Red Haze Demo

Drugs are one of the most dangerous things people have to deal with throughout their lives, because it’s very easy to find salvation in forgetfulness. However, they can take as easily as they give, and that is how most drug addicts end up not being able to sustain such a lifestyle. In fact, you can end up much worse than you began, depending on the circumstances.

Red Haze is a very interesting top-down adventure game with horror elements that explores the dark side of being a drug addict, and the even darker side of not getting your fix when you need it. Don’t expect any incredible gameplay mechanics, on the other hand, because the game is about as simple as it can get in this regard, but the experience as a whole is definitely worth it.

You play the role of Rockette, a young girl with no home who’s a drug addict and a squatter, but that’s the least of her problems. As it happens, she has no heroin left and she needs a fix, but she’s short on money. Even so, the main goal is to reach the dealer and get more drugs, but the journey there is anything but easy, given all the obstacles and hallucinations that kick in after a while.

Although you sometimes have to solve puzzles, they are very easy and straightforward, since you are mostly required to find keys or various other objects. However, the most important aspect is getting to the end alive and well, because the world around you is constantly morphing and changing as the drugs start to wear off over time. It’s also worth noting that there are multiple routes and endings to the story, so one playthrough is not nearly enough to get the full picture.

Lastly, the graphics are very basic and actually kind of ugly most of the time, especially when it comes to level design. However, this somehow helps with the atmosphere, because the graphics seem to go very well with the scenario at hand. There’s also a lot of gore and disturbing imagery along the way, not to mention the creepy music and sound effects that complete the experience.

In the end, Red Haze feels very serious and powerful, in spite of the poor graphics and simple gameplay mechanics. Thus, the message it sends it quite scary and an eye-opener in case you needed one regarding heroin.