REVIEW : The Fridge is Red (PC)
The fridge is red is yet another entry into the crowded field of PS1-era horror games, and regrettably, the appeal of that subgenre could not make up for this brief encounter. There are many games available that satisfy the desire for thrills and chills in an older-style setting with a more compelling narrative, but this one can make a good filler when players have exhausted the rest of the genre.
Story
To be honest, there isn’t much to say about this. When the game first starts, players, can choose between two alternative stories to pursue. Players sit in a chair in front of a red refrigerator that appears to be moving in Fidget Sherri’s game. There are numerous notes all over the room that give away the presence of something in the refrigerator as they search the space. Players are met by the main menu screen after completing the story’s sole task. It was first difficult to tell, but I think the purpose of this brief story is to create suspense and act as a starting point for the rest of the game.
The following narrative, for daddy to work, which centres around a character being trapped in an elevator before it collapses, can be accessed after players have solved this small puzzle. Players are pushed into a spooky scenario after a freak accident, including needing to search a hospital for their wives. Each character in the game has grating voice acting, but soon after the game begins, the voice acting becomes annoying.
The fridge has red accents. There were six of these brief stories, and while some of them were more intriguing than others, the lesser stories and the hazy grasp of how they all connected tainted the overall experience.
Gameplay
Players in the red fridge must navigate a variety of unsettling environments in first person while adding a scary VHS tint to heighten their sense of uneasiness. The voice acting and filter both felt more nauseating than creepy to me, so I would have loved to see an option to turn them off, but each person will utilise these aspects differently.
Starting a new chapter and then completing some of the minor puzzles that each chapter presents to make up the gameplay loop. While some puzzles call for players to look for extra objects in the small areas, others ask them to make use of the nearby resources. This game falls short for those searching for a satisfying puzzle experience.
Whether it’s locating a wife in a hospital or dodging a terrifying monster that is pursuing them as they travel along a snow-covered road, each chapter presents players with a fresh challenge to confront and overcome. The chapters themselves are not particularly extensive, and if players move quickly from one to the next chapter without encountering any problems, playtime might last them two to three hours.
Final thoughts Overall, it appears that the headline “the fridge is red” would appeal to people who have a strong interest in specialised horror films, but for others like me, the introduction was not compelling enough for me to completely grasp the significance of the demonic red refrigerator. Throughout the game, there were indications of a more cohesive plot, but since that interest was shattered on the rocks at the beginning, it was difficult to desire to put everything together.
