Paranormal Tales
Paranormal Tales describes itself as a game based on found footage, which is perhaps the best explanation for what it’s trying to achieve. The game is a collection of different horror stories, each of which is played through the first-person perspective with a bodycam-style camera. Different stories are captured through different cameras, so you might play one vignette through the lens of a VHS camera and the other through a smartphone camera – which should add some much-needed variety to the gameplay experience.
There’s a distinct sense of tension as you slowly walk around a forest at night with the rustling of winds making the only semblance of sound, or you tiptoe through an old house with squeaky doors and dark corridors. The environments also look pretty realistic, and the ray-traced lighting and reflections really give the world a sublime touch. Of course, the art direction helps in establishing an uneasy environment – and developer Digital Cybercherries has done a great job with what is its most ambitious project to date.
