In Fear I Trust Review

I’m always a little skeptical when it comes to horror games, especially those in the survival horror sub-genre. That said, In Fear I Trust was one of those games that certainly caught my eye - not just for its outstanding visuals, but because it looked and sounded highly intriguing. A man finds himself waking up in a creepy abandoned facility deep in the heart of Soviet Russia. He can’t remember who he is or how he got there, just that something rather unsettling has been going on. Designed with the Unreal Engine for iOS, the game delivers an imaginative story over a number of episodes. And fortunately, the first two are filled with enough content to indulge oneself in until the release of the later episodes.

Accompanied by the disturbing sounds of strange industrial background noise and an eerie choral backing, In Fear I Trust manages to ramp up the creepy factor; especially so for those wearing headphones. The touchscreen joysticks felt a little clunky at first, but it didn’t take long to get used to them. And for those who prefer, maneuvering around can be as simple as tapping on the floor.

As well as searching for some haunting cassette tapes, along the way players will accumulate scraps of notepaper, official documents, and even the discarded random scribblings of a mad man. There is a whole world of depth to be introduced to, and though it doesn’t really elaborate much on the plot itself or the reasons behind the events it manages to create enough intrigue to be curious about where these developments might be headed.

If the game sounds more like an interactive story than anything else, it’s probably because (to a certain extent) it is. The translation was a little sloppy in places but nothing to grumble about too much, though it did slightly ruin the atmosphere.

In addition to the exploration segments, the game is broken up by a number of puzzle sequences; some of which felt a little out of place in terms of where the game was headed. Swiping left and right at the same time produces an ethereal view, which not only indicates where each puzzle is but also unearths potential clues or chilling messages. Though I enjoyed solving the puzzles to a certain extent, for some reason it did feel as though it detracted from the natural flow of the game. Especially considering some of them were laughably easy, and others were downright confusing.

In Fear I Trust is a truly solid and enjoyable experience, and for those willing to dish out the dollars it’s most certainly a worthwhile purchase. The first two episodes may only touch slightly on the plot, but I for one am certainly willing to grab the next episodes when they’re available - if only to see where this bad boy is headed.