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MADISON (PS5)
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Publisher: Bloodious Games.
Developer: Bloodious Games. Released: July 2022. Genre: Horror. Other versions: PS4; XSX; SWI. Posted 20th July 2024. By Shane Battams © 2024 |
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While seemingly on a downward trend in the early 2010s, horror games have made quite the comeback during the eighth and ninth generations. Resident Evil has found its footing with new entries and remakes alike receiving praise, Konami would announce multiple new Silent Hill entries in 2022 and a litany of first-person terrors have joined the horror party including Amnesia and Outlast. MADiSON falls somewhere between these, taking first-person horror and adding a more cerebral approach. It is somewhat reminiscent of the golden days: backtracking, item collecting and puzzle solving. Unfortunately, some distinct issues see this ritual botched, and it ends up feeling middling as a result.
MADiSON centres around Luca, a teenager who awakens dazed and confused, left to fend for himself in a nightmarish and altering version of his home. It’s soon revealed that a demonic ritual has taken place and leaves Luca scrambling to escape. Armed only with an instant camera to aid him, he soon discovers the sinister origins of this ritual and how the camera he wields was once held by something truly evil. It’s a thread that is probably familiar to horror aficionados, but some genuinely surprising twists and strong voicework from the majority of characters try to keep you invested. Unfortunately, the focal point of the story, Luca, is cringe-inducing voiced. Incredibly whiny, his poorly delivered lines remove tension from high-impact reveals, making him an unlikeable protagonist. You can mute his voice, but it feels a bit peculiar and, with better acting, shouldn’t have been necessary.
MADiSON has tonnes of atmosphere, with creepy settings and sound design
Though a lot of modern horror has tended to ape walking simulators, Bloodious Games would craft an experience that’s actually fairly close to the genre’s golden era. Luca is trapped inside his family home, and solving puzzles opens up more areas to explore while requiring you to take key items back to previously locked rooms. The brainteasers are pretty great, requiring some genuine thought and analysis of clues to solve. The camera plays a key role in this, as you utilise it to open some paths, change objects and uncover clues that are invisible normally. It works well enough, and the attention to detail is respectable as you must shake the Polaroid to dry it and you can use the flash to illuminate darker rooms. Despite all this, it’s worth mentioning that there’s no traditional combat and while two sections see you avoiding entities, you cannot fight them aside from repelling the second with camera flash.
There’s atmosphere to spare, with bleak visuals and tense sound design combining to form a creepy whole. The house is twisted and warped, mixing everyday décor with insects, decay and dim lighting. Perhaps too dim, as sometimes it’s harder to navigate and while the flash of the camera can illuminate the room temporarily, it disappears like a flash. There are also some unfortunate technical issues, as more demanding sequences cause the frame rate to drop sharply and can take you out of the game. The music is used sparingly but creates dramatic tension when needed, and ambient sounds are sharp and leave you panicked, such as creaking doors and ambient lightning strikes. The presentation offers a morose, uneasy atmosphere to say the least.
There’s atmosphere to spare, with bleak visuals and tense sound design combining to form a creepy whole. The house is twisted and warped, mixing everyday décor with insects, decay and dim lighting. Perhaps too dim, as sometimes it’s harder to navigate and while the flash of the camera can illuminate the room temporarily, it disappears like a flash. There are also some unfortunate technical issues, as more demanding sequences cause the frame rate to drop sharply and can take you out of the game. The music is used sparingly but creates dramatic tension when needed, and ambient sounds are sharp and leave you panicked, such as creaking doors and ambient lightning strikes. The presentation offers a morose, uneasy atmosphere to say the least.
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MADiSON offers plentiful promise, but its appeal decays as the runtime goes on. There’s a particularly cheap reliance on jump scares, which sounds normal for a horror title, but it’s achieved in a way that results in diminishing returns. There are plenty of moments that will have you jumping out of your skin, such as exploring a dark tunnel network with only a lighter and, after your lighter fails, facing a monster jump scare. Unfortunately, these are relied upon to the extent that they start reappearing in the same spot in the house. A late sequence involving collecting clocks saw multiple jump scares, and they proved less unsettling each time. While there are plenty of moments which will make you jump, you’re unlikely to remember them in the same vein as the Resident Evil dog attack or the locker scene from Silent Hill.
Not long after the aforementioned sequence, MADiSON reaches its conclusion. It’s a short game, as even if some puzzles stump you, you’d be lucky to go over the five-hour mark in your initial playthrough. There’s little replay value here either, as it lacks additional endings or alternative paths, meaning repeat runs can be bested even faster. Aside from collectable photos which are tucked around the house, and trophy challenges which reward a morbid camera skin, the thirty quid a full-price purchase would cost seems very steep.
Not long after the aforementioned sequence, MADiSON reaches its conclusion. It’s a short game, as even if some puzzles stump you, you’d be lucky to go over the five-hour mark in your initial playthrough. There’s little replay value here either, as it lacks additional endings or alternative paths, meaning repeat runs can be bested even faster. Aside from collectable photos which are tucked around the house, and trophy challenges which reward a morbid camera skin, the thirty quid a full-price purchase would cost seems very steep.
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MADiSON is not the worst entry its genre would see, and at times, it can be intelligent and scary. However, it also lacks enough depth or content to be recommendable. The puzzles are clever for the most part, and the suffocating presentation certainly can deliver the chills. But rote jump scares, technical woes and an insufferable protagonist diminish the scary highs this adventure sometimes scales. Genre aficionados might find it an okay purchase at a sale price having exhausted better alternatives, but for more conscientious gamers, it’s not quite worth it.
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VERDICT
"Despite its clever puzzles and a suffocating atmosphere, MADiSON’s rote jump scares, technical woes and lack of content render it more middling fare." OVERALL: 5/10 |
OTHER GAMES LIKE THIS REVIEWED
Condemned (2005, Xbox 360)
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Outlast (2014, PlayStation 4)
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