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One of the greatest tragedies in gaming history was the breakup between Konami and Hideo Kojima that led to the dissolution of whatever P.T. was to become. While nothing will ever quite live up to that short demo/teaser/whatever it was – except maybe for Kojima’s next game, OD – the recently released REVEIL scratches a little bit of the itch that P.T. left unattended.
Developed by Pixelsplit and published by Daedalic Entertainment, REVEIL markets itself as a ‘first-person psycho-thriller game.’ Sound familiar? I played through the bite-sized title in an afternoon, and while it leans far into tense mystery territory rather than scary, I came away quite satisfied as a casual fan of both horror and puzzle games. This was despite the final chapter taking a hard turn into M. Night Shyamalan’s neighborhood. Fret not – I won’t spoil what happens.
REVEIL begins with you in control of a man named Walter as he wakes up in his bed surrounded by empty pill packages, questioning where his wife and daughter could’ve gotten to. A simple puzzle involving placing a ballerina figurine in a music box to reveal a key sets the tone as to what’s to come. The rest of the house is in shambles, with decayed food, broken bottles, and paintings askew.
The first two chapters in particular brought to mind my first experience with P.T. way back in 2014. Exploring Walter’s disheveled home in a few different sequences and noticing odd inconsistencies each time clearly drew inspiration from how the corridor changed in Kojima’s classic horror experience and so too did picking up what was going on from environmental clues. Walter’s missing wife and daughter unsettled me in a much different way than sightings of the phantom from P.T. due to how many alcohol bottles and pill packages were strewn about, though I kept expecting to turn around to see an apparition disappear out of the corner of my eye. The mystery kept me engrossed until REVEIL shifted to focus on puzzles and trippy story sequences, dropping much of the unsettling horror act, yet I was already hooked enough to see Walter’s story to its conclusion.
There’s only a handful of major logic puzzles in the game – the first taking place in his daughter’s room – but they straddle an almost perfect line between frustratingly obtuse and satisfying to solve. One in second chapter that involves deciphering numbers (I’m a writer, not a mathematician) frustrated me; otherwise, it was smooth, engrossing sailing as I tried to piece together what exactly was going on.
Outside of the family home, the rest of the game takes place at the circus where both his wife and daughter perform. Something bad happened there, naturally, and as you venture deeper into the story it becomes clear that Walter’s mind isn’t altogether there as reality begins to unravel. Later chapters feature a dark forest with a not-so-friendly surprise stalking within, an intense sequence upon an abandoned train, and a fun little cart ride that pieces everything together as it leans heavily into the creepy circus theme.
By that point, I saw the outcome Walter’s story coming a mile away. I was no longer frightened, but the puzzles were engaging enough, and Pixelsplit kept me guessing just enough for me to continue on. I did not, however, see the twist the final chapter throws at you coming, despite a few little hints and warnings spread throughout in the form of little notes and odd collectibles. Even after sitting on it for a day or two, I’m still not sure how I feel about it.
My time with REVEIL wasn’t all fun puzzles and not-so-happy clowns. Pixelsplit decided to give Walter a voice that often felt at odds with the events of the game. In fact, I found muting the voice volume and reading his thoughts in the form of subtitles made for a far more engrossing experience. And despite having no real impact on the narrative, some of the 36 collectibles spread throughout the five chapters were so obtusely hidden that, when I finished a stage, I was a bit miffed to see how many I missed despite thoroughly searching. In a mystery-heavy experience like this, I wanted to uncover every little tidbit I could before moving onward.
Still, fans of P.T. and similar puzzle-horror games will get their money’s worth as REVEIL will run you only 17.99 USD. It’s not going to make you lose sleep or even fear playing with the lights off, so depending on how much you disparage twist endings, but fans of the genre should come away psychologically troubled after spending a few hours in REVEIL’s unsettling circus-inspired world.
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