Unholy Review – GameTopic
Unholy Review - GameTopic
Unholy: A Horror Adventure That Goes Up in Flames
Introduction
If there’s one thing Unholy gets right, it’s the checklist for a captivating horror adventure. You play as a desperate and vengeful protagonist, battling a malevolent religious cult in the gloomy underworld of Eternal City. Armed with emotion-fueled special powers, you must overcome guards and ghouls in your quest to rescue your son. However, like trying to crucify someone on a cardboard cross, Unholy’s execution falls disappointingly short. Unresponsive controls, erratic AI, and frustrating instant deaths turn what should be an absorbing journey into a spot of self-flagellation.
The Journey to Eternal City
Meet Dorothea, a young mother seeking escape from the clutches of the religious cult, Spring of Eternity. Her son Gabriel’s soul is held captive by the church’s high priest, who has fled to the cathedral in Eternal City. With the guidance of a wizened old crone, Dorothea crosses over to the supernatural underworld. There, she must face grumpy armored guards and twitchy zombies to save her son. It’s a shame that Unholy’s intriguing setting is overshadowed by its frustrating gameplay.
Emotion Controls: Angry Slingshots and Sad Smoke Bombs
Dorothea’s journey is an emotional rollercoaster, both in narrative and mechanics. In Eternal City, feelings can be harvested from corpses as colored orbs, which Dorothea loads into her supernatural slingshot. From anger to shock, sadness to desire, each emotion grants unique abilities to overcome obstacles. Though it sounds promising, the reality falls flat. Enemies are only momentarily stunned by Dorothea’s attacks, forcing you to rely on explosive barrels and traps for combat. Miss or fail, and you’re left open for a swift defeat. Unholy could have used a melee attack or smoother ammo selection to alleviate the frustration.
Clumsy Footsteps and Stealthy Missteps
Dorothea’s movements are as urgent as a child being told to brush their teeth. She frequently gets stuck where she shouldn’t and struggles to grab onto climbable surfaces. Enemies have a knack for blocking your escape, shuffling around like the last intoxicated guest at a wedding reception. Unholy’s clunky stealth mechanics often leave you feeling exposed, especially when dealing with larger groups of ghouls. Evading enemies becomes a cumbersome dance, resulting in more sighs than screams.
Masking Up: From Collectibles to Comedically Lengthy Breaths
In Eternal City, a plague is ravaging its inhabitants, and Dorothea must mask up for survival. The mystical veil grants her special vision modes to detect interactable elements, collectibles, and explosive barrels. Upgrades turn the mask into a gas mask and even a thermal-vision device. However, trying to activate these modes while operating Dorothea’s slingshot is an approximate task, especially when dealing with invisible enemies. It’s a shame the mask can’t conceal the wooden line delivery and charmless sarcasm of the cutscenes or quiet Dorothea’s hyperventilation. These attempts at tension fall flat, leading me to mute the persistent breathing sounds for good.
- Wireless earbuds vs gaming headsets? Razer Hammerhead review
- Pikmin 4 Review Roundup
- Pikmin 4: The ultimate collector’s obsession
Lackluster Choices and Forgotten Elements
Unholy introduces elements that are quickly forgotten. A motion detector puzzler and a banshee enemy with an ear-splitting scream are one-time experiences in a realm lacking enemy variety. Jump scares from invisible enemies might startle, but they don’t compensate for the lack of fear-inducing encounters. Puzzles also fail to excite, remaining as basic combination locks and dials. On top of that, Unholy’s sins include redundant moments like breaking a crate lock with an anger orb, only to find another anger orb inside. It’s a frustrating cycle of wasted potential.
The Lackluster Payoff and Relief in Non-Interactive Cutscenes
Despite the struggles, one hopes for a rewarding conclusion. Unfortunately, Unholy’s plot fails to deliver. Dorothea’s obnoxious personality hampers any emotional connection, resulting in a lackluster payoff for saving Gabriel. The underwhelming final encounter mercifully turns into a non-interactive cutscene, sparing us from clunky combat against a potentially tough boss. While this ending would disappoint in a better horror game, here it feels like a small mercy.
Unholy may have sparked intrigue with its horror adventure setup, but its execution ultimately goes up in flames. Unresponsive controls, frustrating combat, and lacking enemy variety prevent this game from reaching its full potential. While the apocalyptic environment of Eternal City is truly impressive, it fails to salvage the overall experience. Beware: playing Unholy might leave you yearning for some divine intervention.