breathe in, breath out | Calm Time
3we all have our habits
REVIEW
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The fascinating thing about horror is that it can take many forms. Even more is how the horror is received. That is made quite apparent in Calm Time where sinister things are afoot and this time around, you are the reason for those sinister things.
The story is made apparent real quick as you seem to take the role of a secluded individual who engages in psychotic terror as you murder your guests at a dinner party. It is not made clear why this occurs or what set off the main character to take part in a killing spree except what the environment hints at, as well as the monologue at the beginning and end. The "bride"-esque corpse in the basement and the subsequent appearances of her after every kill suggests deep-rooted trauma (self-imposed "prison" created for himself as a result of the bride) and removing "noise" from the environment provides peace to the protagonist. As I said at the end, it is left to interpretation. Although development-wise, it just serves as a backdrop to entice horror elements as opposed to fleshing out a lengthy plot-line explaining why this happens (a game made under a week after all).
Gameplay is very simple. Apart from some brief dialogue interaction, you pick up a knife and go ham on your guests, hunting them down in various areas of your home. Short lived pandemonium, but pandemonium all the same.
A pixelated approach is something I'm always fond of and not only the visuals but the audio is bit-crushed to truly capture a retro aesthetic is top notch. This is an easy but effective way to get on my good side so cheers to that.
It's not often games put you in the role of the classic "villain". People usually get thrills from getting scared of foreign elements beyond their control, be it getting chased from an enemy, getting jumpscared, being immersed through unsettling ambience, etc. In this game, you are the instigator of these effects, the foreign element this time is you. I imagine most people might feel a bit conflicted in their "enjoyment" of this game but at the end of the day, it's a fictional piece of entertainment and you shouldn't be judged on your reception to the game.
It is odd how the main character describes trapping himself to this environment yet invites people over that disturbs the peace of his imprisonment. Maybe it's to keep up appearances or to have guests serve as an outlet to relinquish his pent-up desires or frustrations, or to reset a sense of "calm" as the title suggests. Like mentioned above, it'll depend on how the player wishes to perceive things as everything about the game is vague.
A unusual piece of horror that detracts from common tropes and it may have been a bit mixed for me but I enjoyed the uniqueness all the same. There's no shame in taking risks in a genre like horror. Bravo, Calm Time.
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