In Requiem

Humans are explorers by nature, since we’ve always been curious about what lies beyond all sorts of frontiers. Earth barely holds any secrets anymore, which is why we have set our sights on outer space. However, imagination allows us to dream of something else as well, such as to explore fantastical worlds filled with magic, demons and monsters.

In Requiem is an exploration game, which means that there’s not much else to do in it, other than walk around and gaze at the environments. On the other hand, it is entirely possible to make the actual exploration incredibly fun and inviting if the designers manage to create a world that begs to be seen. Hence, imagination is the key ingredient yet again.

To begin with, you are told that you can freeze to death due to the cold, which should give you a purpose and a motive for the constant walking around. In order to avoid certain death, you must find and stand near a couple of statues, which also provide you with fragments from a poem. As it turns out after you collect all of them, the poem in question is Ozymandias by Percy B. Shelley.

Gameplay-wise, you can’t do much, other than walk, jump and sprint whenever you need to move quicker. In essence, you have plenty of time to visit all the required statues, but you might get distracted on the way. When that happens, you can simply activate an arrow that points the way to the nearest statue, which obviously comes in handy when you are in a tight spot. An overlay compass is also available so that you can see a map of the environment.

Speaking of which, the visual quality is obviously important, because you don’t do much else, other than look at what goes on around you. In essence, the graphics engine is pretty nice, but it’s the level design that takes the cake. It may not be full of small objects and items, but the general atmosphere is quite chilling, especially when the quotes are spoken by a deep voice on top of the wind noise that’s constantly blowing in your ears.

In Requiem has everything you need to provide you with a relaxing time, especially if you do not mind wandering aimlessly. The game features beautiful graphics and exquisite level design, worthy of as much exploration as you desire.