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I finally got around to watching Severance a couple of weeks ago and absolutely devoured both seasons. So I’m not sure whether I’ve just got Lumon on the brain, but the first thing that I thought of while playing the demo for Repose was how it gave off the same eerie vibes as my new favourite TV show.
Repose is a 2D horror game in which you traverse a facility as an underappreciated worker, whose only task is to collect oxygen tanks from dead bodies. Oh, and you’re trying not to die to the mysterious tentacle monsters waiting for you. While your objective may seem straightforward, there’s something weird about the company you work for, and I didn’t just get that from the fact that they have a whole underground facility full of dead bodies and monsters with shotguns. That’s small change compared to the horrors of customer service.
During the demo, I met a fellow company worker, Cynthia. We were in a cafe where she explained a little bit about my role, but she also hinted at a couple of odd goings on. Apparently, I’m replacing a guy called Aaron who went missing in the facility, and she warns that the nearest town to the company is 34km away, giving off serious ‘no one can hear you scream’ vibes.
But what Cynthia doesn’t know is that Aaron isn’t actually missing. I may have no idea what this company is doing, but it seems like Aaron does, and he’s going to help me find out. During one pit stop between exploring levels one and two in the facility, Aaron came to me in my dreams and told me that I had to find the data tunnels. He also warned me about the company I work for: “Who knows what they’re doing to you while you’re not paying attention. I had no idea either.” Ominous.
I think Repose will be a horrifically confusing and exciting—everything I love about horror games.
But other than working for what will almost definitely turn out to be an evil megacorporation, Repose has some pretty appealing features as well as a great basis for a horror game.
I’m usually not a massive fan of 2D games, I find navigating them to be slightly confusing, at times. But I got used to Repose pretty quickly. There’s a compass at the bottom of the screen to help you remember which way you’re heading, as well as a step counter at the top of your screen, which helps keep track of how much stamina you have left. Before your step metre runs out, you need to get to a bed and replenish your stamina—beds also act as a checkpoint, just like in real life.
There are also occasional fights, which are almost as stressful as working for a company that casually disappears its employees. Every so often, you’ll stumble across some monster, but because you can’t see more than two to three steps in front of you, you need to act fast. The one time I hesitated, I got a shotgun pellet to the face.
I’m really excited to see where this story goes. Even before watching Severance, I’ve always loved watching thrillers where the little guy ends up taking on a big corporation despite being horrifically outmatched. Add in a mystery, weird monsters, and strange apparitions, and I think Repose will be a horrifically confusing and exciting—everything I love about horror games.
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Kurt Indovina
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