A game where I felt I lost 2 hours of my life.
Image credit: PlayStation / Sony Interactive Entertainment promotional art.
Source: PlayStation
Summary
- Name of the game: Deliriant
- Launch date: May 23, 2017.
- Developer and editor: Manic Interactive
- Available platforms: PlayStation 4
- Game genre: Experimental adventure
- Context of the game: Deliriant is an interactive experience that immerses the player in a depiction of a 1970s house, exploring themes such as abuse, coping mechanisms and family relationships.
History and narrative
The game does not follow a traditional linear narrative. Instead, it invites the player to explore a detailed recreated house, discovering clues and objects that reveal fragments of the lives and experiences of its inhabitants.
Although there are no characters to interact with directly and no conventional dialogue, the house itself acts as a character, telling its story through the objects and environment. The world-building is meticulous, offering an intimate view of domestic life in the 1970s.
At least in my experience I did not understand anything of the story and it is not explained well, only that you have interest in investigating what the game is about and what you are doing in the house, then you will understand something of the game and the ending is weird, when you finish you will wonder what happened or what was supposed to go this game.
Gameplay
The gameplay focuses on exploration and interaction with everyday objects inside the house. There is no combat or traditional puzzles; the challenge lies in interpreting the story through detailed observation, something that is really complicated because there is nothing interesting, it is a house and you see what is there, the player is supposed to understand as he interacts with the environment, something he does not feel he achieves unless you spend a lot of laps around the house which is boring.
There is no replayability at all. The controls are simple and intuitive, allowing smooth navigation through the environment.
Graphics and visual design
El juego presenta un modelado detallado de objetos y ambientes, con texturas y animaciones que capturan la esencia de la década de 1970. No esperen mayor cosa en este apartado, es un juego de bajo presupuesto y muy enfocado a contar una historia a través de objetos, así que los gráficos no es algo bueno.
Sound and music
The game has no voices, dialogues or script, there is nothing. The soundtrack is practically non-existent. It has one or another sound effect with what you interact in the house, but something very basic for games of its year.
Difficulty and accessibility
The game presents no challenges, focusing on exploration and everything is left to personal interpretation, although many players fail to understand the story. No specific accessibility features are highlighted.
Additional content
The length of the main campaign can be completed in about 2 hours and that's going pretty slow. It has no mini-games or side activities, no dlc, so the campaign is all you have which is not much either.
Technical Aspects
The game is available exclusively on PlayStation 4 and offers stable performance, which is the minimum expected, you are not going to have problems with this. It would already be unbelievable for a game like this to have performance issues.
Value for money
Considering its short length and depth of experience, the price is reasonable for those looking for an experiential narrative. It is priced at one dollar, which is fine.
Trophies / Achievements
As there are no trophies or traditional achievements, it does not apply.
Conclusion
A game that has to be too specific for certain people, for very few in fact. Its story is not interesting at all, its gameplay, soundtrack, graphics are not good at all. Its difficulty is more for how boring the game can be and to understand. The positive thing is that it is short and cheap.
But if you tell me, I wouldn't pay a dollar for this and save 2 hours of your life, because you're missing out on nothing. Truth be told, this may be in my opinion the worst game I have ever played in my life.
My final rating for Deliriant is:
1.0/5.0
