that also adds to the horror aspect of it.
Areas are locked behind objectives, so you have to find mission items like wrench, keycard, wielders, and such to unlock doors to these areas. If you are to progress further into their stories, you'll have to do these. Finding the items is difficult enough with the mazelike structure of the town paths, and then that spooky thing chasing you, almost anywhere you go.
Again, I have to be careful about not letting each of these characters die. If all of them do, then the town reshuffles. But when it comes to resources, if you happen to run out of matchsticks, you can buy them at dispensers around the town, long as you have coins to spare. Certain items like firecrackers can also be used as a way of distracting the entity, before you run off and go about your route. The important thing is to know which way you're going, which is also tricky.
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