Raakaar

Review: First, I must preface the rest of this review on the fact I REALLY did have fun with this game. It is such an amazing concept with beautifully rendered scenes, surprisingly good pacing, and very good voice acting. It runs smoothly on good hardware and I never had an issue with it. I feel it is mischaracterized as a Horror game when it should be classified as an Adventure/Mystery title. Additionally for ~$20 US it is a bargain for the experience. Why the lower score then? Because it feels unfinished and it is lacking in some critical areas. Were it not for that, this game has the potential to be an 8 or 9, and maybe more considering it is an indie title that looks AAA. In my opinion, here are the gaps: 1. The puzzles are largely sophomoric and are 99% find the paper with the code. 2. The walking mechanic is PAINFULLY arduous and running is only SLIGHTLY better, except in the few chase sequences where you suddenly get a turbo boost. 3. It is lacking in true scare elements and would be better characterized as a mystery. 4. The transition (loading) screens reference elements that are NOT IN THE GAME! (e.g. collecting lightning and moving forward and backwards through time) 5. It is short and the ending is abrupt and jarring. It leaves you unfulfilled, and wanting more. It seems to me that they really had an ambitious vision, but just could not hit their mark, so they rushed out what was ready. I would love to see them fix the **** bits and add more on as a free update (but I would begrudgingly accept a DLC) to really enjoy the potential of this game and the complete vision of the story. To see the true vision would be worth the price.