Triple-A games nowadays like to play it safe and go with one of two aesthetics: photorealistic graphics or the more homogenous Fortnite aesthetic. It’s within the indie space where we get games like Post Trauma that aren’t afraid to emulate the style of classic PS1 games. Post Trauma is rather proud of legacy survival horror games like Silent Hill and Resident Evil 1, opting for fixed camera angles and slow-paced, methodical gameplay. We’ll go over all the ways this indie horror title captures the magic of classic survival horror games. Here are 15 things you need to know before you buy Post Trauma.
Unreal Engine 5 Graphics in Classic PS1 Horror Style
A game using Unreal Engine 5 nowadays isn’t particularly unique in and of itself, but when it’s done in Post Trauma’s old school style, that’s different. Despite being made an indie developer, Post Trauma utilizes UE5 to good effect, portraying dynamic lighting and high quality textures through the dreamlike environments. On top of that, Post Trauma does a number of things to harken back to its PS1 survival horror inspiration. Most notable among its classical devices is Post Trauma’s fixed camera angle.
Fixed Camera Angles
Who doesn’t like a good Dutch angle in their horror game? Post Trauma ditches the modern over-the-shoulder camera featured in titles like Dead Space, and the like for a fixed camera angle that changes for every new room and environment. We’ve seen a host of interesting angles from trailers, so it’s evident that the team is injecting good variety to spice up Post Trauma’s presentation.
Cramped Inventory Management
Another hallmark of classic survival horror games is tight inventory management, which Post Trauma certainly has. In fact, you’ll be limited to a scant five item slots, not counting the 10 separate slots for key items in addition to the storage chest. By comparison, Resident Evil 1 had six item slots. Unlike RE1, items won’t take up more than one slot in Post Trauma, but you can still combine items.
Limited Save System
As expected, you cannot just save the game anywhere at any time. There are dedicated save rooms that you have to rely on to save your file, just like classic survival horror titles. We can only hope these save rooms are evenly spaced apart and don’t require a ton of backtracking.
Classic RE-Style Puzzles
But that’s still doesn’t cover the full pot of classic elements that Post Trauma is made of. A majority of the experience is spent exploring the mind-bending environments, and you know what that means: puzzles. Post Trauma emphasizes exploration through its puzzle design, as demonstrated by the number combination padlock in the train requiring the player to search for number clues along walls and windows. Another legacy puzzle type that Post Trauma features is the classic mannequin/statue positioning puzzle. This game seems to be ticking all the classic survival horror boxes, doesn’t it?
Debut Project For Red Soul Games
What’s impressive is that Post Trauma is the first title Red Soul Games has worked on as a company. Everything from the clever variety of fixed camera angles to the otherworldly tone and atmosphere seem derived from an industry veteran, but this is their first public game. Red Soul Games is a “super small” studio located in Spain, with Raw Fury (known for Sable, Cassette Beasts) acting as their publisher for this game.
Psychological Themes Revolving Around Main Character
You take the role of Roman, a middle-aged train conductor who finds himself engulfed in a bizarre nightmare after a panic attack. The story goes heavy into psychological themes, implying that some of the horrors within the shifting environment are manifestations of Roman’s tormented mind (Event Horizon, anyone?). The game features plenty of narration with Togo Igawa playing Roman along with Autumn Ivy and Hyoie O’Grady playing the rest of the fully voiced cast.
Monster Design Takes a Cue From Dead Space and The Thing
The main cast aren’t the only voices heard in Post Trauma though, since you’ll have plenty of monstrous abominations to contend with. The monster design grabbed my attention the most out of any single aspect. Pulsating tentacles adorn the ceilings while grafted heads on mutated enemy bodies comprise some of the enemies exemplifying Post Trauma‘s body horror. To compound the variety of monster designs are some interesting alien-looking monstrosities as well as a robotic antagonist that is seen strangling Roman in the teaser.
Doesn’t Shy Away From Blood and Gore, Very Much Earning Its M-Rating
Unsurprisingly, the combination of gruesome monster designs and unsettling environments warrants a strong M rating. Walls are commonly stained with blood and, as previously mentioned, monsters tend to be on the grotesque side with grafted body parts and gore covering their misshapen bodies. Those pining for a survival horror game that doesn’t play it safe will be delighted with Post Trauma’s gritty presentation.
Slow Paced and Light on Combat Like Classic Silent Hill Games
Facilitating all that blood and gore is the combat of Post Trauma. Don’t expect frequent fights like Dead Space here, though; fights are few and far between similar to Silent Hill. Most of your time is spent exploring the ever-shifting environments and solving puzzles to move forward.
Combat Is on the Simple Side, Consisting of Repetitive Attack and Dodge Mechanics
But when there is combat, it tends to be pretty basic. As seen from trailers, the character Roman just has one swing attack and a basic dodge when fighting melee. Swing, dodge, swing, dodge seems to be the winning strategy for basic fights, leading to a lot of repetition. By contrast, ranged gun combat was only briefly shown in the teaser, so we have little to speculate on in that regard. At any rate, we’re hoping the full release adds some more weight and variety to the game’s melee combat.
Some Combat Encounters Are Unavoidable
The biggest reason I’m nitpicking melee combat is because some encounters are required to advance past closed paths. The spider abomination fight in the trailer cut to a brief cutscene indicating the webs blocking the way forward were eliminated along with the spider. While it’s almost certain that a majority of encounters are avoidable, at least some are required to advance forward in Post Trauma.
Reality-Bending Environmental Design Reminiscent of The Evil Within
The instance with the spider web seemingly disappearing after emerging victorious isn’t a one-off. Many paths are blocked off by apparitions and otherworldly forces. The environments in Post Trauma shift like a surreal nightmare, so players can expect a good amount of variety and surprise within the locations of the game.
Clever Shifts in Camera Style, Shifting From Grainy CCTV Imaging to Clear 4K Depending on Context
Of course, framing all the distorted locations in Post Trauma are the fixed camera angles which vary in style. Some areas brim with clear 4K UE5 detail while others are overlaid with CCTV compression and resolution, as is the case with the spider mutant enemy encounter. It’ll be interesting to see all the ways the camera shifts and distorts throughout the game’s duration.
Creepy Sound Design Meant To Confound and Spook Players
Sound is paramount in any good survival horror game, and it seems Post Trauma is fulfilling on that front. You’re constantly hearing suspicious ambient noises as you explore the game’s environment. Distant echoes of objects dropping or footsteps can be heard as you explore, and there’s always some amount of white noise present in the ambient sound. Post Trauma’s soundtrack is done by popular music cover artist Nicolas Gasparini. It’s clear from trailers that the indie team making Post Trauma have a good sense of subtle and creepy audio design, taking a cue from classic survival horror titles. There’s a demo on Steam right now to try out the game for yourself ahead of Post Trauma’s March 31st release.