This game has been collecting dust in my library for almost 3 years. For those who are bad at math - I bought this game back in 2019.
For three years, I installed it from time to time and tried to get through. But either I was too young and did not understand what the game wanted from me - or the game was really THEN very difficult for me. But I couldn't get past the "Courtroom". I just did not understand where to go, what I need to do. And how it all works!
Perhaps this will seem ridiculous. But in a game in which there is no elementary training, it does not work out in five seconds.
3 years have passed, and against the backdrop of modern problems and the ban on purchases in the Steam store, I decided that it was worth trying to replay those 8000 games that are already on the account.
Among them, of course, was Agony.
By the way, I quickly understood the mechanics of the game and was able to finish the first level (FIRST CARL !!!), in a record 4 hours for me.
The game turned out to be not the same as the description on the page in the store draws it. And even more so, not the way I imagined it.
The game has several modes. And if in the "martyr" mode - we have some kind of ephemeral goal, namely to get to the Red Queen and earn a ticket from Hell. Then in the Succubus mode - there is no history. From the word at all.
Let's start with the basics:
Playing for the "martyr" the player will be in the dark catacombs located on the first levels of the game. 80% of the time you will spend in pitch darkness. If you died, or you were killed by a Demon, then by upgrading your skills, you will be able to move into both sinners and demons.
Sounds pretty simple, but in reality the game doesn't explain which "sinners" are available to inhabit. And as it turned out by chance - in order to move in, you must first remove the bags from the heads of sinners. Only then the Spirit of the martyr will be able to move into the body.
The game is rather meager in terms of plot details - picking up notes, we don't really reveal the game's ENT - but also in terms of level details. The levels are made cheaply, kilometers of corridors with the texture of meat instead of walls and ceilings. Only sometimes there are majestic views for which you want to stop and capture them in the form of a screenshot. But there are only a few such places. For 15 hours of play.
From the "horror" genre, which the developers promised us - in fact the content is almost zero. Yes, we see violence and dark corridors. Yes - the first meetings with onoskelis, or other Demons make you panic. But further and further - the game simply forgets about the "horrors" and turns into an ordinary maze runner, where we must quickly find a way out of the maze of forks.
Also, officially - the game is curtailed. As stated by the developers - they removed the "SHOCK" content, as well as elements of eroticism. In fact, everything is much worse:
Yes, Mad Mind Studios removed the sinners' vaginas and nipples from their breasts. The babies were removed. But many textures have also been "cut down". After the colorful and detailed human models that we saw in the trailers, we are waiting for low-poly models in the game. Covered in textures that crumble and stretch when interacting with them.
In addition to the main content, additional content was also censored. materials, more precisely, only video - no one blurred anything in the images.
By the way, the Succubus - everything remained in place. Like the male genitalia of sinners. So censorship works selectively.
If in the "martyr mode" - we spent all the time in the dark, then by opening the "succubus mode" - we are given "hellish vision". This means only one thing - we no longer need a torch! Sounds wonderful! Until you exit the dark corridors of the first levels. And the picture starts to simply blind from an excess of white.
Also, in addition to vision, the player opens up "alternative paths" - which will give us new sensations! But in fact - we are moving along the same route along which we passed the company of the martyr. Only sometimes we can meet the doors to enter the "secret hall", or find a shortcut. Which often turns out to be longer than the usual path, and can bring nothing but a waste of time and nerves.
Pros:
+ Pretty bold game for its time.
+ Good soundtrack.
+ Previously, when buying the original game, the studio gave you a copy of the Unrated version.
+ Achievements
+ Difficulty
+ Semi-open world.
Minuses:
- Graphics
- Background sounds
- The presence of bugs and glitches
- Lack of training
Result:
The game of its time, which showed many developers that you should not be shy and hide your projects from view. Thanks to a good PR campaign and the fact that the game was on the lips of many, games like Lust were able to appear on sale.
I do not recommend this game to people who are looking for an easy ride with a minimum of problems.
The game is suitable for people who are willing to suffer for... nothing. Do you love complexity? Do you want to feel like in Hell?
Buy and don't hesitate! Moreover, the game is almost always sold at a big discount.
1.5