Welcome to our Pacify Review. Pacify is a fast paced, multiplayer horror game developed by indie game creator Shawn Hitchcock. We love horror games so we were really excited when we got our hands on a copy of the game.
So, let’s get into the review and see if this indie horror game is any good.
Pacify Review – First Impressions
The plot synopsis sounds great and for an Indie game the visuals in the screenshots look fantastic. Let’s hope it’s as good as it looks on paper.
You’ll play Pacify as an employee of PAH, Inc. (Paranormal Activity Helpers Incorporated). The game starts when you begin your investigations of an old spooky (horror movie style) house.
In the past, the old spooky house was believed to have been a funeral parlour with a paranormal twist. The difference is that it offered the chance to speak to loved ones that had recently died.
The core gameplay element is a cross between survival and exploration and discovery which is nothing new, but this type of gameplay doesn’t seem over done yet.
We don’t think exploration gameplay elements will ever get boring, because there’s always something new for developers to include in the game, which means there’s alway something for us, the player, to discover!
You’ll need to gather up evidence of what is really going on at the house, find keys to unlock rooms and keep the evil beings you come across at bay.
Pacify gave the initial impression that it was going to be a bog standard horror game. Horror games don’t tend to be actually very scary. But the developer has created an intensity to the game which makes it feel really inclusive. It feels as if you are invested in what’s going on. And with that investment comes the scary part, the jump scares.
You are most susceptible to the jump scares when you are concentrating so much on a particular item or area of the house. It will catch you out a few times so be careful! Once you’ve experienced a few of them, you’ll get used to it and it can become a little mundane.
You can keep the game fresh by playing a few of the other game modes.
Gameplay
Pacify’s gameplay is all about running from a ghost. It sounds awful when we say it like that. But that’s over simplifying it. Trust us, it’s good.
The ghost is actually a little girl that changes between good and evil. Once the evil inside her takes over, it will chase you and your friends all over the house.
In order to survive you must solve some simple puzzles, this’ll pacify the ghost and allow you to progress through the game. Do this enough times and you’ll get to the finish.
It’s a simple concept, but one that’s entertaining enough that you’ll want to complete it in one sitting. Which is possible, it took me around 2-3 hours to complete it.
The gameplay for this indie game is great. I feel indie games get an unfair reputation of being rough around the edges and in some cases that’s a correct assumption. But not in Pacify, it’s polished, refined and has had genuine care and attention paid to it.
One scene in particular really frightened me. I was stood at the top of the a stair case and at the bottom a nasty looking ghost that slowly start to climb the stairs. The game build suspense in a way that horror films do, it’s that apprehension we all feel when something is about to happen!
Players move around with fluidity. There aren’t any pixel tears or stiff animations to take note of. The main antagonist you’ll be fleeing from has been really well designed and looks great when giving chase. She is really, really creepy!
She has a robotic movement style, but I think that’s intentional and not an oversight of the design team.
The end goal is to not only survive but to escape! I did feel that this game was slightly easy to complete and in a way it’s a bit disappointing. But, thinking about it the purpose of this game is to be entertained and scared and with that in mind, I don’t really care that it’s a easy to finish the game. A game to be should be entertaining and Pacify certainly is.
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Pacify together with Co-Op
What? A Co-Op mode in an indie title? Yea that’s right, Pacify has a few different game modes and that really impresses us. It keeps the game fresh. If you enjoy it as much as we did, playing it again with the help of your friends will liven it up abit and help prevent it from becoming stale.
The three different game modes are:
- Single Player Mode
Go it alone inside the house, but the game will be difficult. You must do the work of 2-4 people all by yourself. It’s doable but it’ll be more difficult playing it solo. - Co-Op Mode
Co-Op mode in an indie title is sometimes a bit of a let down, but not in Pacify. You need to work together trying to help each other escape the house. You can save each other from the ghost by distracting her when she catches a member of your team. - PVP Mode
In pvp mode, everyone works for PAH Inc. The goal here is to gain full time employment. The person that does the most work gets hired. It’s a sort of competitive mode and it’s great fun.
Pacify – About The Game, Specs Etc
Title: Pacify
Developer: Shawn Hitchcock
Publisher: SKH Apps
Website: http://skhapps.com/games/
Genre: Action, Adventure, Casual, Horror, Indie, Strategy
Platform: PC
Audience: 12+
Release Date: 22/02/2019
Price: £3.99
System Requirements
Minimum:
OS: Windows 7 – 64 bit
Processor: Intel i5 or AMD equivalent (AMD FX 8500+ Series)
Memory: 4 GB RAM
Graphics: 1GB Video RAM
DirectX: Version 10
Storage: 2 GB available space
Recommended:
OS: Windows 10 – 64 bit
Processor: Intel i7 or AMD equivalent (AMD FX 9500+ Series)
Memory: 8 GB RAM
Graphics: 4GB Video RAM
DirectX: Version 11
Network: Broadband Internet connection
Storage: 2 GB available space
Conclusion
Pacify is easily one of the scariest games we’ve reviewed recently. It isn’t that long, but it’s really entertaining and keeps you engaged.
There are moments that are genuinely scary, most of the the scary portions of the game come from jump scares, but the atmosphere created by the developer is chilling.
I recommend playing with a group of friends or in PVP. It’s a brilliant survival horror game and is available for £3.99 which is a great price for such a fulfilling game.
Score: 8/10
It’s definitely one of the best indie games I’ve played in recent times, it’s well worth buying. You’ll often find it for sale on Steam for less than $5 so go buy it, what are you waiting for.
Hit the link to go to the steam store, here.
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