Rating
Perception
Perception is a first-person narrative horror adventure that tells the story of Cassie, a blind heroine who uses her extraordinary hearing and razor-sharp wits to unravel the mysteries of an abandoned estate that haunts her dreams.
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Perception Reviews
Professional reviews from gaming critics
Graphics: 8.0 Gameplay: 9.0 Sound: 8.0 Control: 7.0 Replay Value: 5.0 Overall Rating: 8.0 Online Gameplay: Not Rated Publisher: Feardemic Developer: The Dee ...
I think the game’s title of Perception works out to have a double meaning, obviously concerning your main character’s lack of sight, but it also applies well to whether you’re likely to enjoy the game as a whole. If you’re in it for the action or actual horror you’ll very likely walk away disappointed. But if you like a slow burn of suspense, periodic things that will make you jump, and some stories that will reveal themselves to you slowly and through a variety of means as you wander an ever-changing house, it will offer several hours of enjoyment. I’ve never played a game quite l…
Survival horror games are ten a penny these days but Perception attempts to freshen things up with a novel premise and some unique gameplay mechanics. However, is that enough to help it stand out from the crowd?
Perception's blindness is both its biggest strength and weakness. While it did lead to some frustrating moments of being lost without a clue what to do, it also meant really having to think about the environment and truly wondering what each noise what. Perception was ultimately terrifying when it was at its best.
Bar one or two genuine scares Perception doesn't cut the mustard when it comes to horror, a lot of the animations were boring and didn't intimidate neither me nor brave Cassie. Perception fails to deliver on the horror side, but boasts clever mechanics and an engaging but flawed narrative. The artstyle is oiriginal and works perfectly with the darkness and echolocation mechanics.
Perception is a fun game full of unique concepts and ideas, but for a horror game it isn’t particularly frightening.
Horror can often take all shapes and sizes when it comes to video games. Playing with the ideas of light and what is visible versus invisible to the player’s eye can play a huge role in the suspense. But what happens when the sense of sight is completely stripped of player agency? Perception toys around with the concept of ‘sight beyond sight’ and players take the role of Cassie, a blind woman tasked with investigating an infamous mansion and the secrets within.
An imaginative horror game, Perception is coming at a well trodden genre from a new angle, but despite its good ideas, it doesn't quite live up to its own potential.
Perception’s unique echolocation gameplay hook is enough to sustain the game for its 4-5-hour run, but I was saddened that The Deep End Games didn’t explore this mechanic any more than it did. Had it, Perception’s shallow plot and characters might have found some redemption. Ultimately, Perception is more carnival than amusement park - cheap thrills than top shelf. If you like horror games, you’ll like Perception, but you’ve probably already experienced a bunch of horror titles scarier than this one.
There are some great ideas in Perception, but the execution is somewhat lacking. Wandering around a haunted house with no vision should be a tense, methodical, creepy experience, but this game has a sprint button. You are given a lot of help to navigate and solve puzzles because if you did not have your sight and were trapped in a mansion with moving walls and keys to find you would be utterly helpless. This means the whole premise to the game quickly becomes pointless, which is a real shame.
As I mentioned previously, you will complete Perception in around three hours. And unless you’re really into hoarding collectibles – which weren’t particularly much fun to find given Perception‘s obstacles at making your way around – there’s very little reason to go back. In the end, Perception has a great idea at its core, but its execution unfortunately lets it down. The gameplay falls into a repetitive loop of heading to marker after marker, and the few horror elements that should have been keeping you on the edge of your seat end up being nothing more than a nuisance. Despite its originali...
Perception's mediocre narrative, annoying art style, and frustrating gameplay mechanics add up to a horror game that most fans should skip. In the meantime, The Deep End Games is a studio comprised of talented people that have worked on some of the most remarkable horror games in the industry, so perhaps its next effort will be worthwhile.