AMFP Member Review Thread

[joru100]

Story: 7/10

When I heard the Chinese Room was going to develop the game I knew Machine for Pigs would revolve around the story, more than gameplay, which it did, but I can't but feel the narrative was too driven by notes and journals and not the experience. It was still a slight upgrade over the Dark Descent in this regard.

Atmosphere: 8/10

A nice recreation of the late Victorian Era/early Edwardian Era. It's got that steam punk Industrial Revolution feeling re-imagined. It's refreshing seeing as every indie horror game now is set in the same old cliched places (although Outlast was so good that you didn't care that it was set in a mental institution). My only complaint was with the blue fog, but it seems someone has found a script workaround so that helps. It makes the shadows and corridors seem more menacing that way. Try it out.

Gameplay: 7/10

I like that it didn't try to be exactly like the Dark Descent with the scarcity of oil, an inventory, etc. The puzzles aren't as strong as the Dark Descent though. In that game, you felt like you were being punished for having to walk around and find stuff (in a good, scary way). They also kept one of the worst features from the Dark Descent, the cheesy scripted cinematics. You know; loud thud, scream, and then a bunch of dizziness and blurriness. Yawn.

Scares: 6.5/10

This was the part that made me a little worried when I found out the Chinese Room were developing the game. I mean I loved Dear Esther because of the mystery - the ghosts in the corner of your eye 100 meters away, the strange lights in the distance... These tactics really helped set a mysterious and somber mood, but I wasn't sure how that would transfer to a survival horror. My concerns were correct. I feel like the Chinese Room fell somewhere between a survival horror and a drama story, but it wasn't as effective as I thought it would be. The game definitely still has it's moments though. Maybe I'm just being a little harder on A Machine for Pigs in this category because I felt the scares were scarier and more intense in Outlast, which I only finished playing a few days ago. I mean in Outlast you deal with the enemies and the threats much more often than you do in A Machine for Pigs, yet it was still harder to get used to the feeling of danger in Outlast, despite the frequent encounters.

Graphics: 6/10

Probably the weakest part of the game. They are essentially the same as the Dark Descent, but with a blue filter fog that almost gives this (possibly unintentional) artifacting effect. The lighting is also weaker than other recent indie horror games, and changing the gamma even by what should be a large amount didn't seem to really have an effect.

Soundtrack: 9.5/10

Loved Jessica's work in Dear Esther and I loved it here. If Mors Praematura was in a Hollywood horror film it would or should get a nomination.

Final Verdict:


Considering I gave the Dark Descent an 9/10, and Outlast an 8.5/10, I think Machine for Pigs deserves about a 7/10. Pretty good considering it's the Chinese Room's first time really doing something like this.