MOTHER is a horror title created by a single person that puts to shame horror titles created by massive teams.
I hate horror-based video games. That is not to say that I don’t like the horror genre, I have scripted a few horror films in my day, it’s just that I feel horror too often relies too heavily on cheap jump scares and forgets story, and in terms of video games, gameplay. Let’s face it, it’s not hard to spook someone with a loud noise and scary face, so much so that a child could do it. And while horror films have really evolved in the past few years, video games are still essentially lagging in the 1980s.
Jump scares freak me out, that’s the point considering human beings have that built into them for protection, but they are cheap and leave me angry when used a lot in games because I am simply spending my playtime waiting for something to spook me. That is not what I consider fun and most horror video games fall into this, even the best of them. The Amnesia series is simply jump scares with the player’s tension driving them forward. Layers of Fear is a lot of fun but ultimately boring as it is a linear path that you can not really impact and it, likewise, can not really impact you.
Even the best horror games like Outlast, while featuring an interesting story and actual stakes, lacks a bit in the gameplay department and features a pretty silly story. That said, Condemned was pretty neat. The only truly great horror game is PT and that is simply a demo so it can’t even really count. PT has some great lore that keeps you wanting to find out more while still building the tension that something is always around the next corner. It’s all about balance. My yearning for more information should be just strong enough to push through potential scares. Risk and reward sort of thing.
So, jumping into MOTHER I did not have very high hopes. So why did I pick this one up, I hear you angrily typing in the comments. Well, just look at any of the included screenshots and you will clearly see why I wanted this one, even if it’s not in my wheelhouse. MOTHER features a PS1-inspired look that grabbed me and also helps make the , you know, actually tense and scary.
With MOTHER everything looks blocky and pixelated and because of this your brain starts to fill in the details. Things are scary because you can not quite make out what you are seeing. Your brain is processing information slower than the game is throwing just slightly distorted visuals at you, leaving you with a strange sense of discomfort without really understanding why. The warping polygons only help to make you question everything around you even when performing some pretty mundane tasks.
MOTHER is a great looking game for what it is trying to do. It pulls in a lot of the same feelings I got when playing the original Silent Hill on PS1. I understand the world but everything is slightly off. This sort of distortion is very disconcerting. I think the fact that it is running in Unreal and not Unity also helps as the visuals look PS1-inspired but with extra bells and whistles to make it look like it could be some lost PS1 game from a parallel dimension. MOTHER is weird and I love it for it as if it looked like a stock PS1 game with those limitations it might not work as well.
The visuals are only helped thanks to the fact that the game is incredibly claustrophobic. The entire adventure takes place inside a very small apartment meaning you are dealing with threats in tight spaces and while you will learn the layout quickly the game will throw things at you to help confuse your brain. Knowing something weird is going on means every turn could lead to something strange happening. Think of it a lot like the way PT manages to weave an interesting story and build tension in nothing but a long and repeated hallway. I live in a home now, but if I were in an apartment MOTHER would freak me out like no other.
But what helps MOTHER truly shine, and something I can really appreciate, is the story and the way that it is paced. You are a mother who has just lost her husband and dealing with the direct aftermath. You have two young children to look after while also dealing with your deteriorating mental health. MOTHER kicks off with an absolute bang, so much so that even though I know a jump scare was happening it got me anyway, spitting my water all over the desk. It then slows down and build up again. This is like a great slasher film as you know something is out there but aren’t clear on what or when it will strike later in the experience. This helps build tension in a great way.
You see, your doctor has prescribed you a number of medications and tells you to only take a few before heading to bed. Unfortunately, the game is intentionally jank and you end up downing three bottles of pills instead of taking one every single night even when you know you probably shouldn’t. This leads you to slowly losing your mind, your goal being to survive several nights in your apartment. Think of how Five Nights works but with you actually being able to explore and, you know, play.
On top of all of this is the fact that your two children are in play and there is something (or somethings) that is out to kill the three of you. Not only must you survive and evade the creepy-ass monster stalking you all, but you also need to protect your kids along the way. Kids are almost always off-limits in games and media, MOTHER says “fuck that jazz” and makes each child their own character that can face permadeath. That is right, you could lose one or both of your kids during a given run. And how you take care of them early on will have an impact on their wellbeing when shit starts to go south.
MOTHER can be scary on its own and provide some fun jump scares, (fuck you monkey) but like I said at the start of this review, Layers of Fear was way spooky but the punch quickly fades when you realize you can’t really die without working at it, or when you are the only person at risk. Add in two children that can be killed and you easily add real tension and stakes and makes multiple playthroughs necessary. I know these are not my kids and are nothing but blocky blockheads, but I don’t want them to be murdered and that means MOTHER adds stakes most horror titles do not have.
On the gameplay side of things, the game falls in line with its horror brothers and sisters. You can move around freely with a sprint button that is tied to a simple stamina meter as well as activating objects with a button press. You will turn on/off lights and can even brandish a gun meaning you are not totally helpless like you might be in an Amnesia-like horror title. A few basic puzzles require the mouse as well, but it’s nothing special. Having a serious weapon means that MOTHER ends up not quite being frightening to the end but does mean you actually have some impact on what is happening. It’s a balancing act that is hard to pull off since adding weapons means threats aren’t quite as scary.
But I think the biggest thing MOTHER does well is that it keeps it short and simple. Horror games almost always (always in my case) lose their gimmick pretty quickly once you understand how the game works. Amnesia was spooky with a scary monster that became famous until you saw him a bunch and getting caught became more annoying than anything. Whenever I see the Amnesia monster now it’s more weirdly adorable than anything. Layers of Fear is gorgeous and sets a great mood, but it all falls away once you find out you can’t actually die and so the scares end up being more “neat” inducing than anything.
MOTHER thankfully only lasts a few hours at most. You will not be huffing through hours of content, but that is not to say it is not a full experience. MOTHER lasts just as long as it needs to last without ever wearing out its welcome. The game builds slowly, teasing the tension as you live out a few nights in relative peace, and just when you start figuring things out and shits goes fubar, MOTHER bows out leaving you feeling the impact of the experience rather than being bored of it. You will want it to be bigger and longer, but I think that is the best compliment a game like this can get. You leave wanting more and excited about what this lone developer, yes, lone developer, can put together.
In the end MOTHER is a horror game that I thoroughly enjoyed because there are real stakes involved. It is a well-rounded package with a unique look and feel. While a short experience MOTHER builds like few other horror games tend to do. And if I could not praise this title even more, the whole experience will only cost you three dollars. That is a stupid price for the sort of adventure you are getting.
MOTHER will not set the world on fire or does anything to push the genre forward, but it is a solidly weird horror title with a few good scares that I can easily recommend to just about anyone.
“MOTHER is a horror title with actual stakes, actual scares, and a unique visual style that makes it all the more horrific.”
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