It’s easy to argue that the game doesn’t hold your hand, forcing the player to think of solutions themselves. The other issue is the game’s lack of guidance after its initial tutorial. The physics of the game take a little longer to learn than some might be comfortable with. Combat feels a little off, too, with seemingly well-placed strikes and shots missing their target on occasion. While the instances are few, there were plenty of times that the controls seemed too loose, plunging poor Desmond to his death or getting him stuck on something that didn’t seem to be an obstacle. In older games of this genre, movement could be loose, causing platforming to end in a game over despite feeling like everything was done correctly. Unfortunately, the game’s few missteps are negligible but still provide some frustrations. Whether intentional or not, the method to progression fits into the themes of the game.Ĭlick images to enlarge. Sometimes it’s the game playing tricks on you and sometimes it’s a matter of situation assessment. While this seems straightforward, there are a few occasions where progression might seem impossible until the player takes a step back, analyzes the area and approaches from a different angle. Between dodging these spirits, players must navigate physical puzzles involving jumping, dashing, and crossing terrain that gets more and more treacherous with each new area. Each patient also haunts their own headspace in which Desmond tries to break them of their anger that they are holding on to, keeping them tormented. Getting these enhancements can be perilous, but in the end, worth it.Įxploration becomes equal parts mobility and combat as Desmond faces down creatures that start to stalk him from the depths of his patients’ psyches. Through these, Desmond can improve his stamina, health, and other factors to help make surviving his deep dives a bit easier. ![]() The game also rewards exploration and checking into nooks and dead ends to find ammunition, health, and if they’re lucky, stat boosting pills that will help Desmond in a number of ways if he finds enough. The transition from success by escaping and stealth to being able to fend off multiple threats at a time with shotgun is gradual, so the game never veers too far from its roots in survival over action. The game takes steps to embolden the player as it ramps up, introducing weapons to combat more physical dangers if they should choose to go out of their way to do so. Playing out in first person, you’ll run, jump, and duck through dangers and environments to progress through each area and the central hub of Desmond’s apartment building. In Sound Mind plays like most action survival horror games. There’s Always More to a Dream Than It Seems By putting their tortured souls to rest, he hopes to help them rest peacefully and discover why all his patients in particular are passing away, one by one.Ĭlick images to enlarge. Through battles both mental and physical, Desmond’s goal is to make it through several of his patients’ tapes in the same way. These doors act as gateways between “inner worlds” and after a literal walk down memory lane, the therapist finds himself inside of a twisted and dark version of the last important place in that patient’s life. ![]() In this, the player is treated to recorded sessions between Desmond and the patient while he slowly makes his way to a glowing door. Unnaturally strong police tape blocks hallways, a missing elevator button means you can only return to your office- and once you do, Desmond starts to realize his purpose in this dreamscape.įinding a tape from one of his former and now deceased patients, Demond plugs it into a cassette player and finds himself transported into another mindscape. It only takes a few steps outside of the room to realize you aren’t exactly home, with glowing clouds of toxicity and phone calls from a mysterious stalker haunting you as you make your way back to your office. ![]() ![]() Thrown into the psychological shoes of therapist Desmond Wales, you wake up in the grungy basement of your apartment building. In Sound Mind is one of the latest of these mind-bending games that attempts to pry into the heads of its characters and play a number of tricks on the hands at the keyboard to get under their skin in a unique way. There are a number of games that have tried, with variable degrees of success, to dig into the psychological and emotional depths of both their protagonists and the players themselves.
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