Madison (Multi)
By: Bloodious Games
IF HOLLYWOOD has taught us one thing – and it hasn't – it's that when it comes to battling all things Satanic, you can forget your rabbis, ministers or imams. From The Exorcist and Rosemary's Baby to The Conjuring, it's good old Catholicism that ultimately gives Old Nick the heave-ho.
It's hardly surprising, given our embarrassment of props – from crucifixes and holy water to Latin chants, and, well, a literal belief in the Devil.
With horror films dominated by a potpourri of popery, it was inevitable that games would follow suit. And, from Virgin Mary statues that follow you around to a cathedral's worth of demonic doings, Madison hitches its wagon to the godly ghost train.
Eight years ago, Konami released PT, the free demo for a horror game developed by Hideo Kojima and Guillermo del Toro. The project was scrapped, but its legacy lives on in a glut of copycat chillers, the latest of which again funnels players down the dark hallways of a decrepit house while beyond-the-grave bogeys mess with your nerves.
Playing as young Luca and armed with a possessed Polaroid camera, it's time to unravel the mystery of serial murderer Madison Hale. Permeated with a marvellous air of dread, much of Madison's gameplay involves getting lost in corridors as you collect items to solve Resident Evil-esque puzzles. Lighting candles, placing pictures in the correct spot – you know the drill.
With no combat whatsoever, your only protection is a second-hand camera whose snaps can solve many of the game's puzzles by revealing unseen clues or cracking open doors.
All the ingredients are here for a cracking little creepshow, but Madison's glacial pacing and obtuse puzzles may frustrate those without saint-like patience. Many of its riddles will have players reaching for online solutions, while stingey inventory space means much backtracking to storage safes – a chore made worse by Luca's arthritic ambling.
Ultimately, Madison falls back on stock-in-trade orchestral stabs and sudden thumps from within the house to keep the neck hairs standing to attention, and you'll eventually grow numb to its gimmicks. Still, it's technically sound and dripping in atmosphere, and may well provide enough gory frights to please horror-hounds.
If you're prepared to endure some baffling puzzles, there are a few scares to be had here – and more Virgin Marys than a Lourdes gift shop.
