Shutter Demo

Haunted houses are starting to become less and less scary nowadays, probably because we have seen them from every possible angle. There are thousands of movies and video games depicting derelict buildings that are supposedly haunted by ghosts or various other terrible creatures, and after you’ve seen a couple of them, they start to look the same.

Shutter offers a new perspective on the subject, by taking the human element out of the equation entirely. As such, there is no actual character trapped in the house or walking its corridors with a torch in hand. Instead, you are controlling an RC surveillance unit equipped with cameras, and you would think that doing so ruins the atmosphere and makes it impossible to experience any fright at all.

However, you couldn’t be more wrong in thinking so. Sure, it can feel difficult to relate to the experience at first, but the fact remains that you are alone in the house. Doors screech, lights flicker and weird shapes move around from place to place, so it should be enough to get your hair up. The actual gameplay mechanics have a lot to do with it as well.

The RC vehicle you are using comes with a camera sensor that allows you to take pictures in the dark, as well as a video function you can use to look around, although the view is rather distorted. These pictures can be sent by email to the guy who is helping you unravel the mystery of the house, and they are usually the only way to solve the puzzles. However, this also means that you have to face the horrors in certain cases, in order to take pictures as evidence.

Energy is important as well, because your night vision camera can deplete your supply in a rush. You can recharge by simply waiting for the batteries to come back online, but sometimes you’ll have to return to the generator for a boost. Lastly, the game uses Unity as its graphics engine, so it looks pretty decent in most regards. Everything is dark all the time, on the other hand, so don’t expect anything too mesmerizing either.

Albeit a bit weird and slow at first, Shutter has its fair share of horrifying moments, some of which can be quite memorable. The slow gameplay can take its toll on your patience, but it is worth the bother just to see how everything turns out in the end.