corporate ghostbusting | Spectral Filter
2I wonder if the pay is good 🙃
REVIEW
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It always amazes me how non-profit pet projects can amount to quite a lot of depth in the gaming world. Putting in a lot of work over a long period of time and expecting nothing in return is quite philanthropic, to spread further influence of games as a whole, the horror genre and just overall enjoyment to be had. Spectral Filter exemplifies this.
As the title and your instructions in-game suggests, the goal of this game is to locate a corpse abandoned by your previous contractor to "extinguish" the supernatural influence produced by the body's exposure to this industrial complex. Upon finding the filter and body and making use of the tool to put the body's soul at rest, you must deal with any anomalies present as the filter processes over time.
Gameplay is pretty much traversing the building, opening doors, occasionally interacting with environmental paraphernalia and avoiding apparitions. Considering there is no threat whether directly or passively, makes it so that this is essentially a "haunted house" simulator with a few instructions and making use of spatial awareness.
The plot and player immersion seems to be cast to the side so that atmosphere and ambience is emphasized. The horror is given much vitality thanks to graphical output and crisp sound design so while it may not be traditional, up-in-your-face horror, it still retains a healthy dose of eeriness and mystery to your surroundings.
Thinking about it afterwards, I wonder about my usage of "exorcising" the ghost as that implies the soul(s) that roam the corridors are evil. Usually it's defined that any spirits that are not laid to rest build up negative energy to use against living beings and by that definition, it would be fair to say but since I wasn't really threatened, maybe it'd be better to perceive the soul(s) as restless yet harmless.
I do wish there was a briefing of sorts, an explanation to the events that occurred in this game. As I started to filter the body to give the soul peace and prevent it from haunting the building, the ghost sighting(s) of what appeared to be a soldier started appearing. Not only that but the body itself as once the filtering finished, the train-track vision of the person kneeling was vague too. I don't mind the "in and out" theme of this game as it was simply a job to my character but it would've been nice to have a few questions answered. Maybe it's just the nature of my duties and I shouldn't think too hard about "occupational hazards".
Altogether, a very visually/aurally appealing game with simple interaction and a different approach to quelling supernatural forces. Perhaps in so many "ghostbusting" scenarios, there can be one where it's can be perceived as just routine, another day on the job giving people the chance to finally move on at the end of their lives. It might've been a side hustle during the dev's free time but it definitely brings up some interesting thoughts to ponder. Nicely done Mr. Schaeffer (and Mr. Byrd for the OG soundtrack too).
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