Lost in Vivo

Lost in Vivo is a low budget indie horror game, with a first person view but its highly influenced by Silent Hill. Its got an enticing premise, I mean who wouldnt chase their pet dog into a hellish sewer system.

While initially the game rellies mostly on its atmosphere, I was surprised at how solid its combat mechanics and even survival horror elements are. Its low poly visuals feel straight out of a PS1 game, and contribute to the spookiness of the setting.

The sound design is excellent and it offers an industrial ambient soundtrack that feels like it could have very well been composed by Akira Yamaoka. Quality stuff that adds a lot to the overall imersion of the game.

There are few enemies throughout its runtime, but each is very unique and require completly different strategies to beat. There are also plenty of puzzles throughout the game, many of which require thinking outside the box. There are also some meta elements that are better experienced in first person.

Despite the short lenght, its very deserving of all the attention it got. Its heavily inspired by Silent Hill yes, but its really the execution of those ideias and the incredible sense of atmosphere that makes this title standout in a very crowded genre.

A very quality indie iteration on Silent Hill, among other horror genre classics. Despite its familiar appearance, there is plenty in Lost In Vivo that surprised me. Unlike other horror games that attempted to place themselves in the lineage of horror greats, I think there is plenty of inspiration and personal vision that differentiates Lost In Vivo just fine. Look to how the chains swing, how smooth cassettes enter into the player, how the train glides into the station and you will see, beneath the early 3D grime, technical prowess and a unique design aesthetic.