
Hidden Gem: Ignited Entry
I’m always on the hunt for a lesser-known horror gem, and Ignited Entry is my latest surprise hit. Developed by indie dev JordiBoi, this story-driven psychological horror game places you in the boots of a former firefighter who is still living with an immense amount of guilt after failing to save a family from a house fire. I expected we might live through our protagonist’s memories of the tragedy and perhaps be haunted by the troubled spirits we let down. Yet, since many noted it only takes about an hour to beat, I wasn’t expecting a ton of depth character-wise, especially since it’s a free title. I was pleasantly surprised that this spooky journey had a perfectly fleshed-out world and story, as well as a great ending!
Starting up the game, you’ll find your depressive stupor is momentarily interrupted when your brother Jason calls, asking if you’d help him move house, a seemingly simple favour that doesn’t go as planned. Instead, you and Jason find yourselves revisiting a burnt-down home — the same one where you saw a family perish when you couldn’t save them. I thought most of the game would take place here with scares littered through the rubble, but both characters end up getting transported together to an afterlife dimension, and my first “huh, that’s weird” moment came when I saw Jason carving a symbol into my arm before running away fearlessly into the depths of this ghostly world.
I wondered if Jason might be a doppelgänger. Maybe this was an Invasion of the Body Snatchers situation, or one of the ghosts had possessed him, because why on Earth would he wake in an otherworldly place and run away from his brother? I don’t want to spoil anything further, but I will say the story took some cool twists and turns, and for being such a short title, it really nailed the pacing. The short runtime also means that every scene and piece of dialogue is meaningful, and after beating the game, I realised there was a good amount of subtle foreshadowing and fun wordplay that I had missed.
Scare-wise, I’ll admit it: I jumped. While a lot of the spookiness is pretty standard, with rattling doors, ghostly screams, and notifications that claim you’re being watched, there’s one particular jumpscare that made me flinch (but thinking back, I probably should’ve anticipated it). However, if you’re not a fan of jumpscares, I will say that the beauty of this short title is that there aren’t too many of them. They do ramp up if you happen to die a lot, though, but at that point, they’d be old news.
Finding keys, stealth sections, and unlocking doors make up most of Ignited Entry’s gameplay, taking you through the dark, sinister corridors of the afterlife. It’ll feel like familiar tasks if indie horror titles are your jam, and while it doesn’t break the mould, the mechanics are serviceable. Much of the time, you’ll be striking (and blowing out) matchsticks, keeping with the overall theme of the house fire in a nice way. The only gameplay portion that felt a bit lacklustre was a chase sequence that felt too much like Temple Run. Thankfully, it didn’t overstay its welcome.
If you’ve already played Ignited Entry, you’ll know what I mean when I say the voice acting is phenomenal — some of the best I’ve heard in a free horror game. Steve, the robot receptionist of this strange dimension, is the most delightful, scary, and hilarious character among the cast. If anything, I’d say this title is worth playing simply to hear Steve’s voice!
Any future JordiBoi release will likely be an immediate play for me. Overall, this title has a great blend of horror and humour with genuinely surprising plot twists in its narrative. The dreamlike visuals and excellent voice acting are also highlights. If you’re looking for your next indie horror to play, why not try it? It’s far too good to be free.
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