Visage |OT| Playable Terror

[DeadmansTheory]

In chapter 2 now and really enjoying it so far. As others have said, the controls are more of a headache/frustrating then they ever should be. From storing key items, using items(using the lighter to light things) and the extra steps you need to do when examining certain items.

The game is worth the headache with the story, house, paranormal and all the little extra touches it offers but damn those controls. Also headphones are a fantastic way to experience this game if you can.

 

[HiLife]

Neat, though I guess I wish I could do them in release order to see their progression as devs. But if they're all similar enough quality-wise, I suppose it's no big deal other than minor OCPD anxiety lol.

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Yeah, your only hope for that would be restarting the game. But you can piece the story together in any order, that's why I like it. Feels like you can tackle the story how you want. If you want to know the chronological chapters from the Kickstarter a couple years ago then they're

Spoiler

Ch1. The kids drawing on the bedroom door. And ch2, the keys by the front door.

And there's still more chapters, so yeah. You'll get a few hours out of each.

 

[KnivesAndCoins]

I see it on the Swedish store: https://store.playstation.com/sv-se/product/EP3236-CUSA20582_00-SSVISAGEGAMEPACK

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Yaaassssssssss

 

[HiLife]

Wow. Lucy's chapter has me convinced a first person fatal frame would be scary as hell.

 

[RedMercury]

Did they ever fix the terrible controls for this game? I want to pick it up on PS4 tomorrow but the last time I played the PC version is was so bad on a controller, with swapping items in hands and placing things down and everything, it was so unintuitive that it killed it for me.

Click to shrink...

Can anyone answer this?

Edit: NVM saw some other comments. Sucks they never fixed it, they were aware the controls were awful at least a year ago.

 

[HiLife]

Lol. Suspicions confirmed for one of the newer chapters and an enemy.

Spoiler

aliens! I thought I was going crazy when I saw some green portal an hour into playing the game.

This game is takes from so many different types of horror haha.

Edit: I'm so bad at this game. I didn't even see there's a sprint option :( been playing through all these chapters walking :(

 

[Deleted member 13307]

Can you invert the Y axis in this game ?
On Ps4 Pro, how's the framerate ? it's 30 or 60 fps ?

Thanks.

 

[MoonsaultSlayer]

Can you invert the Y axis in this game ?
On Ps4 Pro, how's the framerate ? it's 30 or 60 fps ?

Thanks.

Click to shrink...

I'm fairly positive I saw options to invert x and y separately.
And on pro, it's mostly 30? Very playable with some jutters here and there. Some pop-in type issues but nothing crippling to the atmosphere they're going for.

 

[Deleted member 13307]

I'm fairly positive I saw options to invert x and y separately.
And on pro, it's mostly 30? Very playable with some jutters here and there. Some pop-in type issues but nothing crippling to the atmosphere they're going for.

Click to shrink...

Thank you !

 

[HiLife]

After 11 1/2 hours, I beat it. Got the good ending. Great game and I think it's going to be looked upon fondly in the horror space. I had goosebumps every few minutes throughout the entire playthrough. With some really solid jump scares.

Shame there still doesn't seem to be that much info or talk about it here, and other forums. I'll probably replay it on next gen and go for the 100% and bad ending.

Sidenote. But I guess google lied? I keep seeing info for four chapters and couldn't manage to find the fourth. There's missable collectibles too.

 

[redflamingolingo]

How does this game not have any press behind it?

It is insanely good. A few hours in and beyond impressed.

Holy shit. Scary as fuck. Mind bending. Totally the PT game we wanted.

 

[carlsojo]

Wasn't a fan last night of how I have fuck all idea of where to go. Opened up the garage room last night and... Nothing?

Also I hate when the spooky music plays and I missed it because I'm a dumb idiot looking at the wrong thing.

 

[More_Badass]

After 11 1/2 hours, I beat it. Got the good ending. Great game and I think it's going to be looked upon fondly in the horror space. I had goosebumps every few minutes throughout the entire playthrough. With some really solid jump scares.

Shame there still doesn't seem to be that much info or talk about it here, and other forums. I'll probably replay it on next gen and go for the 100% and bad ending.

