Mental Hospital - Child of Evil Review
Played on PC
Developed by Igor Migun
Released 14th January 2022
Mental Hospital is the PC port of the 2019 VR game of the same title, and this feels very apparent in the way the game is designed, both gameplay-wise and aesthetically. It was developed by Igor Migun, an independent Belarusian developer, and was published by AGaming+. 3 out of the 4 titles in the AGaming+ catalogue are VR exclusive, and with how I somewhat enjoyed this short Outlast-esque experience, I hope the publishers extend out and port more of their games to PC, especially the currently-in-Early-Access "Z.O.N.A Project X".
Story
While the font that Migun used for the title may indicate that this game is a blatant Resident Evil copy, the 2-hour experience ends up feeling more like a fanmade game that Outlast heavily inspired. Similarly to Outlast, you play a journalist trying to uncover the deep dark secrets of a psychiatric hospital. Unlike Outlast, Child of Evil uses supernatural elements to catalyse all the bizarre horror that occurs. The other-worldly spooks that populate the game are from the stereotypical portrayal of an "evil and powerful little girl", and while this banality may dissuade some from playing the game, the execution of it isn't so bad that you should consider skipping. However, the notes that you find across the institution that are supposed to paint the picture of the building's heinous past, aren't filled with enough mystery or enigmatic threat that would otherwise grasp me into the story.
Gameplay
The gameplay manages to be very intense at some points, reminiscent of other "hide'n'seek" horror games like Outlast, however, there are a couple of issues that detract from the experience. For the noticeably good parts of the game, I found the leaning mechanic to be great, being able to add caution to a fairly easy game. The level design is pretty good as well, with perfectly spaced placements of the lockers (which you can use to hide from any nearby monsters). Each level also managed to feel fresh and different from one another, making sure to avoid the monotonous repetition that these kinds of horror games reach.
As for the problems, there are a couple. The game focuses on this "avoid the monster" cycle where you are being hunted by an unstoppable force while trying to complete tasks such as retrieving a keycard for a door or figuring out the code to escape. In this sense, it wouldn't be wrong to compare this project to the surplus amount of Backroom games, whether they're released on Steam or made in Dreams or Roblox. As for the monsters, they aren't the smartest, having incredibly robust and painfully clear pathways that feel too easy to avoid once you know where the locker is in the area. They don't respond to loud noises, check corners or even react when you have the flashlight pointed at them - they just follow their designated routes and if you're in their line of sight, you're dead. This ruins much of the fundamental fear that otherwise could've fuelled this game.
Another way that the game sort of ruins the fear factor is via two nitpicks. First, why is there a shoot button when you never come across a gun? Or why are there multiple quick-select options when the most you can put into them is 2 flashlights and some apples? Also, the jump button is redundant. Secondly, Migun must've felt overly generous with how many batteries you can come across to recharge your flashlight. I finished the game with about 8 batteries, using around one per half an hour, however, that didn't matter as the flashlight does virtually nothing with how dark it is constantly.
Atmosphere
The atmosphere is mediocre. The game does partially succeed visually, with some incredible environmental designs, all of which look great and shockingly highly graphical, but it does falter elsewhere. It's so damn dark. Like unnecessarily dark - even for a horror game, and without a brightness scale option, I ended up feeling blind for the majority of the time that I spent playing. The character models for the monsters/enemies also look quite poor, in comparison to the high-level surroundings. As for the soundtrack - it's forgettable. I don't think I once acknowledged it, with the ambience being at the forefront of the audible presentation.
Story - 6/10
Gameplay - 5/10
Atmosphere - 6/10
Subpar
Igor Migun and AGaming+ do have the potential to deliver a great indie horror experience, however, they just simply didn't show it fully in this game.
