Never Again Demo

Children usually have a strong imagination, mainly because their lack of real knowledge forces them to improvise things in their heads. It’s also easier to get scared when you are young, although adults usually have a hand in this most of the time. Hence, horror games are much more exciting when the protagonist is a child, especially if the developers put some work into the atmosphere.

Never Again is a first-person horror game with puzzles and a bit of exploring, in which you play the role of a little girl by the name of Sasha Anders. She wakes up one day unable to breathe due to her asthma, but things are about to get a bit worse for her, unfortunately. The game uses nice level design and great sound effects to create a spooky atmosphere, but there’s more to it than that.

Sasha has issues with dark rooms and other uncomfortable situations, because they trigger her asthma attacks. Hence, level exploration is achieved very slowly, and the slightest unusual events can cause Sasha to have another attack. The focus is on the puzzles most of the time, and they are pretty clever, especially since there are not many guides to help you along.

Speaking of which, you interact with the environment in a very personal manner, given the fact that you have to push, pull and throw things around using fluid mouse movements. This also makes for some interesting puzzles, because the developers managed to make the most out of the physics engine and the controls. Granted, the demo is too short to see everything the game has to offer, but the final version is bound to be improved.

The horror elements are nicely weaved into the atmosphere, especially since you feel pretty helpless while playing as a little girl with asthma. However, the level design and the sound effects complete each other very well, not to mention the great post-processing effects. Unreal Engine 4 is always impressive to witness, and the developers have taken advantage of everything it has to offer.

In the end, Never Again is not a revolutionary game in terms of gameplay mechanics, but it has the potential to be a memorable experience. The horror elements are very nicely integrated into the experience, and the story might just captivate you from the start.