We are back with another horror game! Big yay! Today, I’m going to be talking about the Nintendo Switch port of Clea. The game originally dropped back in 2019, and a sequel is set to release in March of next year.
What is Clea?
Clea is a skill-based survival horror adventure. It is also advertised as being jump-scare free, but I’ll talk about that later. Clea’s parents have been experimenting on Chaos Servants in their home. But now, the monsters have been let loose. Clea and her brother must now escape from the Whitlock Mansion.
Let’s Get Techy
The first thing I want to talk about is the jump-scare free aspect. Horror is basically ingrained into me. There is no such thing as jumpscare free horror. Intentional jumpscare free, yes. And that is where I would class Clea. When actually reading the game description, you will see a little note. “No pre-scripted scares, promise”
See, even a change in audio could jump-scare someone, especially with something like a monster’s shout. Fear is different for all of us, so what might scare one person may not scare someone else. Maybe I’m getting too philosophical. I have a love-hate relationship with jump-scares.
Gameplay wise, there honestly isn’t much to say. It’s a 2D side scroller. You collect items along the way and run. That’s really about it.
The art style for Clea really is very pleasing. It’s a really gorgeous style, and the character designs are very cute. The issue I have here is that the Chaos Servants don’t really look that scary. With a name like “Chaos Servant”, you’d think they’d be a bit more… chaotic. The lighting is atmospheric, and the use of candles is cute. Have I gotten too picky lately? I think my standard for scary in a horror game has gotten too high. I do really like the Chaos Clea though.
So, what’s the verdict on Clea?
Clea has a very interesting concept, in some ways. But at the same time, we’re kind of falling back to a well-used trope. Escape the house your family member did experiments in! I just could not get into this one. The script is also on the more basic side. Please don’t get me wrong. I am not saying Clea is a bad game necessarily. It was just not for me.
I also had a big issue with the length. Compared with the price, the game is way too short. We’re talking around an hour to an hour and a half max, with zero replayability. Once you’ve played it, that’s it. And this is where we run into another issue. There are actually 3 possible endings. But personally, I felt like one run was enough. No matter what I did, I could not get into this game at all. I was so excited by the trailers and the art style. Everything else just fell really flat for me.
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