Scratches: Djrectors Cut

"What originated as a game we had no expectations for, turned out to be an amazing experience with a compelling plot, awesome soundtrack, and extremely creepy. Scratches is a game that, at first glance, looks like it’d be a boring point & click puzzle game, but it slowly turns into the scariest game I have ever played.

Now, this is going to have some minor spoilers, so I suggest you don’t read this if you plan on playing the game. Go into it blind, that’s the best way to do it.

The gameplay follows the “Modern” point & click style. It’s not a static image you look at, but rather a full 360 degrees, allowing you to examine and prod every angle of the room you’re currently in. It’s much more immersive than the older style point & clicks, as you feel like you’re actually in the house. The game’s graphics are beautiful, making it almost look as if they just took photos of a real house, and mapped out chunks for you to explore. So what exactly makes Scratches so scary? It’s not something like Dead Space every horror game and movie in the past five years, this game doesn’t rely on startling the player. This game does, however, reward those with patience. The game relies entirely on ambiance, it sets you up for something to happen, but nothing does. At least, not for a while. The game sets you up to scare you, but instead decides to be patient, and wait until you’re fully immersed in the game, before throwing everything at you.


The problem is, if you rush through the game, it’s not going to be very scary. The horror elements come from the backstory. Reading crumpled manuscripts from the previous people who lived in the house, figuring out the plot and piecing together the mystery, the lore created for the game. That’s what’s important. The notes scattered throughout the house set the mood for the game, while the ambient music and sounds set the player up.

Things like reading about how a man went insane after hearing African Tribal Drums coming from the African souvenir room, only to go into that room yourself, and faintly hear drums in the distance. That’s what makes this game scary.

Scratches is not a game you should rush though. It is a game you should be patient with. You should sit down and let yourself be taken in by it. I say this because that’s how I played it, and Scratches is the only game that has ever managed to legitimately scare me. Unlike Dead Space and The House those other ones we won’t mention.

All in all, Scratches gets an easy 8/10. It’d be upwards 10/10 if not for the fact the ending is really poorly executed. Plot-wise, the ending is nice. How it actually plays out could have used some work. But it still doesn’t detract from the rest of the game. Scratches: The Last Visit on the other hand, does. It’s an expansion that was released, and although it does help to explain some of the story, you will not take this game seriously after playing it. Pretend it doesn’t exist. Scratches on its own, however, is entirely worth playing." Via tumblr