Visage

ABOUT VISAGE

Visage is a first-person psychological horror game.

Explore a mysterious ever-changing house in a slow-paced, atmospheric world that combines uncannily comforting and horrifyingly realistic environments, and enjoy a genuinely terrifying experience.

ENVIRONMENT

The game is set inside a huge house where terrible things happen. You’ll wander through the gloomy corridors, explore every dead room, and get lost in endless mazes, your head filling with memories of the dead families that once lived in this very home. This twisted environment, void of any life other than yours, takes you to places you couldn’t even bear imagining.

STORYLINE

This house is stained with a terrible past. Families were brutally murdered by their family members, people went insane, many of them committed suicide, and other horrible events occurred. Every room has its story painted on an invisible canvas. As a player, you will relive parts of this dark past, and each of its fragments will leave you restless and terrified. You’ll soon wish you could join the dead’s ranks in their abyss, but death won’t help you leave this place. Will you run from it, or will you try to uncover the truth behind the shadows?

DARK ENTITIES

The families that died in the house will haunt you and leave you restless. They will follow your every move, watch you from every corner, play tricks with your mind, and try to attack you. Why do they haunt you? What have you done? This you have to find out on your own.

DREAD

In Visage, you are defenseless; no weapons can save you from the dreadful entities stalking you from the next corner, the next door, or underneath your feet. You will pick up key elements, interact with the environment, and search for things that may help you escape this nightmare or pull you deeper into it.

Dying is part of the game. You must avoid terror at all costs. Dark entities are attracted to it. Maintaining your mind as sane as possible will keep you from joining the ranks of the dead. Doing so is not easy. You must find ways to avoid going insane, like staying in the light.

THE GAMEPLAY

Visage runs entirely in the first-person perspective. This is nothing new but getting up close and personal in Visage can be extremely haunting at times. I don’t want to spoil anything but when a horror game does it right, something that appears right before you as if right in front of you can be downright haunting.

The game is hard. The puzzles can be challenging and there are times when you have to learn patterns or take chances. This can be tedious and frustrating which some may find to be offputting. My advice is to take notes. That’s what I did to get through and it helped.

Controller layout and inventory management can take some getting used to. I found myself struggling with button combinations when trying to manage what I’m carrying. The process becomes even more difficult when in the heat of a moment. It isn’t game-breaking by any means but it can bring on a headache until you get used to it.

THE ATMOSPHERE

It’s downright creepy. The first-person perspective is nothing new but getting up close and personal in Visage can be extremely haunting at times. The reason is this game does a damn good job of making things happen out of the corner of your eye. I feel this wouldn’t be as effective if in a third-person format.

The sounds are unnerving. From the creaks and cracks of the house to the encounters with paranormal events, they all send a chill down your spine. I think Visage does a great job of using sound when your visuals are impaired. No spoilers. Either play the game or watch my playthrough to hear what I’m talking about.

The random events are awesome. They can be extremely scary. I found myself having to take a break sometimes. I am quite desensitized to horror these days but Visage managed to creep me out. I’m not exaggerating either. Some of the random events are quick and some of them will keep you in suspense for some time. Many kudos to the developers on this part. The random events work very well and are very effective.

AS I SEE IT

I kept an eye on Visage when I found it on Kickstarter back in 2016. I bought the game when it was released on Steam back in 2020. Visage helped remedy my anger towards the cancelation of P.T. by Konami and while it stands on its own, it gave a similar creep factor compared to P.T.

Visage is a great game. There are some flaws but once you get used to them, the game is very enjoyable. I’d recommend that you be a fan of horror. This game is truly scary. I am a horror veteran and I am quite desensitized but this game managed to make me set the controller down and take a break. I haven’t had that sort of reaction since P.T. and Silent Hill 2.