Have you ever totally ignored a game since it's release but then gave it a go and loved it? Well that is what happened when I finally played Erica. I totally ignored this game at it's initial release but picked it up thanks to it being a free game through PlayStation Plus.
The game follows lead character Erica after the death of both her parents, new clues are brought up into the game as to the case not being what it seems so you follow her as she tries to navigate through the reopened investigation and get answers as to what actually happened. I didn't really expect much from the game as it seemed to have gone under peoples radar so I hadn't heard much about it but the game certainly surprised me. It gets you thinking and creates a connection between you and Erica. For me all I wanted to do was help her find answers and I found myself very invested in the game and the choices I had to make.
This is a choice based game which as I say gets you really invested and gets you thinking about the consequences of your choices, I guess at some points it shows what type of character you are too, are you going to help others or be stubborn and try go it alone?
To be honest I haven't really played many games like this in the past so I am really surprised by how much I enjoyed sitting and playing this. I actually managed to roll the credits on my first play through in around 2 hours so it didn't take too much time and it was a nice slow paced game so it is perfect for a relaxed weekend or sitting and playing after a hard day at work.
What intrigued me most in this game though was the controls used to play. You could play using a smartphone or by using the touchpad on the Dualshock controller. As it is a choice based game you don't have to move the character so you are just using the touchpad to hover over the choice you want to make. There also times where you have to swipe in specific directions to move items but that is all you have to do, which to me is what makes it the perfect relaxing game. To say how long I have owned the PS4 for this is the first game that has had me actually using the touchpad and I actually wish there were more games I played like this. If you have played others like this please leave me some recommendations for me to take a look at.
With this been a game I hadn't heard much about I honestly didn't expect much from it and I certainly didn't know it was a live action game. I was really surprised with how the graphics looked as soon as it loaded as it was just like watching a film with the quality of the graphics. I honestly didn't expect it to be as good as it was the detail was fantastic. Throughout the whole play through I felt like I was just sat watching a movie that I had to make a few choices in, it didn't feel like I was gaming at some points. There was one point where the screen seemed to go very dark and I struggled to see what was going on but after a quick trip to the settings and adjusting the brightness a bit I was good to go.
I was a little worried that this game might be a bit too dark and spooky for me but for someone who hates anything remotely spooky I didn't find this game bad at all. There were a few jump scares which seemed to get worse as the game progressed but honestly they were nothing to make me put the controller down and turn the game off. They are all part of the plot too so it isn't like they are unnecessary jump scares that are just there for the sake of it.
The whole game sounded nice and clear too with me having no issues hearing anything at any point which these days is quite rare for me as most games I have played recently hearing what characters are saying has been an issue, especially in games like Call of Duty.
As I said this game took me around 2 hours to complete my first play-through however, it is a game with multiple endings so I may end up going back and trying to find different endings in the future. If you are a trophy hunter you are definitely going to need a few play-through's to achieve all the trophies for a platinum trophy. It took a lot longer to download than my other games so just bare that in mind when you are installing the game as I aren't sure if it was down to the game itself or our internet connection.
I am really glad PlayStation gave this to it's Plus members for free because if they hadn't done it I wouldn't have given it a go and fallen in love with it as I have done. If you have this game but have not played it yet I would totally recommend giving it a go and let us know what you think to it.
Publisher : Sony Interactive Entertainment
Developer : Flavourworks
Available on : PS4
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