PAST CURE (PS4)
Ah, what might have been. There are moments here and there that have you believing that Past Cure, essentially the love-child of Max Payne and Silent Hill, may have amounted to something rather special. The eighth generation has seen games enjoying an unparalleled degree of technical robustness, and with greater regularity than ever before. Unfortunately, such titles are often missing the maturity of tone necessary to propel them to a level of distinction. For Past Cure, the opposite is the case, as an interesting premise is undone by a litany of technical blemishes.
Phantom 8 Studio’s adventure centres around Ian whom, as the player picks up the story, is recuperating in a seemingly remote, secluded beach house. His fragile mental state is preserved through a cocktail of specialist drugs, and without them, his world descends into something very dark, and very dangerous. Ian believes himself the victim of an experiment gone wrong. His memory is patchy, but with the help of his brother Marcus, he must establish a trail in order to find those responsible.
Past Cure's best moments lie in its nightmare scenes, with survival horror elements that suit the game's strengths and limitations far better
The story offers a measured, mature approach that’s a welcome alternative to the hamburger one-liners and zany wink-wink humour that action games have recently placed such a reliance on for mass-market appeal. As such, things begin with some promise. Ian’s dependence on his medicine is emphasised by the unsettling presence of porcelain mannequins, who break into his reality when his mental energy is exhausted. It’s not all bad though, as he can project in an out-of-body state in order to help with puzzles, whilst in the heat of battle, Ian can for brief periods slow the action, in a fairly straightforward lifting of Max Payne’s ‘bullet time’ trope.
When Past Cure pitches its tent nearer the survival horror end of the spectrum, it’s actually quite strong. The prison sequence is comfortably the game’s most well realised, creating a strong atmosphere and some genuine tension. There’s a couple of decent puzzles to get your teeth into, as well as some real heart-in-mouth moments. Lighting and ambient effects work well, and you’re left to wonder what might have been, had the game followed this route more concertedly.
The majority of the game is more action-focused however, and this is where things rather fall apart. Ian’s movement is extremely cumbersome, whilst the shooting feels insubstantial and lacklustre. The erratic nature of the hit physics, and in particular the headshots, is a real dampener on the experience. Sometimes, shots will take an enemy down in one go. However, it’s just as likely to see a shot land square on the chin, signified by an enemy’s head rocking back and, even after a couple of follow up shots, see them retreat into cover like nothing has happened. This occurs with a frequency that can only be described as disheartening. Ian is also lumbered with an abysmal melee attack, which you’ll realise is not going to work out well even before the end of the tutorial that introduces it, and the controls often lack for responsiveness at times when you need quick, decisive reactions.
The majority of the game is more action-focused however, and this is where things rather fall apart. Ian’s movement is extremely cumbersome, whilst the shooting feels insubstantial and lacklustre. The erratic nature of the hit physics, and in particular the headshots, is a real dampener on the experience. Sometimes, shots will take an enemy down in one go. However, it’s just as likely to see a shot land square on the chin, signified by an enemy’s head rocking back and, even after a couple of follow up shots, see them retreat into cover like nothing has happened. This occurs with a frequency that can only be described as disheartening. Ian is also lumbered with an abysmal melee attack, which you’ll realise is not going to work out well even before the end of the tutorial that introduces it, and the controls often lack for responsiveness at times when you need quick, decisive reactions.
There’s also quite a collection of bugs making their presence felt. I’ve been forced to retreat to the chapter select menu in order to restart sections for a number of reasons. These include moments when Ian has been unable to interact with key items, or the items have simply failed to appear at all. There’s even been an instance when a door has snapped closed with Ian on the wrong side, with no means of opening it again. Environs are uniformly confined, and it becomes clear that this might not have been an entirely aesthetic decision. You’ll encounter a couple of slightly larger spaces that suffer the kind of crippling slowdown normally reserved for PS3 ports of the Risen series.
Visually, Past Cure offers a distinctive line in modern urban décor, with contrasting, clinical black and white colour schemes. Ian’s nightmare sequences are suitably dank and oppressive, though the character models are underwhelming, as are the enemies, whose homogenised mix of black suits, sunglasses and stony expressions, look like they could have been borrowed from a PS2 Matrix outing. The animation is very poor, and the surroundings rather clunky. Elsewhere, the music is of an acceptable standard whilst the quality of the voicing varies considerably.
Visually, Past Cure offers a distinctive line in modern urban décor, with contrasting, clinical black and white colour schemes. Ian’s nightmare sequences are suitably dank and oppressive, though the character models are underwhelming, as are the enemies, whose homogenised mix of black suits, sunglasses and stony expressions, look like they could have been borrowed from a PS2 Matrix outing. The animation is very poor, and the surroundings rather clunky. Elsewhere, the music is of an acceptable standard whilst the quality of the voicing varies considerably.
Moments of narrative add to the mystery, but are often frustratingly ambiguous
Labour through a few hours of tepid shooting and a slightly half-hearted thriller narrative, and there’s a final confrontation. This miserable encounter consists of around half-a-dozen sections, which typically culminates in Ian being beaten into the ground, and then killed whilst he’s trying, very leisurely, to find his feet. What is intended as a grand finale instead merely serves as a reminder of all of the games struggles, rolled out together for one frustrating battle. Of course, should you die at any stage, it’s all the way back to the beginning of the fight. The reward for eventually triumphing is a disappointing (and entirely unsatisfactory) ending which is nothing but shameful bit of sequel-begging, and not a remotely acceptable ending for this game.
Past Cure is notable only for venturing a progressive tone, on a game engine that feels anything but. Whilst the horror passages hit the mark, clunky controls, unsatisfying shooting and a raft of flaws and bugs mar the experience. Short, needlessly frustrating and with no replay value whatsoever, Past Cure may well leave you past caring.
Past Cure is notable only for venturing a progressive tone, on a game engine that feels anything but. Whilst the horror passages hit the mark, clunky controls, unsatisfying shooting and a raft of flaws and bugs mar the experience. Short, needlessly frustrating and with no replay value whatsoever, Past Cure may well leave you past caring.