Narcosis is a polarizing game, on one hand, the underwater setting and isolation captures the sense of unnerving tension of being alone but at the same time, the gameplay is slow and vexing. The developers successfully crafted stressful situations forcing you to cautiously walk through the next room but also included frustrating moments of getting stuck in the world's geometry. Narcosis is a great horror title for fans of the genre if they can endure the slow pace.
Narcosis has you in control of an employee for a company in charge of extracting Methane from the ocean floor. After an earthquake destroys the operation you're left as the sole survivor. You're tasked with trying to make it to the surface while surviving the hostile sea life and supernatural hallucinations spawned by the empty loneliness. Much of the tale is being told by a narrative speaking about the past experience the player is playing through. Highlighting the inner thoughts of the person as the player heads through the empty waters.
As a diver the player's movement is limited. You walk at a notably slower pace with thrusters serving as small doses of increasing speed. The thrusters charge at a reasonable rate but players cannot spam them. Instead, you must constantly keep aware of your boost meters for long jumps.
One of the meters includes an O2 meter that showcases how much oxygen you have left. You'll drain more O2 the more stressed you are. This includes being attacked or seeing horrific things such as the dead bodies of your former friends and co-workers. Because of this, you must constantly hunt for O2 tanks to resupply yourself. They're given at a reasonable rate but just enough so players don't feel too comfortable, mindless exploring will lead you to deplete your reserves quickly.
The enemies you'll face aren't truly horrifying but serve as minor annoyances. These include Cuttlefish, Spider crabs, and Angular fish. With the exception of the crabs, which can kill you in one hit and cannot be harmed, you can swing your knife to kill the other enemies. These attacks require precise timing and cannot be spammed. This can be vexing since the window is small and sometimes the controls don't respond quick enough.
This is a horror game and you'll see a lot of supernatural things happening. Things disappearing and reappearing, empty dive suits rising, and sudden attacks. The game creates an unnerving atmosphere due to the isolation and calm oceanic waters. This leads to a sudden jump scare as you're getting comfortable.
Movement in Narcosis is stressful. Since you are underwater and locked behind a heavy diving suit expect to get caught in the game's geometry. During one specific section involving a large open area attempting to keep your footing while jump across platforms made for one of the most frustrating platforming moments in the entire 2-hour campaign.
Narcosis successfully captures the atmosphere of a life and death situation. The isolation provided by the oceanic levels creates this unsettling feeling that something is going to pop out. However, the game's gameplay won't appeal to everything since it moves at a very slow pace and the stiff actions will cause difficulties for gamers with little patience. Tthose who stick till the end will find a satisfying and worthwhile narrative.
Adam Siddiqui, NoobFeed
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| Platform(s): | PC, PS4, Xbox One |
| Publisher(s): | Honor Code |
| Developer(s): | Honor Code |
| Genres: | Horror |
| Themes: | Underwater |
| Release Date: | 2017-03-28 |
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