Sidenote. But I guess google lied? I keep seeing info for four chapters and couldn't manage to find the fourth. There's missable collectibles too.

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Managed to sustain and change up the scares for 11+ hours? That's pretty impressive

Good puzzles and plot?

 

[HiLife]

Managed to sustain and change up the scares for 11+ hours? That's pretty impressive

Good puzzles and plot?

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Puzzles were alright. It's mostly making sure you pay attention to details and finding the correct item to place here and there. Not a brainbuster like you're playing The Witness or some shit.

I feel like the story was open for interpretation. If you're into reading between the lines and figuring out why the family was murdered without it directly telling you, you'll probably like it. It's very psychological and you really have to search for the items to know the ins and outs of why some characters did the things they did. Personally, I rode the coattails of being in a haunted house and the mystery of it, and that was good enough for me. It was an easy sell. Certainly isn't ND TLOU level type of storytelling, if that's what you mean. But it is immersive as hell. I'm hard pressed to think of an FPS horror with a atmosphere so palpable. They did a great job evoking a haunted house. You'll probably get some goosebumps that you haven't felt while playing any other type of horror game. I hate beating a dead horse, but they took what they could of the PT and put their own unique twist to it. Seriously.there was some unnerving shit that made me go, "huh, this is a different vibe".

It's also not without its issues(which I listed earlier). But I don't regret my purchase at all. In terms of slower paced horror games? This is up there, imo.

 

[HiLife]

Wasn't a fan last night of how I have fuck all idea of where to go. Opened up the garage room last night and... Nothing?

Also I hate when the spooky music plays and I missed it because I'm a dumb idiot looking at the wrong thing.

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yeah I mentioned this earlier. Maybe a page back. It is inconsistent on when it plays that loud ass string, like bro, I'm not even LOOKING at what's scary. Stop blaring shit. This is a lame aspect, Era. In my opinion. Keep it in mind, y'all. As for not figuring out where to go? It doesn't exactly tell you. You'll find items that prompt chapter starts, and from then on you kinda got to navigate through the house to figure out what's different. Each chapter is going to change up shit in the house, it's just a matter of doing laps until you see what's out of the ordinary this time compared to last time.

 

[Astral]

I'm watching gameplay from the Lucy chapter and I don't think I can fucking do it lol.

 

[redflamingolingo]

I'm watching gameplay from the Lucy chapter and I don't think I can fucking do it lol.

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It is absolutely insane.

Can you do the chapters in any order? I began with the Lucy chapter.

 

[carlsojo]

Spent the last thirty minutes running around in circles. No clue where to go. No idea if something is not spawning or what.

 

[redflamingolingo]

Spent the last thirty minutes running around in circles. No clue where to go. No idea if something is not spawning or what.

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If you are at the part with all the electrical sockets missing, follow the trail on the floor. The game finds clever ways to direct the player.

 

[carlsojo]

If you are at the part with all the electrical sockets missing, follow the trail on the floor. The game finds clever ways to direct the player.

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I'm at the part where I unlocked the garage with the car and now there is just no clue or anything as to what I need to do.

 

[HiLife]

I'm at the part where I unlocked the garage with the car and now there is just no clue or anything as to what I need to do.

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Did you find the sledgehammer?

 

[Sausage Handler]

Just finished the Delores chapter so far but I'd put this right up there as far as horror games go, it looks great, it's scary as fuck, just really high quality all round which makes the lack of press/attention mystifying. I know it's been lingering in early access for a while but so had Hades and that game blew up upon release (understandably so). The controls absolutely suck in Visage though, so cumbersome to switch items.

 

[carlsojo]

Did you find the sledgehammer?

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No?

 

[Bradford]

I finished it.

My feelings soured greatly after the second chapter. It was obvious which ones were playtested through EA and how much that helped the experience. The second "half" of the game is not very good.

