As you spend more and more time with a video game series, you start to expect certain things from it. Video games are a sort of wild and magical art form though, and don’t just come out perfect every time like a Veggie Supreme Pizza Hut pizza with extra goat’s cheese. When so much of the industry is built around hyping up players, it’s hard not to get swept up in the excitement and set yourself up for disappointment. As a lover of indie horror I’ve found myself doing this with the BrokenLore games, as their particular brand of (mostly) short form indie horror really pushes my spooky buttons. With BrokenLore: FOLLOW now here, it’s time to see where this anthology is heading next.
Whereas all previous BrokenLore games have been self-contained stories (with a hidden connection running through them) FOLLOW is actually a direct sequel to the previous game UNFOLLOW. Anne is back after confronting her mother and her bullies at the start of the year, and for the most part she’s pretty much just doing it all over again. Anne is trapped in some sort of looping horror nightmare based around her past, and the only way to escape her trauma is to explore and avoid familiar faces – like the actual massive face from the previous game.
With this continuing Anne’s story, there are themes that returning players will have some experience with. Anne’s childhood was pretty miserable, in the most part thanks to her abusive mother. As well as refusing to let her have fun and explore her creativity, mother dearest also constantly criticises Anne’s weight. I must admit this tough subject matter is handled better in the latest BrokenLore entry, but it’s hard to shake the feeling that you’ve seen all this before (because if you played the last game you pretty much have).
As you’d expect from this horror series, the actual gameplay of FOLLOW involves a lot of walking around in first person and exploring its beautifully awful environments. There’s a heavy emphasis on looping areas this time around, with lots of unnerving endless corridors changing in small and scary ways. The opening chapter especially left me with a cold sweat and goosebumps, thanks to audio and visual tension that absolutely terrified me. This wasn’t done with tacky jump scares and loud noises, just good old fashioned psychological trickery.
Unfortunately that first chapter was for me the highlight of the game, as future sections become mazes that are painful to navigate. When fear turns to frustration it’s hard to really enjoy the scary elements, and thanks to a whole lot of hard to find objects and even harder to navigate areas that’s exactly what happens time and time again.
There are some chases that you’ll have to survive scattered throughout FOLLOW too, one of which is against a particular disturbing enemy. In enclosed areas where you’re trying to solve puzzles these have some decent tension, at least until you get attacked and realise there’s not a lot of stakes to worry about.
Alongside the first person horror, there are also some unexpected third person sections. In these you control little Anne, who’s essentially Red Riding Hood if created by Pixar. These short chase sequences give off a sort of Little Nightmares vibes, and while not necessarily the most exciting part of the game they’re another nice change of pace.
Those of you deeper in the BrokenLore hole will be used to secrets in these games, and FOLLOW is no exception. Hidden symbols in stages and other such things will unlock more of the story here, with even a retro style surprise waiting in the extras menu if you make it through the horror. I won’t spoil everything here, but for those lore deep divers there are likely some exciting things to find.
BrokenLore: FOLLOW has plenty of good qualities, but I did end my playthrough a little more disappointed than scared. The horror elements aren’t as strong because of repeated monsters, and I got stuck more than once on the journey towards the horror. The worst of all these times I didn’t realise I could pick up a cup to progress, because the white orb interact icon is so small I thought the cup was a small candle with a white light. These little annoyances add up quickly in a shorter experience, which is such a shame.
Despite some issues, BrokenLore: FOLLOW is still an enjoyable horror adventure, with an interesting (if somewhat repeated) story to tell. The opening of the game especially is an absolute nightmare, and worth experiencing for the asking price alone. Although likely my least favourite game from Serafini Productions, FOLLOW will still appeal to many horror fans and be a great way to spend a dark evening under a blanket.
