Anthology of Fear Review

Horror games can be a tricky thing to quantify, at least in terms of how scary they are. They can run the full gambit from gross-out horror, jump scares, or even the slow build. However, what with the immersive quality of videogames there is an argument that psychological horror is one of the better choices. That is exactly what Anthology of Fear is aiming for, but does it make the hair rise on the back of your neck, or is it little more than a cheap haunted house?

Developed by both 100 GAMES and OhDeer Studio, Anthology of Fear has the player searching for their missing brother with the help of a mysterious lady on a walkie-talkie. It all starts simple enough, but it quickly devolves into a strange dream-like world. The plot on the whole feels disjointed; it isn’t always clear what is happening or who you are even playing as, but this adds to the atmosphere. Honestly, the lack of any clear antagonist or threat makes the experience more unnerving, and the desperate feeling of wrongness helps the player move forward. I will say that the game is short, however, and there is little reason to replay it, so if a lack of plot is a negative for you, then this is an issue. 

Anthology of Fear doesn’t have a varied gameplay loop; it is essentially a walking simulator with some basic puzzles dotted around. It’s all simple enough, but the maze-like nature of the maps can get frustrating, and the wealth of empty rooms in the early game makes it even more confusing. This is arguably the point, as it is meant to feel like a dream, but it doesn’t change the fact that the player won’t be doing all that much as they play. You could argue that this makes the actual length of the game more appealing; if it were a full eight hours, it would get very tedious very quickly. I can only open so many rusty drawers without instinctively reaching for the WD-40. Thankfully, Anthology of Fear takes the time to move through a few different settings, and the second half of the game is a lot more varied play through.

Visually, Anthology of Fear looks fine; some maps are suitably weird and yet others have a thin veneer of reality until you peek under the hood, so to speak. They help to create the right feel of something being very wrong, and the mannequins… more on them later. While the environment looks great, the odd human models that turn up are a bit of a letdown. This arguably has more to do with the concept that things are less scary when you can see them; after all, your imagination will always be more terrifying than reality. The real standout, however, is the audio work, and it is a doozy. The creaks, moans and groans that echo through the map are horrifying, and some of the design is just fantastic. 

All of this is secondary, however, to the one important question: is it scary? As I said before, that is a hard question to answer. There are a few standout sequences that are very tense, if a little strange. For instance, you do get a gun briefly but can’t shoot the demon-doctor-thing coming at you until you hear a phone ring. Despite how odd these events are, there is no real fear moment. The atmosphere is great when it is being built, but it never properly crescendos; if anything, it overbuilds. I mentioned the mannequins before, and they are a prominent part of the game, and they are creepy, as they should be. The issue is that they are only creepy, and the demonic doctors just…don’t terrify. They are great as jump scares, but when they arrive, the game starts to feel like it’s trying to be an action game with added conditions to the gun (that being the phone ringing thing) although these are thankfully short segments in a quick game.

Anthology of Fear has plenty to offer players and fans of the genre, and the atmosphere building is great, but sadly, the actual horror is lacking in sections. However, the eventual twist and the relation it has to certain mental health techniques certainly make it worth checking out. If you want a creepy walking sim with the odd puzzle, and a gun that clearly needs a phone line, this could be worth it for you. If you want more substance to your horror, though, then this is probably worth a miss.