Spoiler: Endgame Thoughts

So one of the things that stuck out to me is that the beginning states that this game is very hard and requires strict resource management (paraphrasing). But this game is not hard. Almost nothing is a threat, and none of the resources need to be managed. I never changed a lightbulb in the whole game outside of the one story-mandated reason to do so, and Pills were useless, because light regenerates your sanity. The game is genuinely afraid of making its threats real and tangible. Enemies are all one-trick ponies that chase you in a straight line, pathfind poorly, and ultimately walk much less quickly than you do so navigating around them is simple. Nothing is a threat in this game. Once you realize this, all sense of dread evaporates.

The early game is the best, when the house is still tricky and parts of it are still unknown. But Rakan's chapter, and the final "chapter" genuinely suck. The unfortunate reality of this game is that it takes PT's concepts, story ideas, and aesthetics wholesale and then tries to stretch them over 13 hours; unfortunately the game design is just plain not up to snuff for it.

A really great example of the sloppy game design: The game unintentionally signals that moving things around in the environment is done with your standard click-and-drag method, like doors. You can obtain a "secret" endgame item early by moving a toolbox in the Garage attic. This is done by clicking and dragging, like a door. But in Chapter 3, you are required to move two things: A bench and a cabinet. Bafflingly, you move these by walking into them clumsily. This is poor, unpolished UX design and totally indicative of just how poorly playtested the last few sections of the game really are. The first two chapters benefit greatly from being the Early Access portion of the game. The third chapter is also where some of the poor translation/Script QA comes in ("I should keep this in hands now"), and it also features the worst voice acting in the game.

Additionally, The game just really feels its budget. The character not having a model, the animations being wonky, the overall camera work -- it's all very amateur. The game has performance issues, tons of bugs -- some of which that are game breaking -- and many recurrent issues that mostly boil down to "things stop working". It is possible to softlock simply by doing what the game wants you to do in many places.

Overall, I don't regret having played this, but I do think it's an easy skip for most people. It really does not live up to the hype, and I can't recommend it in this state.

 

[HiLife]

No?

Click to shrink...

It's needed to progress. Should've been in the garage if you went there.

 

[carlsojo]

It's needed to progress. Should've been in the garage if you went there.

Click to shrink...

Wheerrreee

 

[HiLife]

Wheerrreee

Click to shrink...

Are you doing Dolores or Lucy chapter?

Spoiler

Cause it should be by the car.

If it's not there then it's in the storage room in the basement.

 

[Dr. Sanchez]

How does the narrative compare to SOMA? I really like the story in that game, as well as the atmosphere.

 

[Messofanego]

I finished it.

My feelings soured greatly after the second chapter. It was obvious which ones were playtested through EA and how much that helped the experience. The second "half" of the game is not very good.

Spoiler: Endgame Thoughts

So one of the things that stuck out to me is that the beginning states that this game is very hard and requires strict resource management (paraphrasing). But this game is not hard. Almost nothing is a threat, and none of the resources need to be managed. I never changed a lightbulb in the whole game outside of the one story-mandated reason to do so, and Pills were useless, because light regenerates your sanity. The game is genuinely afraid of making its threats real and tangible. Enemies are all one-trick ponies that chase you in a straight line, pathfind poorly, and ultimately walk much less quickly than you do so navigating around them is simple. Nothing is a threat in this game. Once you realize this, all sense of dread evaporates.

The early game is the best, when the house is still tricky and parts of it are still unknown. But Rakan's chapter, and the final "chapter" genuinely suck. The unfortunate reality of this game is that it takes PT's concepts, story ideas, and aesthetics wholesale and then tries to stretch them over 13 hours; unfortunately the game design is just plain not up to snuff for it.

A really great example of the sloppy game design: The game unintentionally signals that moving things around in the environment is done with your standard click-and-drag method, like doors. You can obtain a "secret" endgame item early by moving a toolbox in the Garage attic. This is done by clicking and dragging, like a door. But in Chapter 3, you are required to move two things: A bench and a cabinet. Bafflingly, you move these by walking into them clumsily. This is poor, unpolished UX design and totally indicative of just how poorly playtested the last few sections of the game really are. The first two chapters benefit greatly from being the Early Access portion of the game. The third chapter is also where some of the poor translation/Script QA comes in ("I should keep this in hands now"), and it also features the worst voice acting in the game.

