Papa Sangre 2 Review

Put on some headphones. Turn out the lights. It’s Halloween. What’s the perfect way to celebrate this cold, dark October evening? Why, by playing Papa Sangre 2 of course. The original awed thousands with its 3D real-time binaural audio engine and innovative use of sound to create an immersive and atmospheric experience, and Somethin’ Else have done it again. Except this time around it’s darker, it’s scarier, and it’s much more haunting.

Starring the voice of ‘Game of Thrones’ actor Sean Bean, who has died more times than we can count, Papa Sangre 2 is a game that relies solely on the player using their ears to navigate their way around a dark and dangerous scenario. Trapped in the afterlife with only Sean Bean for company, players are guided through the Museum of Memories to engage in what becomes a rather macabre situation; running from monsters, avoiding traps, and seeking the scattered memories that are the only ticket out of this terrible nightmare.

The game relies on the use of the iPhone’s gyroscope technology, which allows the player’s physical movements to change the world in which they are in. Players take control of their character via use of the left and right touch controls, which mimics the movements taken in the game. The use of cinematic-quality 3D sound design here is phenomenally mind-blowing, and creates the most atmospheric experience of any iOS game on the market. The developers have sunk an immense amount of work into creating a hugely powerful and involving perilous journey, and boy have they succeeded.

That said, the one point I stress more than anything here is that the game makes use of the gyroscope for good reason, and playing Papa Sangre 2 whilst sitting down is possible but it certainly detracts from the intensity of the experience. Realistically though, finding a room large enough to wander around the entire scope of the game may be somewhat tricky.

Sean Bean delivers quality of the highest performance, and it goes without saying that a game like Papa Sangre clearly does not require the use of visual technologies, instead relying on the power of the most immersive and impressive graphics technology ever; the mind.

With eight hours playtime and over 18 levels to explore, Papa Sangre 2 is an extraordinary long walk and worth every tension-filled, spine-chilling moment. There’s so much to experience here, players will be unable to put it down.