Developer: Take IT Studio!
PS5 Review
*Disclaimer: I was sent the code for this game on PS5 in return for a review; all opinions are mine and mine alone.
Starting a new job can be daunting, but even more so when you're alone and in the dark, but are you truly alone or is your boss being an unbearing little spy who watches your every move? It's your first shift, you're given a list of things to do in the stock room, simple enough, right? Sure! Yet as each shift goes on, the tasks change ever so slightly, and you have to notice the small things in order to work it out. I failed this on the first night without a note and was given a warning. The boss put me on a 7-day trial, and if I get more than 3 warnings in that time, I'm done for.
The game is basically a simulation where you must somehow read the boss's mind and look at every single thing around you inside the Gas Station, as well as outside. As time goes by, this gets easier, but your boss gets creepier. There is an uneasy feeling as I walk through each room, checking the floors, walls, and any mess that needs to be dealt with. Someone had used spray paint and graffiti on the walls; that's fine, I will just sponge clean it, then walk around and collect several spray cans left behind. Whilst doing this, I couldn't work out if I had to leave the sponge in the toilets or throw it away, which made me worried I would fail the task and made me second-guess myself for all of 10 minutes. Surely it's not that deep?
I felt like I was in a loop, much like Groundhog Day. Luckily, I love movies with this kind of genre, which made me enjoy playing through this game so much. The eerie setting at night is what grabs you; you never know what random thing will happen on your next shift. Do you even want to carry on working there, and honestly, is it worth the agro? If I were in this situation in real life, I probably would have binned it off the first night; nothing is worth your mental well-being.
What I found interesting was how each night there was a new scenario, sometimes I would have to clean, other times I would need to look around and organise what was out of place, or there was a time where there was literally nothing to do. This one was a bit of a play on my mind; I was sure there was something I had missed. As I mentioned before, there are scenarios that you play out; there are over 40 of them, in fact. Developers adding this keeps the gameplay interesting and players wanting to find out what more is in store for them.
If you're playing this and are a player who needs hints in a game, I'm sorry to disappoint, but once you get past the initial checklist when you first start, hints aren't included. There is an uneasy feeling that surrounds you. I never felt scared, creeped out, sure, but that was about it. The use of lighting is cool, especially when you turn off all the lights and walk around with your torch. I spent a lot of the game doing this, so I wouldn't forget to turn off any lights before I ended my shift.
I thoroughly enjoyed this game, so much so that I think I need to check out its predecessor, Before Exit Supermarket. It's definitely worth a play; it takes around 5/6 hours to play, depending on the scenarios you face and how thorough you are at looking around each shift.
Have a cosy day
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