Additionally, The game just really feels its budget. The character not having a model, the animations being wonky, the overall camera work -- it's all very amateur. The game has performance issues, tons of bugs -- some of which that are game breaking -- and many recurrent issues that mostly boil down to "things stop working". It is possible to softlock simply by doing what the game wants you to do in many places.

Overall, I don't regret having played this, but I do think it's an easy skip for most people. It really does not live up to the hype, and I can't recommend it in this state.

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Oh no, that's unfortunate to hear about the threat level and not able to fill up the runtime effectively. Thanks for the detailed impressions!

 

[Team_Feisar]

Besides the one posted above, are there any more impressions of the full game?
All the reviews on YT are just about the frist two chapters

 

[wafflebrain]

I went back to it for a bit last night continuing the Lucy chapter and am finding myself being pulled out of the experience too many times getting grabbed by something, which wouldn't be so much an issue if it wasn't for the unskippable kill animations. I honestly wonder if my save is bugged or something cause I wasn't being attacked nearly this much during the Dolores chapter. Even using pills it seems random when something gets me. I feel like a wuss but wish I could find a trainer to give unlimited lighter fuel just to get through this particular section because the near constant deaths are really sapping my enthusiasm for the game, the loop I'm dealing with now is legit giving me flashbacks of Outlast II's poor encounter design. Not what you want in a PT inspired experience.

On that note PT was obviously something designed as a short experience so I don't begrudge the Visage devs for feeling the need to adopt the Amnesia-like sanity system, the difference is Frictional clearly playtested their implementation way more in terms of how quickly you succumb to the effects of it. It feels super fast in Visage, like maybe less than a minute when you're showing the blood splattered brain icon showing sanity levels in the red before something gets you. Again this very well could be a bug, Dolores chapter didn't seem to have this issue. Or maybe this chapter is just intended to be more difficult but it still feels very unbalanced.

Its been awhile since I've played something I was so in love with initially turn into a frustrating chore. The strength of the Dolores chapter was having a lot of downtime moments when you weren't being hunted and just having the tension build around you with the creaks and knocking sounds throughout the house, with the occasional light flickering or apparition spotting down the hallway. It was creepy, unnerving, and decidedly PT like in tone. Now it feels like a worse version of Outlast II, probably the worst direction you could go. Ugh. Just hoping I can get through this one area and the ghost starts to back off a little so I can start to enjoy it again.

 

[Astral]

Damn I'm so unsure about this game still. I'm seeing lots of complaints about the quality of the game going down after the early access chapters and general frustrations about the controls and running around the house looking for the small thing that has changed to advance the game. Maybe I should wait for a sale?

 

[MoonsaultSlayer]

Thank you !

Click to shrink...

I'm sorry, I misremembered. Invert Y option only. Sensitivity for X and Y is what I saw.

 

[MoonsaultSlayer]

So Rakan has been my first chapter and seeing how everyone has name dropped Lucy and Delores, I'm wondering what I missed before grabbing that cane crutch. This chapter has been pissing me off trying to get through the

Spoiler

hospital maze with the eyeless enemies hunting me down

. Guess I wish I would be "invisible" if I turned my flashlight off to make it a bit more manageable.

 

[HiLife]

So Rakan has been my first chapter and seeing how everyone has name dropped Lucy and Delores, I'm wondering what I missed before grabbing that cane crutch. This chapter has been pissing me off trying to get through the

Spoiler

hospital maze with the eyeless enemies hunting me down

. Guess I wish I would be "invisible" if I turned my flashlight off to make it a bit more manageable.

Click to shrink...

You're using sprint right?

Spoiler

You also gotta cheese all the rooms with two points on entry. They'll follow you through one door and you just exit out the other.

Damn I'm so unsure about this game still. I'm seeing lots of complaints about the quality of the game going down after the early access chapters and general frustrations about the controls and running around the house looking for the small thing that has changed to advance the game. Maybe I should wait for a sale?

Click to shrink...

To a degree, I can see how some players think the later chapters aren't as good as the early ones. If you want an example of what I mean, the game I can closely describe it's pace to would be

Spoiler

Outlast. You're constantly sprinting around in a labyrinth of a building, avoiding multiple enemies.

