Downfall Reviews

[h2]Downfall[/h2] Has a total of [b]6[/b] trading cards.

These games are the treasures of my childhood!

Biggest jumpscare in this game was Cryaotic speaking to you while you're stuck in a coffin.

I want to preface this by noting that as of writing this review, I have not played the original freeware Downfall (2009), so this is strictly a review for Redux (2016.) I will likely update this review to include the original at a later date. This is the second in the Devil Came Through Here series with The Cat Lady being first. Much like The Cat Lady, this is a linear point and click adventure horror that directly ties the two games together. In Downfall, instead of playing as Susan, you play as her neighbor Joe as he tries to save his wife and their marriage. There are definitely a lot of improvements between The Cat Lady and Downfall including graphics, and while I appreciate the first game in the series a whole lot with it being one of my favorite story based games, Downfall, to me, is a lot more effective at highlighting themes of mental health and the recovery process and how those things effect those around you. I actually found Downfall to be more difficult to get through despite the puzzles being less challenging and the map being smaller in a sense (most of this game takes place in one building.) To me, the psychological horror elements really get turned up to the extreme and very much accurately portrays how it feels to battle these particular mental health conditions. At times, with incredibly edgy imagery, characters, and dialogue, I felt a massive wave of discomfort, which absolutely proves how effective this type of horror works in this game. Despite how gruesome this game can be at times, it was done in a very respectful way that speaks volumes of the hard work this studio has put into this series. And by no means does me saying that this is done respectfully indicate that this game isn't horrifying: it absolutely is and I want to emphasis how much pain is embedded within this story. These games absolutely deserve more attention and I am very much looking forward to eventually completing Lorelai, the third game in this series.

better than cat lady, silent hill 2 inspired story. excelent game

Although the story is short, I truly wondered at first if what I was seeing through the character’s point-of-view was reliable or not. I quickly realized that he has mental issues and trauma that was never fully overcome as an adult. I do give the creators a hat’s off for addressing a serious problem in society. The story had me hooked and was enjoyable to play. Great follow-up to the cat lady.