To the great dismay of fans of immersive sims, it has now been several years since the big studios abandoned the genre. Too complex to explain and requiring the player to think a little, the concept is clearly not adapted to consoles, the main target of AAA. Luckily, the indie scene exists, and many developers who grew up with it System Shock Or Deus Ex, want to make their contribution. This is particularly the case ofEntropy Phyfounder and sole member of the studio Glass Knuckle Gameswhich develops Ad Infernum. Only discovered a few days ago, this immersive sim seemed to offer an interesting experience. And despite my reluctance because of the horrific aspect, I did well to throw myself into it body and soul.
Gender : Immersive horror sim | Developer: Glass Knuckle Games | Editor: Glass Knuckle Games | Platform : Steam | Price : €9.75 | Recommended configuration: Core 2 Duo4 GB of RAM, dedicated graphics card | LANGUAGES : English | Release date : 02/29/2024 | Lifetime : 3 hours for a first run, much more to try other approaches.
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Test carried out on the Steam version provided by the developer.
Ad Scenarium
The scenario ofAd Infernum is a bit cryptic. Following a car accident in the desert, in the middle of nowhere, we find ourselves in a gas station monitored by a monstrous-looking guard, more inclined to cut us in two than to start a discussion. To guide us, one person a priori she, also stuck in the corner, gives us instructions via a walkie-talkie, which will take us to unconventional places. From the first minutes, the fantastic dimension explodes in our faces, and the explanatory texts invade the screen to describe all the possibilities offered. It's not very immersive, but it has the merit of being effective, and once the concepts are integrated, everything goes very smoothly. The game will then ask us to achieve various objectives, while avoiding our invincible opponent – even if we can sometimes temporarily incapacitate him. I was a little apprehensive about the horror part, because it's a genre that I don't like at all, but fortunately, the situation evolves very quickly. Indeed, we can find weapons left and right, allowing us to be much less helpless in the face of threats.
In each area of the game, you can find a secure room, in which no monsters will follow you. We then have a mechanism allowing us to save, but also a sort of magical recycler, to reduce the various things gleaned left and right to the state of materials. On the other hand, a sort of workbench, also magical, allows you to create objects from these materials. Once the plan has been found, you will be able to make care kits, ammunition or even weapons and permanent bonuses. Although the process may seem a little complex at first, it is ultimately very simple to use.
Classic, but effective
Once equipped, you will have to achieve the objectives and solve small puzzles, in the pure tradition of immersive sims. For example, if a door is closed, we can find the key, but we could also find a passage through the false ceiling or through the window. These sequences are nevertheless not very numerous, and we would have liked to have had the opportunity to use these very well implemented mechanics more frequently. Moreover, it will take a little less than three hours to reach the end of the adventure. However, the developer strongly encourages restarting other runs, thanks, on the one hand, to a “new game +”, allowing you to keep the unlocked improvements. But also by offering plenty of challenges giving points to spend on special abilities, available at the start of a new game. It's quite clever and allows you to increase the lifespan of the game at a lower cost, for those who wish.
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A very successful game feel
The movements offered are pleasant and fluid. You can lean over to peek around the corners of the walls, and the ride is relatively quick. If we spend most of the time crouching and in the shadows in the first part of the game, we will quickly arrive at a gameplay more focused on confrontations, with enemies to smash with baseball bats or nail guns. We will also have access to a real pistol, then to a very effective sawn-off shotgun. For a project of this scale, I found the feeling of the weapons very good: the sound design is correct, the weapons have flavor, the impression of power is there. There is even a short passage in DOOM-like nag mode, rather pleasant, to highlight all this.
A very good experience
Ad Infernum is a very fun little immersive independent sim. The horror part is not too long, but works well, to then give way to classic gameplay of this type of game: the choice in the approaches to objectives and combat. On the other hand, the movements and weapons offered are very pleasant. It's dynamic and it packs a punch, which isn't easy for a project of this scale. Finally, even if the main story only lasts three hours, and we would have liked a little more different situations, everything is done so that we restart games by changing approaches, in order to multiply the lifetime. In summary, it's a very good experience.
If you also want to get started with Ad Infernum, you can take advantage of the –10% launch promotion on Steam, which makes it a little less than €9.
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