I can't see the control issues being addressed especially if these complaints have persisted since the Kickstarter years ago.

As for running around the house looking for small new details? That's the loop of the game, just like PT.

 

[MoonsaultSlayer]

You're using sprint right?

Spoiler

You also gotta cheese all the rooms with two points on entry. They'll follow you through one door and you just exit out the other.

To a degree, I can see how some players think the later chapters aren't as good as the early ones. If you want an example of what I mean, the game I can closely describe it's pace to would be

Spoiler

Outlast. You're constantly sprinting around in a labyrinth of a building, avoiding multiple enemies.

I can't see the control issues being addressed especially if these complaints have persisted since the Kickstarter years ago.

As for running around the house looking for small new details? That's the loop of the game, just like PT.

Click to shrink...

I am indeed sprinting but I've mostly been using those rooms as little breathers. It's just I'll get to a corner or intersection and get sandwiched. A defense would be nice. A way to save even.

I quite like the open and close door mechanic. Not sure if that's the issue with the controls people have or if it's mainly the inventory and keys not auto unlocking which is my only issue. I feel like I'll get the hang of item handling with more practice so I won't bitch about that.

Also, I laughed at the

Spoiler

giant map on the wall in the area I described which gives me my destination.

Not sure if that was always there haha. Definitely can't sit there and study it for too long though...

 

[Blayde]

can anyone comment on the xbox version? hows it run?

 

[Astral]

You're using sprint right?

Spoiler

You also gotta cheese all the rooms with two points on entry. They'll follow you through one door and you just exit out the other.

To a degree, I can see how some players think the later chapters aren't as good as the early ones. If you want an example of what I mean, the game I can closely describe it's pace to would be

Spoiler

Outlast. You're constantly sprinting around in a labyrinth of a building, avoiding multiple enemies.

I can't see the control issues being addressed especially if these complaints have persisted since the Kickstarter years ago.

As for running around the house looking for small new details? That's the loop of the game, just like PT.

Click to shrink...

Are there at least clues that hint at where to go next after each step in the puzzle? Or do you literally just wander around?

 

[HiLife]

Are there at least clues that hint at where to go next after each step in the puzzle? Or do you literally just wander around?

Click to shrink...

There are clues that hint where you need to go next. Although they're contextual and sometimes subtle. Maybe you'll find a trail of blood that wasn't there before, that'll prompt you to go along that path since you've never seen something like in that house. Or a car alarm that goes off for the first time ever, you're probably going to go check it out. That's kinda how the game throws those types of hints for you to encourage you towards an area to progress. Other than finding keys or items with descriptions that also give you a heads up of where you should experiment using.

I am indeed sprinting but I've mostly been using those rooms as little breathers. It's just I'll get to a corner or intersection and get sandwiched. A defense would be nice. A way to save even.

I quite like the open and close door mechanic. Not sure if that's the issue with the controls people have or if it's mainly the inventory and keys not auto unlocking which is my only issue. I feel like I'll get the hang of item handling with more practice so I won't bitch about that.

Also, I laughed at the

Spoiler

giant map on the wall in the area I described which gives me my destination.

Not sure if that was always there haha. Definitely can't sit there and study it for too long though...

Click to shrink...

My issue is with doors, and the inventory management. Pulling back on the stick feels weird in this. Just feels cumbersome on a controller. Holding a button then pressing L or R to drop items. Holding another face button to examine said item. Just not a fan. Sometimes candles don't light. Sometimes items don't even pick up. It's just tedious, imo.

 

[MoonsaultSlayer]

There are clues that hint where you need to go next. Although they're contextual and sometimes subtle. Maybe you'll find a trail of blood that wasn't there before, that'll prompt you to go along that path since you've never seen something like in that house. Or a car alarm that goes off for the first time ever, you're probably going to go check it out. That's kinda how the game throws those types of hints for you to encourage you towards an area to progress. Other than finding keys or items with descriptions that also give you a heads up of where you should experiment using.


My issue is with doors, and the inventory management. Pulling back on the stick feels weird in this. Just feels cumbersome on a controller. Holding a button then pressing L or R to drop items. Holding another face button to examine said item. Just not a fan. Sometimes candles don't light. Sometimes items don't even pick up. It's just tedious, imo.

