If you are like me, you’ve laid awake at night, replaying events in your head that didn’t turn out the way you hoped. You wish that you could take back words that were said, made better decisions when given the opportunity, or just avoided certain situations altogether. What if there was a way to go back and relive those events with the knowledge that you had after the fact? That is the premise of the horror sci-fi thriller Asemblance.

You’ll begin the game in a large metal lab, with a single computer console in the room. You are soon greeted by an eerie, unnamed AI who asks you some basic questions and then opens a portal of sorts that transports you to a forest area that works as a basic tutorial, and is the first of a handful of areas you’ll explore. Exploration is easy to do, as the controls are extremely accessible. With run, zoom, and interaction buttons, the tutorial does not require much of your time before you can get into the meat of the game.

Each area is highly detailed and well rendered, with some areas almost feeling real. While you will occasionally find some details that look flat and feel mildly out of place, it rarely breaks immersion. Most of the first person horror games that have been released on this console generation would fit the bill, but this title is simply begging to be ported to VR.

The gameplay featured in this title is unique, but won’t be for everyone. It is primarily a walking simulator with the player needing to observe or interact with a small number of items in a set order to progress. Upon “completion” you will receive an ending of sorts that will give some insight into the story, but will also have you scratching your head at the same time, and soon you’ll be staring at the main menu again. When you return to the lab, it will seem as if you are starting over, but you will notice on the console that any previously visited locale will still be an option, and things are a bit different.

After the requirements for each ending have been achieved, the subsequent playthrough will feature some mild jump scares as well as intended technical glitches to keep the player on edge. While you are never in any true danger, it does constantly feel like the AI, as well as the apparitions you will encounter, is out to get you. Even when things are calm and seem normal, there is a true sense of dread that something below the surface is prepared to strike.

Each of these runs or playthroughs will vary on the time they take; my first 2 endings were completed in less than an hour, while the 3rd and 4th took a bit longer due to the difficulty increasing slightly. With a total of 5 endings, this game will likely only offer an hour to two hours of gameplay, depending on the player’s mental fortitude.

While this title has been confirmed to be the start of an episodic adventure, Asemblance feels much more like a demo than an episode at its current price point. It looks amazing and features some great ideas, but many players will likely feel shorted due to the lack of content. If the premise interests you, I would recommend taking the plunge, even at full price, if only as an investment to see more of what this title can offer us in the future.

8 out of 10

Pros:

• Great Concept That Sinks its Teeth Into You
• Impressive Visuals

Cons:

• Super Short for its Price Point

Asemblance was developed and published by Nilo Studios. The game launched on PC and PS4 in 2016, and later launched on XB1 January 29th, 2018 for $7.99. The XB1 version of the game was provided to us for review. If you’d like to see more of Asemblance, check out the official site.

 

Here at GBG we use a rating method that you are more than likely familiar with – a scale of 1 to 10. For clarification, we intend on using the entire scale: 1-4 is something you should probably avoid paying for; 5-7 is something that is worth playing, but probably not at full price; 8-10 is a great title that you can feel confident about buying. If you have any questions or comments about how we rate a game, please let us know.

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