Ad Infinitum Review
Can this psychological horror scare you?
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Platform: PS5 Xbox X|S PC
Reviewed on: PC
Developer: Hekate
Publisher: Nacon
Release: Sept 14, 2023
Time Played: 6 Hours
Genre: FPS Horror
ESRB: M
Ad Infinitum is a psychological horror game taking place around World War One from the perspective of a German soldier. I was able to finish the entire game in one sitting of six hours, you can check it out in the description below, but first give me a few minutes to deliver you a basic overview of the gameplay and give it a rating for my shelf.
Where it Starts:
Start out in a bunker as a soldier in charge of morse code communications when the order to jump the trenches and take on the French has just come through. After a quick jaunt through the battlefield you get to see war first hand before suddenly waking up in your home. The mansion is haunted by shouts and shadows with your only choice being to follow them. Shortly into your adventure you will find some instructions and enact a séance, throwing you down a terrifying rabbit hole of hell.
Can the kids watch?:
You will see a lot of blood in the game, not from fighting, it’s just kind of pooled around with some streaks on the floor here and there. And the story did go into some heavy adult situations. The biggest worry I would have would be the monster designs, they were grotesque and straight out of nightmares. Some of them even had some breathing problems that just added to the horror.
Gameplay:
Scary Game?
I initially got Ad Infinitum for the fear factor it promised. There were a few really good jump scares, and eerie moments from time to time. But the scariness was lost shortly in. Between the lengthy puzzle sections and getting lost I stopped worrying about what was around the next corner and just ran everywhere. I was disappointed in how fast the fear factor drops off in the game, I really wanted to be scared. I realize most scary games lose that after you get used to it, but this didn’t have much to make up for it.
Sneaky Mechanics
There aren’t any fighting mechanics so most of the time if you want to get past an enemy, it would involve sneaking around and not making any noise. There was a little more to the game than sneaking around, but that felt like that would resolve most problems that arise when dealing with anything. They did add little things like hanging cans that would make a ruckus if you touched them, so there was a little more to think about than crouching.
Puzzles
Every section of the game involved at least one puzzle of some sort. Either scouring the area for the combination to a lock or trying to find items to move forward. There were a couple times I got lost and couldn’t figure out what I needed to do and got annoyed in the amount of time it took me to get through an area. A symbol would show up if there was something you could interact with so it was fairly easy to find what you needed to do if you look at EVERYTHING. Rushing did tend to cost more time in the long run.
Choices
During boss fights, or rather boss instances, you never really fight anything, there were choices to be made on how to take them out, the choices you make will influence your story so choose wisely. I didn’t realize there were options until very late in the game in a boss area when a note came up saying the choices I make here matter. Had I known I may have looked around a little more instead of running forward pushing buttons and stuff.
Collectibles
The game can be vague if it weren’t for all the notes you could pick up and read, and to add a little more to exploring you can find dog tags lying around. There is a specific amount to find so you may enjoy the scavenger hunt while moving forward. I personally didn’t feel very compelled to collect everything, I did pick up a couple but I didn’t go out of my way searching.
The Dummy
My favorite part of the game, as well as chat’s, would have to be the Dummy. Found early on it will almost be stalking you throughout the entire game. Found in odd positions conveying some sort of emotion. Not physically, you only knew how it felt after you touched it. Trying to find the puppet turned into a fun game all in itself. Hiya, woosh, smack. Jump kick.
How the story is told.
The chapters were broken up into two parts. Starting out somewhere in the mansion requiring a puzzle to be solved before being thrown back into the trenches. Some areas would be explored multiple times across the chapters, thankfully if the game didn’t want you to go somewhere a door would have a lock symbol, notifying you that you can’t go there. It definitely helped minimize the chances of getting lost.
Conclusion:
Like I said before I bought the game to get scared and was subsequently disappointed. Between that and the lack of engaging mechanics I didn’t find a whole lot of enjoyment. Knowing that, let’s get it rated and see where it ends up.
A lot of the monsters in the game were visually great, but that was about it. There was a major lack of animation when accomplishing tasks and overall didn’t look good. It’s getting a two.
The story is really the only redeeming quality of the game. It was dark and harrowing but well told. I really liked how the story unfolded and was impressed when everything started to fall together. I’m giving it a four.
The gameplay was lacking. The sneaking mechanics were basic and trying to interact with some objects didn’t work unless I was looking at the perfect spot. Worthy of a one
There is a minor want to play through the game multiple times and make different choices, but the game wasn’t good enough for me to want to see how the game changes. That’s another two.
Sadly I didn’t really have fun. I was compelled to see the entire game through so I pushed to finish but it wasn’t great, I’m feeling another one
Putting all the scores together gives Ad Infinitum an average score of 2. Meaning it belongs near the end of the Bottom Shelf. The game didn’t quite deliver on what I bought it for, and I can see the work put into the game, I just wouldn’t say it’s worth the current asking price. Don’t buy it expecting to be scared all night.