Despite the fact that the walking simulators are a big hit nowadays, there is a perception among most people that it is one of the easiest and even primitive genres. They are not real games, they say. Perhaps it's the lack of "real" gameplay or the inability to die. However, games like What Remains of Edith Finch or Firewatch proved us all wrong. A catchy story, sharp dialogues, great attention to details and an unforgettable interactive experience - here is the recipe for success. Horror walking simulators are even more underestimated. Unfortunately, it's hard to find classical horror games or movies these days. So at one hand we've got survival horror with a focus on stealth, and at the other hand we've got predictable screamers and disturbing scenes. Fortunately, The Suicide of Rachel Foster is a good example of returning to the origins, which doesn't hit us with those clichés. There have been, however, some deficiencies, but considering it was the first game of One-O-One Games, it makes good sense.
Let me say a few words about the plot. Nicole, a strong independent woman, returns to her family hotel after the death of her parents, in order to view the property before sale. She and her mother left it when it turned out that Nicole's father Leonard had an affair with sixteen years old Rachel Foster. I see the old story about Humbert and Lolita, but with one telling difference - this is about innocent and true feelings. But once people knew about their relationships, the poor girl threw herself from a cliff.
As if Nicole didn't have enough troubles, she encounters a snowstorm, so now she's head-to-head with "wonderful" memories from this hotel. Once convinced she's no longer in danger of dying from exposure, Nicole begins to investigate the case of Rachel Foster. Playing Sherlock Holmes brings up more questions than answers. Was this really a suicide? Why is all kind of weird, almost paranormal, stuff happening in the hotel? Which darkest secrets her parents took to the grave?
Lucky for Nicole, Irving, a FEMA agent, dilutes the eerie calm of the hotel. He tries his best to provide timely guidance and cheering Nicole on the walkie-talkie (bearing in mind that the story takes place in the eighties, there was a funny dialogue between the two protagonists on the future of this knowhow). These conversations remind me of Firewatch. As in the Campo Santo game, you can choose among several answers. It doesn't affect the plot, but instead establishes a specific relationship between the heroes and helps to reveal the different sides of Nicole's personality. During their promotional campaign, the developers described her as a powerful and strong character. Maybe they took it a bit too literally - during some talks Nicole's being too rough. But on the other hand, it seems like she is a hardened and a deep kind of girl, which is pretty unusual for a horror character.
Nicole comments on anything that happens to her and makes a joke of this, she's being ironic and shares stories from her life. Yet, it is clear Nicole's still pretty traumatised and has been through way too much. This is certainly a big plus, since it makes it possible to empathise with her.
Obviously, Nicole fully grasps the gravity of her situation and what happens to her now, which many horror games lack. For instance, I really miss that in such amazing games like Layers of Fear and Layers of Fear 2.
Even Irving's personality is not revealed to the same extent as Nicole, but still he's a good company. The characters are talking on a variety of topics: from the history of the town and personal problems, to discussion on popular culture and specificity of intelligence services.
In the meantime, I would like to point out the game's fantastic graphics as well as the one of the game's key advantages - the binaural sound, just like in Hellblade: Senua's Sacrifice. Thanks to Unreal Engine 4 the decade's realities looks awesome: the technology, cars, references to famous music albums and movies (when you enter the hallway, it feels like Jack from The Shining would pop out, inviting you for a drink and the colour palette hints at Twin Peaks) and even little thingies like canned goods and office supplies. The game's attention to details is not inferior to Gone Home. The only thing that isn't airtight is unnatural light.
We now return to the narrative and the psychological side, which are the crucial part of the game. The main goal is to understand Nicole's past and her family history. The key to this is mentioned in the title - the mysterious suicide of Rachel Foster.
The game is paying particular attention to Nicole's father studies, who was an astrophysicist. His office is filled with math, physics and alternative science books. Putting it all together, Leonard's personality is taking shape: enigmatic, erudite, dreamy, not like anyone else. This man is certainly not a villain, but more likely a victim.
Nicole will need to start putting the pieces herself and Irving's help couldn't be more fortuitous. He can spot something she missed out, offer special ideas or some information from the city archives.
The story of this mysterious tragedy expands and becomes more clear as Nicole moves forward on the path of exploring the hotel, affecting several families and even generations. The more people involved in this story, the more it terrifies how a single event could destroy countless lives.
It is very much to the credit of the developers that the story herself is ambiguous and could be viewed from several angles. At first sight, The Suicide of Rachel Foster is a classic tale about a creepy hotel, just like The Shining or 1408. On the other side, the mysticism might easily be taken for metaphors, and then there's a quite terrible and plausible case - a ruthless realism.
Both storylines, the plausible and mystical one, evolve right up until the end, but eventually the developers give the lead to the first one. Not everybody's going to like this, but that's the matter of opinion.
Time doesn't heal and ghosts of the past have power over us - that's really what The Suicide of Rachel Foster is about. Nicole's father's reflections on stars illustrate these ideas pretty well. Many of the stars have been dead for millions of years, but are still shining upon us - the game is going back to this concept again and again.
And to close, I just want to say that The Suicide of Rachel Foster is a true masterpiece in storytelling and sets a new high-bar for the first person exploration games. Also it's tearing down the myth of the "worth-first" approach.