Patient 213

Patient 213 is a short light horror game, in that I mean there are no jump scares, blood painting the walls, screams heard in the distance or half-lit corridors receding beyond a wavering candle. This game is firmly in the psychological horror camp and is played out in the cold clinical light. There are however CREEPY TALKING DOLLS. What's more they are creepy talking dolls that speak in riddles, because being a talking doll isn't creepy enough. Especially when you are a bunny rabbit doll. I mean really.

This game was made with the Ace light version which means it has a reduced palette of options available to the developer, but I'm pleased to say he's worked well with the available resources. The limited maps worked in the scenario of a single building and even the reduction in available characters was explained in a fairly clever manner fitting the game's premise.


Also it's the light version.

So you, and I mean literally you, you're asked in the intro screen to supply a name in case your records go missing but during the entire game you are referred to as 'you' for your internal discussion and as 213 by everyone else, as that is the patient number you've been assigned. You wake up in a plain somewhat decrepit room with a single bed, a barred window and a partially redacted chart on the wall outlining that you are male, 22 years old and capable of reading, which since you've read the chart should be self evident. Soon after waking a public announcement is heard in the typical garbled speak so beloved by announcers in public transport hubs around the world letting you know it's time to get up and have some breakfast. It soon becomes clear that you are in a mental asylum, why is at the moment uncertain as you appear to be rational, but then again, how would you know if you're crazy?


Never trust any place that begins with Sunny.

So off to breakfast we go and soon enough a plot unfolds, paranoia stalks the halls, patients are disappearing, rumours abound of physical and psychological torture being performed, and 535, a fellow patient is the leader of an escape plot, so you know he's going to be your new best friend. What develops from this point on is a branching mystery, certain actions dictate positive or negative results, other lead to an instant game over which I must admit is never something I'm particularly fond of, especially when the game has a restrictive save, but it does make you think before you act and feel as trapped as 213, which is the mood I believe the developer was aiming to achieve.

The graphics are of course all the RTP and they are used competently if not artistically though some of the rooms do feel a little cluttered and I'm not sure if the walking through the pool was deliberate or a passage error, but the music is custom and the developer has made full use of some interesting melodies to aid in immersion. Certain sections are discordant and nerve jangling, others are quiet, almost too quiet, but light and whimsical, but through it all there is a sense of foreboding, of being barely one step ahead of those who according to some within Sunnyvale are seeking to do you harm. I have to give points for this portion alone, none of these tunes are going into a personal play-list, but they work for the game. Though the desolation section is a little more than was needed, it was probably the only heavily handled segment in the game, and I can understand why it could cause some players confusion.

In addition to the main story of escape and information gathering, there is a challenge quota, one of the patients is keeping score in the number of challenges you complete, there appears to be five of them in total and they are triggered by your actions, these challenges reward exploration in at least one instance, in fact there is one you can't get unless you go and explore and interact with inanimate objects, but since I've always been that sort of player it works for me. Most however are narratively driven, if you can't complete some of the challenges, you won't complete the game.


Yeah, I would have liked to know that too.

The dénouement is unfortunately a little too abrupt, and no motivation is actually given for the events that took place at Sunnyvale Hills, or indeed for the events that led to your incarceration there, which is ultimately unsatisfying. However within the confines of the game, escape is achieved and a justice of sorts is earned for the patients, so it does give a feeling of achievement if not complete satisfaction. Still I came away having enjoyed the hour or so I spent working my way through the mystery and finding my way out of Sunnyvale Hills asylum. I believe this is the developers first completed game, and I do look forward to seeing what they can do with a full version of the engine, and no restrictions applied to their creativity.