Perception is a game by a former developer behind games such as Bioshock and Dead Space, and it gives us a spooky experience now on Nintendo Switch. Learn more in our Perception review!

 

The developers took the game to Kickstarter a couple of years ago and successfully raised $170,000 in pledges, which is pretty darn good considering it’s so difficult to get games funded on Kickstarter these days! Perception is a spooky walking simulator, and while I understand how some of you are strongly against this genre, I hope that you give this one a try since it has an interesting premise and solid gameplay mechanics.

Perception is a game that puts you in the shoes of Cassie, a blind woman who, in spite of her sensory loss, is a very independent woman. She has recently been dreaming of a weird mansion that she has no knowledge of, so she decides to visit the mansion to discover how she is connected to the building. Since Cassie is blind, the game tries to portray this by making the screen pitch black, so you’ll need to use echolocation (which is a real thing) to get around each area. You use the ZR button to activate echolocation, and anything of interest will glow green, and if there’s something producing sound nearby, like the wind hitting an object, you will be able to see it with a ghostly effect.

Unfortunately, using echolocation is a double-edge sword since, yes, it creates sound which is helpful… but the sound will also alert others to your location. These others are the creepy inhabitants of the mansion, who are of the supernatural variety and won’t be happy about you intruding in their home. You must therefore find a good balance between walking around completely in the dark and when to safely use echolocation so that you don’t alert the apparitions to your location.

As you progress the story unfolds through the visions, memories and the collectibles found, in a way similar to the audio diaries from the Bioshock games. All of these tell different stories through the multiple generations who lived in the mansion – you will to piece together the stories as you go to find out what is really going on. There are some interesting twists and turns I think you will like, so be ready!

As Cassie explores the eerie building, the mansion will change and start playing tricks on you, making learning your way around the mansion harder and harder – I can only imagine how a changing layout for a creepy mansion would be even scarier if you’re blind! The game is built around survival with hints of horror, and you’ll get to experience this during your journey with Perception.

Because of this, you can choose between three difficulty settings so that you can experience the game as it best suits your playing style. You can do things as if you were playing a nice story-based adventure game without having to worry about the hostile entities in the mansion, or you can go for a mild spook experience in which if you die you will get to respawn close-by so that you can learn from your mistakes and carry on. The final option is for those of you who are ready for a survival horror experience with danger around every corner, as well as permadeath: die and you’ll be sent back to the main menu to give it another go from the start.

Perception is a release with a very interesting premise and a solid story that I’m sure you’ll enjoy. Being blind and using echolocation to find your way around the creepy mansion feels great and the fact that danger could be lurking around the corner will keep you on high alert. Being able to turn the game into a full-on walking simulator with no danger or into a permadeath scare-fest is a nice touch, and it allows players of all skill levels to enjoy Perception on Nintendo Switch.

Disclaimer
This Perception review is based on a Nintendo Switch copy provided by The Deep End Games.