Stairs is a first-person horror title from developer GreyLight Entertainment and publisher Digital Tribe. Playing as investigator Christopher Adams, it's your job to take a look at the disappearance of three people over the course of four levels; high-school graduate Valerie Berkley, business man James Reed, and pastor Jean Jowars Remens. Your investigations will take you through a basement, a mine shaft, and a dark, foggy forest. Even though all of the events in the game are based off of real life horrors, none of them stand out as much as the obvious ode to Jonestown and Heaven's Gate that the Jean Jowars Remens episode takes you through; going as far to even quote Jim Jones himself... "Oh, how I have loved you."
The environments are extremely memorable due to their intense, and sometimes overwhelming, ambiance; this is credited in part to the use of a terrific soundtrack, but also thanks to the creepy settings at hand. Each level is far different from its predecessor, and while starting off in a cliched spooky basement to find out what happened to Valerie Berkley isn't the best stepping stone for Stairs, rest assured that the title only gets better from there onward. The mine shaft chapter in particular leaves a vivid, haunting memory once you come to realize what it is that you've actually stumbled upon while trying to find James Reed. When it comes to the eerily still forest in Jean Jowars Remens' case, there are even subtle, attention-to-detail additions like distant gunshots added, to make you realize that cult members in the surrounding area are still killing themselves.
The title uses a series of notes, and four very well hidden audio logs, to help give players an understanding of the events, as told through either one of the victims or their killer; sometimes it ends up being both. Additionally, taking pre-designated pictures of places and items will sometimes prompt another journal entry by Adams, which more often than not reveals more information and also gives his take on the situation. Other than that, gamers are tasked with solving puzzles in order to progress through the game, and many involve the use of Adams' camera; sometimes you are required to take a photo of something to reveal a doorway, item, or to be transported to another level entirely to solve a unique puzzle. The enigmas are a tossup between commonplace and unique, as they often are basic puzzles that have a special Stairs twist to them.
While all of that probably sounds pretty good to you, this title does have a couple of issues that need to be addressed. The optimization can be a bit dodgy in places, and even on my i7 6700k/GTX 1080/16GB DDR4 3000 combo I experienced significant framerate drops to the 40's. While it only lasted a few seconds, it's enough to cause disorientation and an immersion disconnect from the player with the game. Additionally, Stairs has a notorious reputation for letting the player character fall through the floor of the game, only to be forced to restart from the last checkpoint. This is something that the developer still hasn't fixed, despite numerous people bringing it to their attention.
Although it has its flaws, that doesn't mean that Stairs should be overlooked. It's one of the best indie horror titles on Steam to date, and in certain areas it has a Silent Hills PT vibe to it. If you have a fascination with cults, gruesome deaths, and the profane, then you will most certainly recognize the real-world events that these tales are based off of; if you don't, then you will still be able to enjoy what's going on. Where Stairs really stands out is its deep atmosphere, seconded only by the unique layout of its puzzles and followed up by its minimalistic yet effective storytelling. If you're looking for a horror game that's a little bit different, with a bit of psychological terror thrown into the mix, then look no further.
Rating: 4.5/5.0 - Excellent, highly worth playing.The Horror Network
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