Anatomy is an independent single-player psychological horror game. As with a lot of indie horror games, I didn’t expect much more than a few jump scares and horror clichés, however this time I was pleasantly surprised.
The game is set in a house, and the idea is that you have to investigate and search for cassette tapes, which, when put in the cassette player, portray a psychologist’s voice detailing a study of “the physiology of domestic architecture”. A fairly basic sounding premise that might not appeal to everyone straight away, but when given a chance, this game proves that the simplest ideas are sometimes the best.
Gameplay
Playing from a first person perspective, you have limited vision due to the overwhelming darkness that’s present throughout the entire house and there is an overlay on the gameplay as well, which looks as though it’s replicating the static found when watching an old VHS tape. The VHS-style visual static increases as the game progresses, another way of limiting your vision even more so than just the dark. This creates a sense of tension from the beginning, as you can’t see any clear details of a room until you’re right up close to them, and from my experience of horror games, I was expecting something to be hiding in the corners of the house, waiting to jump out at me – so I was on edge.
The tapes offer a strange and interesting insight into domestic surroundings, and they direct you to specific areas, such as the dining room, the bathroom, the basement (always a scary one), and so on. However, the way that the tapes describe the house is probably one of the most unsettling game attributes that I’ve come across recently. This is because it doesn’t just address the games environment, but also addresses the home that you live in, whether it’s a studio apartment or a five-bedroom country house, the voice from the cassette tapes talks of our security, how our trust and our safety is put into our homes, and this voice then slowly deconstructs these trust barriers in reality, not just in the game, and destabilises the way we view our security.
As the game progresses, the cassette tapes become more and more distorted to the point where they’re inaudible. As they’re used to direct you through the game, it’s another way for the developers to effect the emotions of the player, by slowly breaking down the only element of direction that you have, leaving you feeling exposed and uneasy. The gradual progression to inaudible static could be symbolic for insanity, or perhaps the house coming to life, adapting and slowly consuming the inhabitant. One thing I did know is that halfway through, I no longer felt comfortable in my own home…which was good, after all, what use is a horror game that doesn’t scare you?
Atmosphere
Now in my view, the atmosphere of a game is largely dependent on the audio and sound design. Without time and thought being put into the sound of a game, the atmosphere barely exists, especially in horror. Anatomy utilises sound in a very effective way. Through most of the game, there is barely any environmental sound, meaning that your hearing is focusing in on the cassette tapes and the small noises that are caused by the character. Using silence in the house creates an uneasy atmosphere and one that is realistic, because the likelihood is that you would be playing this game in your room, in the dark, late at night, and so the game psychologically represents your physical environment as well as the virtual one. The sound really compliments the dark and restricted visuals by gradually obstructing both your sight and hearing, creating gameplay that fully engrosses you and makes sure you’re on the edge of your seat.
The background noise that eventually starts to build up is very subtle, and sort of sounds like a mechanical whirring. The background atmospheric sounds start to develop when the house becomes more ‘alive’, with things moving, deliberate glitches appearing and lighting changes, so the sounds could be coming from the house itself, coming from inside the characters mind, or perhaps the noise is just part of the soundtrack and not from the game’s environment at all. The way that Anatomy constantly tugs at your psychological stance is truly great, and creates an atmosphere so unsettling that any horror fan will be pleased.
Overall
Anatomy has proved to be well worth a download. It creates a world that is disturbing by using psychology instead of the usual jump scares, and manages to achieve a very unique experience. The story develops in a way that makes you think, and also there was no need for fictional monsters, violence or over-the-top gore, as the psychology was used to emphasise that our biggest threat to ourselves is actually our trust – our trust in our houses, possessions and people, and that’s scary enough.
The time it takes to complete is fairly short, between 30-45 minutes, but within this time the developers managed to create a psychological experience that was extremely entertaining and tense. Some may find it a little slow if they’re expecting action and monsters, but given a chance I think most would enjoy it, that is, if they like being scared.
Anatomy is available to download here
RSS