If you ever heard or talked about an underdog, Decay might actually be one of these. Firstly released in 2009 as an episodic adventure, Shining Gate Software brings us Decay yet again in a full package this time. It starts you off with no recollection of who you are, what you are doing in the place that you start off with, and is really obscure with its details. Looking like a prime example for a horror game? I mustered up every bit of courage I had in my body and started off going down the rabbit hole. Let’s just say, that I was not prepared for what I was about to experience here everyone… But lets quickly backtrack a bit first. Has anyone ever heard of Decay? Sure there was Decay: The Mare (which Jimmy did a review on) that came out a few years back, which was a re-release as well. But did anyone even play Decay? I hadn’t even heard of it before this review. And I’m glad I know it now! So let’s get ready everyone because we’re going to be exploring Decay!
- Music: Oh my goodness, shining gate! What have you done! What is this score that you created for such an amazing game! This game’s music is so soothing and impactful at the same time. Jeez, how many times did I just sit there and just listen? Nothing more. No actions were done. Absolutely zilch. For all, you soundtrack lovers out there? Give this one a listen to, though gentle and mysterious, the songs are top-notch! A pleasure to listen to, that’s for sure! Booyah!
- Multiple Endings: Depending on how you play the game, you’ll actually get a few different endings. Do you choose to do this, or that. Will you go for that option or another? It’s all up to you on how you finish your game. So be wary with how your choices are. On your first run, I’d just say, go with your gut feeling. For the others? May want to look them up if you don’t want to figure it all out. But this does give it a small replayability factor that I do love to see in games. Just sad that this was an older game that just got re-released.
- Puzzles: I’ve made it more than clear the past few times in other games when puzzles are involved? This joker is on the lookout! And what I found in Decay, pleasured my puzzle bone. These things rank from fairly easy all the way up into the “what the heck?” zone. Some are really tough peeps, so be prepared. And… Don’t be ashamed to ask for help, some aren’t that straight forward, if I may say so myself!
- Jumpscares: Decay hosts its fair share of jumpscares, and I quite enjoyed them! Well… All except the ones with that damned doll! You can ask anyone of our crew, the first time I had met that doll? I went straight into our chat and blasted the game into kingdom come. I hated it. I absolutely dreaded it. I wanted nothing to do with this game anymore. But I stuck with it, and I’m glad that I did! Not only did I find the game to be enjoyable, but I also adored it at the end… Well… Except for one bug… But more on that later. Though not fully a horror kind of game, it still spooked me and that’s a tough thing to do, so kudos on you guys, kudos on you!
- Graphics: Being that this is a game that originated in the year 2009? Also means that it has some very outdated graphics. And though it doesn’t look all that bad, 10 years later. It still feels like the game did not age well at all. The sluggish mouse combined with the fuzzy-looking graphics gives it that ol’ timey look. So, this isn’t a bad point, it’s just a heads-up that you don’t have to go expecting the best of the best when it comes down to the visual style.
- Mouse selector: The game sports a mouse-like selector. And though you are playing a controller, you can speed it up by pressing the right trigger. While this is a welcomed feature because the mouse selector is dead slow otherwise, I wished that the speed you get then was the regular speed. I played through decay with my trigger button pressed constantly.
- Story: Decay’s story is very twisty. Not only does it do a good job into being entertaining but it also has some plot twists strewn about. But, it’s just kind of short. In the end, I was just hungering for more! I could’ve done with a longer game/story. Sadly enough it doesn’t deliver on that. It’s a pretty short game but that doesn’t reduce the fact that the game is really amazing to play!
- Game breaking bug: I thought that I had nothing bad to write about the game until I reached the final chapter and was in the final act of the game. It was a bit of a time thing and I wasn’t really noticing the clues that the game was giving me, and thus I failed. No problem, as when this happens during the game, it just sets you back. Not this time though. Whereas you normally get put back a few actions ago, now it put me in the final moment as to when the sequence starts. It did reset the rest of the progress that I made that made it so that I got to that point. So it took away all the items that I had. Okay, no problem I thought, let’s just go back and get them… Aaand they’re gone. They weren’t there anymore. Meaning that the game had put me into a locked game state and I couldn’t progress anymore. If I wanted I could have reloaded my save, but that was right when I just got into that chapter, basically removing almost every progress that I made. I just hope Shining Gate Software sees this and looks into it to patch it out! Until that moment? Save whenever you can!
CONCLUSION
Score: 85%
Decay, kind of blew me away. I don’t know what it was that made it so impactful. Was it the story and how it was being told? Was it the music that moved me so much? Or was it that god damn doll…? I don’t know… But what I do know is that Decay truly is a game that you have to experience. I’m not sure why it was such a sleeper game when it was first released? But it has no reason as to why it should be now! I would truly recommend this for anyone who enjoys a good point and click game with an amazing soundtrack! Just… Mind the graphics.
Developer: Shining Gate Software Publisher: Shining Gate Software
Played on: Xbox One X Also available on:
Alexis spent 5 hours enjoying Decay!
Achievement difficulty for 1000 Gamerscore: Almost 4 to 5 hours to get everything.
Xbox Game Store link: Click here
