Apparition Review: A Horror Game That Forgot the Horror

Indie developer MrCiastku’s roguelike horror game Apparition begins with a lot of potential, but ultimately devolves into a repetitive and shallow experience. The gameplay and mechanics don’t offer up anything different to separate Apparition from the rest of the survival horror genre, and while it does have a unique setup, it fails at the most important aspect of the genre: actually being scary.

In Apparition players are dropped into the shoes of a paranormal investigator who decides to travel to a small campground called Green Creek that had been host to a monstrous serial killer named The Plague in the early 2000s. Because of the amount of death enacted in this area it is now home to various spirits and demonic entities that the investigator now wants to document, selling any footage they obtain for a tidy profit.

The main objective of Apparition is to walk around Green Creek and find horrible things to take photos of or record. There are body bags, blood stains, and even spirits for the player to document that can be sold for in-game currency. Once the player thinks they have gathered enough evidence of the paranormal they can then return to their vehicle to end their run. This banks all of the currency earned and allows the player to purchase better equipment. This can range from better cameras, a crowbar, lockpicks, and assorted other items.

Another way to obtain paranormal documentation is by using a Ouija board at the campfire near the entrance to the campground. By collecting different scraps of paper with questions on them throughout the park, players can then ask said questions to nearby spirits with the board. Those who record these conversations will in turn earn money that can also be exchanged for better equipment. The downside to doing this is that it is impossible to look around while using the Ouija board, so this increases the risk being attacked by nearby spirits, introducing a bit of balance to Apparition‘s gameplay demands.

Since there is only one location to explore and Apparition encourages players to collect evidence and then return with better equipment, it does really have a kind of roguelike feel to it. The problem with this is that is that it almost completely ruins the horror aspect of the game. By giving players the ability to leave Green Creek whenever they wish, it removes all of the tension since they are basically not in any real danger. Any time that the world becomes too dangerous there is a vehicle-shaped safety net waiting for those who need it, which is basically the antithesis to horror video games, which thrive on discomfort and feelings of isolation or tension.

The ability to leave the area Apparition takes place in whenever with no penalty also makes it easy to cheese the system. Players get to keep any objects they unlock and all of the questions they discover in between runs, so there is absolutely nothing stopping the player from rushing to the campfire, asking as many questions as they can on the Ouija board, and then running back to their car before any spirits can attack. This really tilts the game’s balance, as players who are willing to exploit it can unlock all of the best quality items with just a little bit of patience.

Apparition also suffers from quite a few bugs. One of the most egregious is that when using the starting camera, players can occasionally become unable to put it away. When this happens they will be unable to use any other equipment, pick up any items, or even exit Green Creek by using the car. The only way to fix this issue it to either die or restart the game manually. There were also several times where the frame rate would drop or Apparition would momentarily freeze. These problems made it difficult to continue playing at times.

Apparition wound up being disappointing, mostly because of how interesting the initial premise of the game was and how it subsequently attempted to deliver on that promise. Intentionally seeking out paranormal activity rather than fleeing from it in a horror game is a fascinating idea, but Apparition wasn’t able to make it work with its repetitive gameplay and lack of scary elements. Apparition is hard to recommend in its current state to anyone except for the biggest of survival horror fans, and other games – Phasmophobia comes to mind – are probably better options right now.

Apparition will release for Nintendo Switch on November 13th, 2020 and can also be played on PC. A Nintendo Switch code was provided for the purposes of this review.

About The Author

Cody Peterson
(951 Articles Published)

Cody Peterson is an avid reader and writer. Graduated from Midwestern State University with a BA in English where he worked as an editor for the University literary journal. Currently a freelancer for Screenrant, where he spends most of his time writing guides or reviews. Be warned that any conversation started with him will probably wind up gravitating towards his two dogs, The Adventure Zone, or Kingdom Hearts 2.

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