What parents need to know
Psycho Fear is an escape room psychological horror game. The player embodies a character, selected from a choice of male and female avatars, who is imprisoned in a kind of game against the clock. The goal of the game is simple: survive the twisted traps that dot the game levels and escape before the time limit is set. To do this, the player must be resourceful and logical in order to succeed in puzzles, avoid pitfalls and make good use of their time. The game has a creepy and horrifying vibe, and features images that are not suitable for a minor audience.
In co-op mode, it is possible to revive teammates using serum syringes. Bandages and pills also allow you to heal yourself during the game.
The player must explore, open doors, search furniture, and carefully observe their surroundings in order to find objects or clues that will allow them to progress. During the different levels, the player must also make choices that will earn them karma points (or not). These points are useful because they allow the player to extend their time to complete the different levels as needed, or to come back to life in the event of death due to injuries. However, harvesting karma requires you to devote time to certain tasks, for example, solving a puzzle to free another prisoner or finding food to heal an injured cat. It is therefore necessary to make wise choices according to the time remaining on the countdown. If the player inadvertently dies and does not have enough karma points to continue the game after their time is up, then the game is over, and they must start from the beginning. It’s definitely something to think about, since each game can last up to two hours, and it’s impossible to save your progress!
Psycho Fear is described as a living, breathing game. Weekly updates bring different variations to the game. It could therefore be interesting to play it again from time to time in order to take on new challenges.
*This game was given to us for free for review purposes, but that doesn’t influence our opinion.*
Details
Level of experience required
| Age | 3+ | 7+ | 12+ | 16+ | 18+ |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Beginners |  |
|
|
|
 |
| Intermediate | |
|
|
|
|
| Experienced | |
|
|
|
|
It’s a creepy and bloody horror game. There is violence and visual elements that can be disturbing. The game is only suitable for a mature audience.
The game contains some nudity, but nothing particularly graphic. However, considering that the game changes with each update, this could come to change.
There is little text, and everything is easy to understand. However, you have to know how to read between the lines in order to solve certain puzzles.
Even if the goal of the game is to escape, the ending is ambiguous and leaves us questioning the morality of the characters.
There is a 3D camera to handle, and a certain agility is required in order to avoid traps. Playing against the clock can also be stressful and add an extra difficulty. However, there is no fighting.
Local game modes
It is possible to play alone in local mode. Playing alone adds a certain difficulty, but does not prevent you from progressing normally through the levels.
Online Game Modes
The game can be played cooperatively with up to 4 players.
Expansions/Add-ons (DLC)
There are no extensions to date, however regular updates take place. These updates, in addition to fixing some bugs, also bring new content and different puzzles, which allows for some replayability.
Our opinion
Psycho Fear offers a good level of challenge, especially for people who are not used to escape games in general. The atmosphere is successful and disturbing, reminiscent of the SAW film series from which the game is directly inspired. The game can run quite well on a moderately capable computer, even with the visual settings at maximum, which is nice. As a team, the game requires flawless communication, because the countdown doesn’t stop and all the clues must be quickly dispatched and accounted for. All in all, it’s an interesting game that offers less than three hours of content, but can be rediscovered every time an update is released, which is scheduled every Wednesday. At less than $15, it’s inexpensive and fun entertainment for horror lovers. As a great fan of escape games and a horror lover myself, I enjoyed finding several typical escape game puzzles, but also unusual novelties and more complex elements that required a little more thought.
Psycho Fear offers new and interesting gameplay experiences, alone or in teams, every week. If you’re looking for a way to challenge yourself, tickle your logic and have fun with friends, here’s a great idea at a low price! If you’re not convinced, the demo of the game is free on Steam. For us, it’s a promising game that is worth watching.
All photos and screenshots are taken from the Dark Panda Media Kit.
