The Scourge
Developer: Rare Reversee, Beaztek
Publisher: Rare Reversee, Licogame
Platforms: PC
Review Key Provided: Yes
Release Date: Out now
J-Horror is a popular sub-genre at Indie Horror Gamer, and much of it draws on Japanese or Asian folklore of one form or another. The Scourge has been out for a while now, and refocuses its horrific theme on Vietnam, using some of that country’s urban myths and legends. As often transpires, this results in an evocative and emotionally charged mix.
The player is Lê Đặng Nhật Huy, a young man returning to his old apartment building to investigate the deaths of his parents and sister. Nhật Huy has enlisted the help of a Medium who will guide him through the past and hopefully explain the mysteries before him.
The story unfolds through a series of enclosed levels, beginning at Nhật Huy’s parents’ funeral. There’s no combat; the player locates and manipulates relevant items to solve puzzles and progress to the next area.
The Scourge is a beautifully designed game, with elegant Asian imagery often contrasting with scenes of abject poverty and gruesome demonic apparitions. Given that most of it transpires inside the mind of its young protagonist, nothing’s off the books, with characters from the real world represented in hellish form, stalking Nhật Huy and, in one particularly wince-inducing moment, maniacally hacking at him with a meat cleaver should the player put a foot wrong.
The puzzles vary, and while these can be tricky in places, the nature of the game means at least everything is enclosed within one space, so you know the solution is at hand. What’s more frustrating are the occasional stealth sequences, although both the one mentioned above and a nerve-wracking corridor journey that involves Nhật Huy evading his mother as a ghastly crawling demon sit just about the right side of this delicate balancing act.
The Scourge is a mind-bendingly complex game in terms of story, throwing multiple emotional strands at the player throughout. There’s a lot of family strife: Nhật Huy’s father is a violent misogynist, while his mother seeks solace in the arms of a neighbour, despite knowing how wrong her husband’s behaviour is. In one notably disturbing sequence, Nhật Huy arrives at a giant toilet bowl, his sister’s beloved crayons strewn inside, having been discarded by their cruel father. Only by sacrificing his own father can he distract the crocodiles living within and rescue them for his sibling. A nod to this movie, perhaps?
Beyond its diverse level design, The Scourge boasts strong audio design, from cackling evil growls to jarring screams and low-key music. A handful of translation and cultural issues still hamper gameplay (most pointedly during an early word game puzzle), but overall, it has a professional, well-thought-out design and implementation that succeeds in embroiling the player in its complex domestic woes. It certainly avoids an over-reliance on jump scares, blending the supernatural horrors of demons and ghosts with the very real dread and terror of some poor people’s own family life.
CONCLUSION
An atmospheric and thought-provoking journey through the mind of a tortured son, with an immersive and heartbreaking story. Not a quick game, but if you have the time, one well worth the emotional investment.
