Geek Syndicate Issue 5 | Page 107

Geek Syndicate
VIDEO GAME REVIEW

Deadlight
ing into sharp splinters as the door slams back on its hinges. Seeing a large metal shelving unit nearby, I heave against it, toppling it across the open doorway, blocking my pursuers and buying me time to restore some stamina and regain my bearings once more. Welcome to the world of Deadlight. It is the mid 1980s, and a virus has broken out that reanimates the dead and brings them back to some semblance of life. Survivors of the outbreak call these creatures Shadows, but I will refer to them as zombies from this point on, as that is a more telling description of how they behave. You play a struggling survivor who is trying to rejoin his wife and daughter after becoming separated from them. To do this, he has to navigate the hostile streets and abandoned buildings of Seattle; always keeping a wary eye over his shoulder for the shuffling death that has now claimed his world. The trouble is, the walking undead are only one aspect of the hazards that face him and you. Your path will occasionally cross that of other humans, and not all of them are concerned for your own personal well being. The environment also plays a large role in how your journey proceeds, sometimes aiding you with handy barricades or safe rooftops to rest on, sometimes hindering you with electrified puddles, deep water and
Image © Tequila Works, 2012

crumbling ledges that begin to creak ominously once they sense your weight. Speaking of the environment, it is gorgeous! Well as gorgeous as a post-apocalyptic world can be. The visual style is eye catching for a number of reasons. The first is that the foreground, where you are and where the things that you can interact with reside, is in the darkest area of the screen. It tends to get lighter and more detailed as you look further into the distance. This is also used to great effect when zombies in the background rush to the foreground, usually giving you a few seconds to decide what to do. It is a pleasing 2.5D effect that is executed in gloomy style. Added to this is the graphic novel style cut scenes that are used every now and then to move the story along. If the game Limbo and The Walking Dead graphic novels ever have a love-child, Deadlight could well be what it turns out like. Added to the visuals is a suitably atmospheric and satisfying sound palette, the rumbling of decaying buildings and the whup-whupping of helicopters all beautifully presented, making it feel like a truly living world, albeit one mostly populated by the undead. To be chased by gurgling zombies as debris falls around you and creaking girders vibrate above you is one of the true pleasures of the game.

Publisher: Tequila Works

The world has ended. There is no hope. No new beginning. Only the survivors. DEADLIGHT follows the journey of Randall Wayne, a man searching for his family across Seattle during the aftermath of a 1980s event that has decimated life on earth. This visually stunning Cinematic Survival Platformer will challenge you to run, jump, climb, and struggle for your life as you look for answers and the ones you love.

I’m sprinting along a debris strewn corridor, trying to jump over the obstacles that conspire to tangle my feet and bring me crashing to the ground. Three shambling Shadows rush at me with a gurgle as I fail to leap over some boxes and tumble to the floor. Stumbling to my feet with a second to spare, I see a cracked wooden door ahead and shoulder barge it open, the wood disintegrat-

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