In a time where even the government and mainstream news regularly play with the notion of aliens being among us, the folks at Refugium Games made the smart play of releasing their first game: Greyhill Incident. It’s survival horror and plays with the notion of aliens making contact with a small town during the 90’s. I am not sure if the release of this was a coincidence, a stark warning that Refugium Games is part of the alien nation, or an attempt made by Alex Jones under an alias to prove he was right about something. Again. Sadly, the thought behind this is much more entertaining than the game itself.

The game follows Ryan, a single dad, former baseball player, and a resident and member of the neighborhood watch for the quaint town of Greyhill. Unfortunately for him, the aliens decided that instead of just poking around and being seen here and there, they were going to start their full-on invasion under his watch. They also decided to take his son, so the problems are piling up for him, just like they did for me as the player.

Before we get into the litany of issues, I will say that I really enjoyed the first half hour or so of this game. Outside of the poorly written and phoned-in voiceovers, this was an atmospheric opening that really set a high bar for the rest of the adventure. The lighting and most of the assets were on point, selling the 90s’ setting, and included an impressive amount of detail – especially the stalks of corn that would sway and move as you worked through the various cornfields (can’t have an alien game without corn can we now?). I really loved the sound design overall, which set the spooky tone right out of the gate. This is one of the few examples of a horror game that would’ve been better suited to a walking simulator as opposed to an action-oriented title, because that’s where the really big issues come into play.

First off, the aliens look ridiculous, like children wearing alien masks with black leotards. They move in a way that is stiff and inhuman, which works I guess, but the expressionless faces really killed it for me. I know we’re dealing with the thought of aliens taking over a rural town, so my suspension of belief is there, but I find it incredibly idiotic that they show no emotion when being smacked in the face with a baseball bat or shot in their oversized grey noggins with a revolver. Squaring off with the aliens is also a pain point due to the way that our hero, a famed baseball player, swings the bat like he’s only got one arm and is tapping it against one of those Whack-A-Mole games at Chuck E. Cheese. I love this little nod that I am assuming is a tribute to Meryl from Signs, but I was expecting Ryan to wind up and really let the little grey men have it, not a love tap that takes 3+ hits to knock them down to the ground for about 10 seconds, while in those 10 seconds they can still grab you. This is problematic because when the aliens grab you, you have to bash the right trigger to break free. Three grabs equates to being abducted and boots you promptly back to your last checkpoint.

This is the absolute worst example of the hide-and-seek mechanic on this planet or any other one in the galaxy. There are places to hide, but even if the otherworldly attackers are a football field away from you, they will make a beeline to where you’re at, and guess what? You’re abducted. If you’re mashing the trigger facing off with one of those bastards and another one comes up, guess what? Abducted again. You literally have no means of defense other than a revolver, and opposed to being a tool you can use, it’s much more akin to a narrative device since the only way to get more ammo (a few bullets at a time) is when the story decides it’s a good idea and an NPC drip feeds the bullets to you. Making matters worse, it takes not one but two bullets to the face to stop one of these invaders permanently, but it’s a crapshoot because if any of their friends are lingering about, they are going to make a beeline for you, and in all likelihood, you’re going to be without ammo anyways.

Like moths to the flame, the invaders are also attracted to your flashlight, which much like the recent release Amnesia: The Bunker must be recharged manually at about the same rate. I personally hated this, especially here. While it made sense during the WW1 timeline, the 90s were ripe with batteries. I remember finding an endless supply in my dad’s TV remote or flashlights that just respawned through some mystical power, so I don’t get why that couldn’t be a factor here.

Despite these issues, there are some fun nods and stereotypical alien themes that get used in interesting ways, such as the otherworldly beings messing with electronics, tinfoil hats blocking the ability to read minds, and cows that go from breathing to hamburger in your immediate vicinity like you’re playing some alternate version of Layers of Fear. There’s also the occasional sighting that leads to nothing, making you question whether it was a shadow or really something out there lurking in the night. It’s just a shame that everything else couldn’t reach this level of polish.

Greyhill Incident is a survival horror game that fails to meet the balance between horror and survival. Even with a few standout mechanics, the experience as a whole is frustrating, uneven, and essentially broken. With enough patches, this could become something playable, but as it stands, it’s about as much fun as an anal probe without consent or anesthesia.

4 out of 10

Pros

• Atmospheric Opening
• Nails the Alien Themes
• The 90s Aesthetic

Cons

• Phoned in Voice Overs and Mediocre Writing
• The Grab Mechanic
• Lack of Ammo
• Cranking that Flashlight like it’s WW1

Greyhill Incident was developed and published by Refugium Games in association with Perp Games. It is available on PC, PS5, and XSX. The game was provided to us for review on XSX. If you’d like to see more of Greyhill Incident, check out the publisher’s site.

 

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