From a gameplay perspective, I quite enjoyed the apparently realistic depiction of developing photos. I appreciated that the developers made the intent decision to have the photos develop quickly, respecting the player's time by not bogging the experience down with numerous cutscenes or time-wasting mechanics outside of specific narrative triggers.

The horror elements naturally were shocking, particularly the more obscene moments like Giulia's dead baby and the mirror self-harm sequence. Can't forget the face peeling scene!. Despite the controversy, I felt these depictions were justified, serving purely as a demonstration of the deterioration of Martha's mind.

Martha herself is quite interesting; her cold disposition is intriguing, and the scar in the shadows somewhat hinting toward the developer's other game, The Town of Light, was a detail where Irene's past is exposed at her time (and subsequentially Martha's in the asylum) I appreciated.

However, the immersion is occasionally shattered by frustrating design choices. While the controls are typical for a walking simulator, the camera focus can be a tad annoying. More egregiously, the "White Lady" collection sequence breaks the narrative flow completely, forcing you to go all the way to a grave, back to develop a photo, then back to a grave to pull out a necklace without any prior context that Martha would know its location.

All in all, apart from that incident and another section where you have to follow a stupid crow, it was a good experience. The boat sequence and the meeting with the White Lady were highlights that made the frustration worth it. I would recommend this game 9/10

From a gameplay perspective, I quite enjoyed the apparently realistic depiction of developing photos. I appreciated that the developers made the intent decision to have the photos develop quickly, respecting the player's time by not bogging the experience down with numerous cutscenes or time-wasting mechanics outside of specific narrative triggers. The horror elements naturally were shocking, particularly the more obscene moments like [spoiler]Giulia's dead baby and the mirror self-harm sequence. Can't forget the face peeling scene![/spoiler]. Despite the controversy, I felt these depictions were justified, serving purely as a demonstration of the deterioration of Martha's mind. Martha herself is quite interesting; her cold disposition is intriguing, and the scar in the shadows somewhat hinting toward the developer's other game, The Town of Light, was a detail [spoiler]where Irene's past is exposed at her time (and subsequentially Martha's in the asylum)[/spoiler] I appreciated. However, the immersion is occasionally shattered by frustrating design choices. While the controls are typical for a walking simulator, the camera focus can be a tad annoying. More egregiously, the "White Lady" collection sequence breaks the narrative flow completely, forcing you to go all the way to a grave, back to develop a photo, then back to a grave to pull out a necklace without any prior context that Martha would know its location. All in all, apart from that incident and another section where you have to follow a stupid crow, it was a good experience. The boat sequence and the meeting with the White Lady were highlights that made the frustration worth it. I would recommend this game 9/10