Click to shrink...

Actually, I do remember having issues fumbling with a candle trying to figure out how to place it down and such lol. Was weird.

 

[CenturionNami]

Reviews are coming in.

Gameinformer 8.8

Visage Review - Visage Review — Awesome Apprehension - Game Informer

Explore a truly terrifying haunted house.

www.gameinformer.com

33bits 9.5

Visage, análisis

Análisis de Visage, el aterrador sucesor espiritual de P.T. a cargo de SadSquare Studio. ¿Preparados para saber qué es el miedo?

portal.33bits.net

 

[Dancrane212]

Reviews are coming in.

Gameinformer 8.8

Visage Review - Visage Review — Awesome Apprehension - Game Informer

Explore a truly terrifying haunted house.

www.gameinformer.com

33bits 9.5

Visage, análisis

Análisis de Visage, el aterrador sucesor espiritual de P.T. a cargo de SadSquare Studio. ¿Preparados para saber qué es el miedo?

portal.33bits.net

Click to shrink...

I wonder if they never sent out review codes or something along those lines. Just strange to see nothing lined up for when the game launched.

 

[Rubmifer]

Is there any way to config the keybindings to your own liking? I have an azerty keyboard and I can't switch the keybindings to the layout of my keyboard. Really annoying.

 

[PucePikmin]

A quick interview with the creators touching on the game's development, next-gen versions, whether there will be DLC, and more...

https://wccftech.com/visage-interview-pt-influence-next-gen-ports-future-plans/

 

[Sargerus]

Starting with the third chapter the game takes a nosedive in quality like holy shit, what happened? The ending is also so non-sense that i can't help but wonder that the rumors surrounding the development of this game are actually true.

 

[HiLife]

Reviews are coming in.

Gameinformer 8.8

Visage Review - Visage Review — Awesome Apprehension - Game Informer

Explore a truly terrifying haunted house.

www.gameinformer.com

33bits 9.5

Visage, análisis

Análisis de Visage, el aterrador sucesor espiritual de P.T. a cargo de SadSquare Studio. ¿Preparados para saber qué es el miedo?

portal.33bits.net

Click to shrink...

8-9 is where I expect this to land. But with the control issues, performance issues and complaints about quality in the later chapters, I'm expecting this to be 8 on most peoples radars.

 

[Jokerman]

While I am enjoying this, largely because the atmospheric sound and looks are genuinely well done, there is no getting around how clunky the control scheme feels. It seems unnecessarily complex to me and counterintuitive. A game like this really needs controls you don't have to think too much about as they draw you out of the experience.

 

[Punxsutawney]

This game is on the pricier side ($AU 55). I love horror, but I'm such a gosh darn wimp when it comes to video games. RE7 stressed the absolute hell out of me (loved it, though!). Torn between wanting to support projects like this by buying full price, and knowing that I'll probably nope out within an hour!

 

[MoonsaultSlayer]

So I'm basically at the mercy of a patch to give me the crowbar back because I've been stuck for days in Dolores' chapter braving the damn spooks (which are legit) trying to trigger it to respawn somewhere. Fuck this damn house and I mean that in the most sincerest way hahaha.

Might be my game of the gen and its just about over. Kudos to the team for giving me a Silent Hill-like title that I've been yearning for since the PS2 era.

 

[Dancrane212]

An update on PS4 keys:

Hi there,

This is an update for all those who chose the PS4 version of the game. We know it's overdue, and we're really annoyed by the situation, because we want to do right by our backers.

We still didn't distribute the codes, simply because we don't have them yet. We've had issues with Sony not answering back, and learned today that our point of contact will not be available because of important family issues. We certainly wish our contact the best, but on our side, this could mean that there will be more delays. We certainly hope not.

From what we know... We should have the codes this week, but at this point there's no guarantee.

We understand that the situation is very frustrating, and note that if you would like to request a refund, you still can, and you can also change your copy to PC or Xbox anytime by contacting us directly here on Kickstarter.

We apologize for the inconvenience. It's one hell of a bummer.

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