Pain and suffering will break the most positive of people. However, what’s worse is when there is no escape! The people who are supposed to love you prolong this torturous experience and there is nothing you can do. This is the disturbing plot of The Sorrowvirus: A Faceless Short Story, a dark and sorrowful adventure.
Developed by Adam Sklar and Eastasiasoft Limited and published by the latter, this is a horror puzzle title. It is creepy, enriched with lore, and will make you shudder. Furthermore, it has multiple endings, secrets to discover, and mysterious puzzles to solve. Sadly, though, it is a short game that has no save function. Consequently, you must be willing to play it in one sitting or risk losing your progress.
The Sorrowvirus: A Faceless Short Story is creepy and uncomfortable.
When a story focuses on misery and illness, it’s understandably tough to swallow. However, The Sorrowvirus: A Faceless Short Story ups the ante because of its characters and touching plot. Subsequently, it is uncomfortable to play and will send shivers down your spine. On top of this, the inclusion of jump scares and standard horror mechanics makes it worse, still. It plays to an array of familiar clichés, but at no point did it feel tired or well-trodden.
You are Wyatt Heyll, a young man stricken with multiple ailments from an early age. To try to help him, his parents injected him with the titular Sorrowvirus! This obnoxious remedy prevents the user from dying. Instead, they enter a state known as purgatory where they can heal and return to life. This sounds wonderful for Wyatt’s parents, but the hero simply wants this torture to end. He doesn’t want to be ill anymore, and he wants to be free from the surrounding pain. Your aim is to grant Wyatt his final wish and to help him escape the never-ending cycle of death and rebirth.
Simple but effective.
Though much of the action is “old-hat”, I enjoyed its simple approach. Every element of The Sorrowvirus: A Faceless Short Story complements the other to create a seamless and bizarre experience. You’ll wander through claustrophobic halls while searching for clues and solving problems. While this happens, basic horror elements play out! You’ll hear creatures scurrying, horrible laughter, and eerie footsteps. In short, purgatory is creepy as hell.
The aforementioned short game time isn’t an issue as the action spans 4 unique playthroughs. During each chapter, you’ll see the world from a different perspective while having new puzzles to solve. Alongside this, you’ll discover memos, notebooks and journals that uncover the lore and truth of this cruel story. Consequently, if you like a slow but information-rich tale, then this ticks many boxes.
The Sorrowvirus: A Faceless Short Story is a little dated.
Graphics don’t make the game, and this is fortunate as The Sorrowvirus: A Faceless Short Story is a little dated. There are moments where the textures or characters are rough and aren’t polished. Now, this doesn’t impact the gameplay it simply taints the end product, slightly. However, this aside, the variety in each chapter is admirable, and it prevents the gameplay from becoming stale.
What I appreciated was the excellent and well-conceived audio. Listening to the emotive soundtrack blended with silence and bizarre sound effects was magical. The developers have done a fantastic job of creating this creepy and sorrowful world.
The excellent UI makes it easy to play.
Excellent controls and a simple UI are key when a game is shocking and surreal. The Sorrowvirus: A Faceless Short Story could have been horrific to play. However, the brilliant UI and well-structured controls make it easy to understand. What’s more, the buttons are responsive, and this helps in the more unusual and less obvious situations.
The short playtime does affect its longevity, but it’s still thoroughly enjoyable, nonetheless. Scouring each location for clues was rewarding, as was solving each puzzle. Sadly, though, both the replay value and longevity are limited, but don’t let this put you off.
The Sorrowvirus: A Faceless Short Story is wonderfully weird.
This type of game usually makes me sigh. Many of the ideas have been done to death, and the action is tiresome. Yet, The Sorrowvirus: A Faceless Short Story is different. Its combination of jump scares, puzzles, and lore is refreshing and interesting. Furthermore, the characters are endearing and the setting is unique and captivating. Yes, it could look better, but this isn’t a game-breaker. I loved its creepiness and I recommend you to buy it here! Will your suffering finally end? A cure or death is surely just around the corner?
