DreadOut

When the “3D Unity-based screamer simulator” became viral earlier in the decade, perhaps it was just a matter of time before Indonesia tries to jump on the bandwagon. After all, why shouldn’t they? The archipelago has their local supernatural and ghastly figure tales so ingrained within their culture that their cinema and literature churns out countless disposable works trying to cash in on the paranormal craze. A video game adaptation was a no-brainer. In 2014, Digital Happiness released DreadOut, a survival horror game built on the vein of, surprise, surprise, Fatal Frame and Outlast.

For the foreign audience, the Engrish-ridden description of the supernatural beings encountered by the hapless high school student protagonist is certainly alien. Creatures like Pocong (an undead wrapped in linen), Kuntilanak (long-haired womanlike apparition similar to The Grudge) or and phenomenon like kesurupan (demonic possession) isn’t something that the average western audience is aware of.

To be fair, DreadOut's theme is a much-needed breath of fresh air from the generic horror themes for those unfamiliar with Indonesian supernaturals. And yet, at the same time the mechanic is so formulaic that it becomes quite indistinguishable from any of the “screamer simulator” that YouTube gamers are so fond of.

You play as a high school student stumbling into an abandoned town in Java when her entourage inexplicably lost their way in a field trip. Out of curiosity, they went into the ghost town instead of turning back. Barely ten minutes into the game and all the cliche horror tropes are already present. The rest of the story is not worth mentioning and is wholly predictable at this point.

There is no combat in the game - you are only armed with a smartphone which acts as both your "weapon" and illumination. While you cannot kill enemies, you can snap your camera to temporarily stun them. In boss fights, take enough photos and they will eventually back off, allowing you to progress. If this mechanic isn't blatantly lifted from Fatal Frame then I don't know what it is.

The suspense factor of the game relies on the ever-so-present "sanity meter" that acts as health (get it too high and you're dead) and what else but screamers? At the end of the game I felt like I was watching a generic Indo-horror movie wrapped with an amalgamation of every horror cliche I can think of in both games and movies.

Not recommended for those looking for a fresh horror game, but the story can pique the curiosity of those seeking to understand foreign horror cultures.