Schuld (English Translation)

Schuld:English Translation review by Killer Wolf

Schuld brings all the genre staples to the table: mysterious apparitions, an amnesiac protagonist, enough gore to gag a maggot, and an overall feeling that makes you wonder if you just stumbled into the newest annex of Silent Hill, but is that enough to make it a good game?

This actually feels like several games put together. At its core, it is a psychological horror tale about Aaron, who is clearly not the world’s luckiest man. Not even a full five minutes into the game, we get the distinct impression that not only is something way off about the world he wakes into, but that he probably has a skeleton or two rattling around in the old closet back home. The main game plays almost like an old point and click adventure game where you have to find items and solve several engaging puzzles to move the story forward…

…which is where the rest of the game comes into play. Schuld contains numerous mini-games, including but not limited to saw blade avoidance, surviving a neighborhood straight out of an N.R.A. man’s wet dreams, and even that old war horse, the Quick Time Event.

Due to the speed of the events involved, you’ll probably see the game over screen a couple of times, but none of these mini-games gets annoying enough to make you throw your hands up in disgust. I do think that the pacing, especially in the first area, is marred by the sudden gameplay shift, and that ultimately some of the encounters take away from the excellent feeling of atmosphere and dread the rest of the game builds up.

Translation: 5 out of 5

+ I did not notice any bits of dialog that seemed to suffer for the translation.

+ Aside from the almost trademark German Horror feel, you really wouldn’t know English wasn’t the game’s original language.

Gameplay: 4.5 out of 5

+ I get an old school point and click vibe with there being descriptions for just about everything.

- some of the twitch/reflex sections feel a little forced

- forced hits/damage are more aggravating than scary, at least after the first time

+ puzzles are interesting and require a little thought…

- although in some cases it is hard to make out what the graphic is

- not usually a fan of quick time events

+ but it was minimally invasive and didn’t take too long

- starts to feel more like a collection of mini-games than anything else at a couple of points.

+ Genuinely creepy environments that are fun to explore, if just a bit unsettling.

Innovation: 4 out of 5

- Initially, it feels very Silent Hill-ish

+/- There is also a strong ‘I Have No Mouth and I Must Scream’ vibe in play with some of the darker locations.

+ The game keeps you moving. The puzzles may be variations on the same theme, but they never feel stale, partly due to the game’s short running length, and partly due to the fact that every few minutes you’ll be jumping into a different unique mini-game.


Music and Sound FX: 5 out of 5

+ The game actually uses audio tracks my computer has the proper codecs for. Thank you!

+ The background tracks do an excellent job of establishing atmosphere.

+ One of the scariest rooms in the game is accomplished almost entirely through sound. Nothing will happen to you there, but from the sound of things, you probably still don’t want to hang around too long… just in case.

+ It won’t take long before that little click of a properly solved door puzzle becomes a welcome port in the storm.

+ some “sound scares” genuinely made me jump (play the game at night, in the dark, with headphones or earbuds on. You’re welcome!)


Graphics: 4.5 out of 5

- The character faces/head proportion subtracts from the overall feel just enough to be noticeable.

+ The semi-real world setting is carried off very well. Everything normal looks the way it should, and everything abnormal looks even better!

+ You will see a wide variety of areas from hospital waiting rooms to a meat locker from hell, and even a war zone, just to name a few.

- One area is re-used, exactly.

- it is just a little difficult to make out the glyphs for one of the puzzles. I took a guess though and got it right, so it doesn’t seem like too big of an issue.

+ No, thank you for smoking...


Replay-ability: NA

- There only seems to be the one ending (?)

- As good as the game is, once you’ve seen it all, you’ve seen it all.

+ The game is fairly short, though, so if you do decide to go through it again it shouldn’t feel like a chore.


Overall: 4.5 out of 5

Schuld is a very entertaining game, and its short running time means that you have no excuse not to dive in, get spooked, and have a blast.