Game Review: Anthology of Fear (Xbox Series X)

At first, Anthology of Fear looks to be doing nothing different than any other first-person, story-based, mild-puzzling solving horror game. Yet, the more time spent in its dark and creepy locales, the more it stands out. If only because it chooses atmosphere over jump scares… for the most part.

It’s an enjoyable horror experience, one that gets more and more immersive as it goes on, but one that has some pretty unforgivable flaws.

Talking its cues from the ‘walking simulator’ side of gaming, Anthology of Fear tells its story from several different character perspectives, all linked together via the story of a man looking for his missing brother. It’s his shoes that players first step into, breaking into an abandoned hospital that appears to have been experimenting with dream therapy. There, players will discover files and VHS tapes that shed light on just what happened.

These tapes, two of them, are playable and it’s where Anthology of Fear really gets started. Telling surreal stories that combine spooky tension, fantastical terror, and real-life horror. In the right environment, the game can be delightfully unnerving, even if it does hit a few too many cliches at first.

In fact, Anthology of Fear can be called a game of two halves. The first VHS, is heavy on suspense, but lacking a payoff. Of the two stories, it’s the more predictable one, overdoing mannequin-based scares, and introducing a pointless gameplay mechanic that disappears almost immediately and is never seen again.

It also this story that makes it clear that there is no real threat in Anthology of Fear and instead, this is more of ‘ghost train’ experience, albeit one that involves walking.

While many might see that as a negative, it is refreshing as so many indie first-person horrors are based around the ‘run and hide’ mechanic. It’s actually kind of nice to leisurely explore a haunted environment, piecing together a story, and letting the atmosphere sink in.

Something that is taken to an even greater level with the second of the VHS tapes, and one that deals with extremely heavy themes. Depression, suicide, survivor’s guilt, and more. The surrealist nature of the game is brought into sharp and unflinching focus here. This story, and how it ties into the overall narrative, is excellent. The strength of it alone knocks the game’s review score up a couple of points.

Other positive points, especially when it comes to creating creepy vibes, are the visuals and the sound. The former’s lighting is particularly nice, whereas the latter’s mix of ominous tones and dark melody, fits the game well.

It’s a positive experience, but the negatives are so severe, they threaten to ruin the entire experience. With the most egregious being the number of times the game will crash, even on Xbox Series X. Game crashes are frustrating, but when coupled with a lack of manual saves, resulting in entire segments having to replayed, it’s not acceptable.

If that wasn’t bad enough, many players – including us, have had continuous crashes as the final segment starts. Making the last part of the game unplayable. Only by ‘power-cycling’ our console were we able to get past the initial screen, only to have it crash, putting us back at the start, resulting in continuous crashes again.

Of course, this can be patched, and if it is, the last paragraph is irrelevant and new players will have a much better time.

However, it doesn’t change the fact that those who invested money in this game upon release have been forced to put up with some technical issues that simply shouldn’t exist in a game like this.

Then you must take into account that the game is short. So short, that if you take out the crashes and restarts, it can be completed in less two hours. That is not enough ‘bang for your buck’ and most will come away wholly unsatisfied by the experience, come the end.

It’s such a shame, Anthology of Fear does so much right, delivering plenty of horror atmosphere and nightmarish ambience. It’s simply got some glaring flaws that most will struggle to get past.