REVIEW : IN RAYS OF THE LIGHT (PS5)
In its most basic form, Rays of The Light is a walking simulator. There’s even a badge for walking 5 kilometres around the limited area you’re provided to explore. But it’s more than just a stroll through a lovely game. It’s eerie and unsettling, but it’s well worth the few hours it takes to conclude.
A short animation shows a cola can on the ground and people in the background as the game begins. The scene is a time-lapse, and as time passes, the area around this lonely cola can is reclaimed by nature.
It reminded me a little of The Last of Us. That’s the preamble to you being given control of your character. The reason for the disappearance of the people is unknown, at least for the time being. You must explore the decaying building and its surroundings for notes that provide a glimpse into the world just before mankind was wiped from the planet’s face.
You start in a room with a television that is filled with that dreadful static fuzz. There are no guidelines. I wandered around the area, familiarizing myself with the controls, before venturing out into the dark hallway, where I discovered a torch taped to a wall. Yay! Light! When I returned to the starting room to test my torch, I noticed that the television had been turned off. Creepy.
This was the start of my three-hour solo odyssey, during which my heart nearly fell out of my arse several times. Rays of Light does not rely on jump scares to produce an emotional response. Instead, it’s a lot more subtle, at least at first, and it all starts with sound. The soundtrack is lovely, and it stands in strong contrast to the gloomy and eerie structure where the game spends the majority of its time. The piano tones are joyful, dark, and haunting all at once, and dread creeps in as the music abruptly stops. When this happened the first time, I got “goosey pees,” as my partner and I call goose pimples (it makes it less scary… shut up.)
I discovered that the music served as a type of shield, shutting out disturbing noises. I was hyper-aware of every brilliantly crafted sound as the music started playing – and believe me, the use of sound here is amazing. In the darkness, the sound of the torch clicking on is accentuated. As I went, I heard the sound of glass crunching beneath my feet, so I came to a halt to double-check. Yes, there was glass, but there were also footsteps that weren’t mine. Creepy. Just writing this gives me “goosey pees.”
I soon got used to the harsh creak of lockers, but then I’d be going along by the light of my torch and hear that familiar sound from somewhere else in the building. Those “goosey pees” have reappeared.
It’s horror, but not in the way you think. The decision to rely on sound rather than sight was great, and it kept me wide-eyed throughout, expecting the usual horror stereotype of a dark figure in the distance or possibly a tiny girl running down a hallway to appear. Even though that never happened, the expectation was there, and it kept my heart racing.
It isn’t all brown slacks and sluggish bladders. You must determine what is going on, what has occurred, and how to proceed. This is where the puzzles enter the picture. You can stumble your way through the game by exploring every corner and crevice and interacting with anything and everything. I did have to scribble a few notes on one of the puzzles, but the rest were quite straightforward and not too difficult.
The game doesn’t provide any hints, which isn’t that they’re necessary. You’ll be able to figure out what to do and where to go next as long as you have half a brain. You’ll be alright because I did it while peeking through my fingers.
Progression, on the other hand, implies more scares, and while the game’s early stages rely on audio cues to get your pulse pounding, the game’s later stages take it to another level. There is no jump scares this time, but the game does finally resort to visuals to elicit a response.
In the faint lights of the underground bunker, the shadows of individuals who sat around the bunker walls flicker. As the emergency broadcast overhead plays out with the loud alarm, the shadows seem to flicker more furiously, and for the briefest of moments – and I mean the briefest of moments – they become solid things, quivering and shaking.
I was about to put the controller down and call it a day at this point. It was a terrible experience. When I turned to look at my partner, I could tell she was even more afraid than I was. But I sensed the end was approaching, so I pressed on till I reached my destination. And… it’s about what I expected. I won’t give anything away, but the indications are obvious, and you’ll have figured it out well before your final stroll through the game’s light.
My type of horror is in the rays of the Light. It doesn’t make you feel anything using cheap tactics or gimmicks. The game’s use of sound is fantastic, and even when it does throw you some visual scares, they’re distinct and counter-intuitive. No little girls were running around (though I think I heard a young girl’s voice?) and no figures that vanished.
