I don’t usually subject myself to playing horror games alone in my room on a Friday night. However, if it is a Noir based mystery set in the 1950’s, then there really isn’t much else to say beyond “where do I start?“. Dollhouse is an extremely unique game. It is far different than any other horror game I’ve played, so far at least. What drew me in specifically was the 1950’s Noir aesthetic. I love everything noir-themed; I always have, and I absolutely love a lot about this game. However, nothing is perfect.

In Dollhouse you take on the role of Marie, an amnesiac detective trying to figure out her past. Marie walks through the labyrinths of her mind to uncover the truth about the death of her daughter. You recover her lost memories and decide to either keep, or discard them, to find out what really happened.

Don’t think you can just stroll around picking memory canisters one-by-one, however, as an unnamed evil known as “It”, is trying to stop you at all cost. Mannequins also serve as opposition, placed in each room and hallway. Some of the mannequins are equipped with heavy and unique attachments that will help them murder you. There are traps hidden around the levels and walls which move or close all contribute the creep factor of the game.

Something Dollhouse does well is making you feel uncomfortable (and sometimes claustrophobic) as there are very few items around the halls; apart from the mannequins that stare at you when they think you aren’t looking. The music really fits the vibe as it keeps up the eeriness. At times while walking through the hallways of a level, everything goes dark and the music changes, making you even more nervous and uncomfortable.

Don’t fret though! You have some tools at your disposal that can help you get to your goal. These tools include a trusty flashlight that doesn’t last very long; When the battery runs out you’ll have to wait for it to charge up again, which can sometimes be very inconvenient. It also helps you flash mannequins, traps, and blocked walls away once it has enough charge. Battery charges can be found scattered throughout the level.

There is also your safe in the cutting room at your disposal. When you have leveled up enough, you can unlock skills to help you progress even further. Dollhouse also has a neat feature, that allows you to locate memory canisters by seeing through the eyes of the creature pursuing you. Be careful though, using it too long will let the creature find you.

Once you finally have enough memory canisters at the end of each level, you can go to the aforementioned cutting room to piece together memories into a movie which you’ll be critiqued on for experience points.

This is all well and good until you start to realize that each level is basically the same; just one fetch quest after the other, as you are being chased. At least the game tries to freshen things up by having a different procedurally generated environment in each chapter, though that doesn’t do enough to change the experience. There is also the fact that the controls are very clunky, at least on the PS4. I had to tweak the default settings to get the best that I could out of it.

Trying to pick up items while running just feels really weird. The game is also really dark by default, to the point that even turning the brightness up isn’t enough sometimes. This is especially a problem because Marie dies a lot; having to deal with your pursuers as well as the darkness makes it frustrating to progress. Dying reboots the chapter and all your items, so every death becomes more and more irritating. Navigating isn’t easy either. After the prologue you lose the use of markers, and without having a map, you are forced to use chalk to mark your way.

At least Soedesco was kind enough to make a ‘voyeur mode’ removing all threats and preventing death. This mode is for those who are just into the story and just want to get to the end, although it takes much of the thrill out of it in my experience.

Dollhouse is not all negatives though. The voice acting is done quite well, the music is magnificent, the dark and grainy visuals do a good job of keeping the Noir vibe while simultaneously making you feel uncomfortable as you play through it.

There is also an online mode but unfortunately, I couldn’t get a single game in. This is probably due to the fact I played it early, or the matchmaking needs some work. The online mode is meant to mimic games such as Dead by Daylight and Friday the 13th, where a player gets the role of being the killer and others play the victims.

Dollhouse is an impressive take on the survival-horror genre with a unique and interesting concept. Sadly it falls short on the gameplay and fails to keep things interesting. Dollhouse is available for PC and PlayStation 4.

A PS4 review code of Dollhouse was provided by Soedesco for this review.

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Dollhouse

$39.99

6

Score

6.0/10

Pros

• Interesting Story and Aesthetic
• Good Music

Cons

• Too Repetitive
• Clunky Controls

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