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Sense: A Cyberpunk Ghost Story

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Sense: A Cyberpunk Ghost Story
Developer(s)Suzaku
Publisher(s)Top Hat Studios
Director(s)Benjamin Widdowson
Engine
Platform(s)
Release
  • Windows, macOS
  • August 25, 2020
  • Nintendo Switch
  • January 7, 2021
  • PlayStation 4
  • February 11, 2021
  • PlayStation Vita
  • April 27, 2021
  • Xbox One
  • January 12, 2022
Genre(s)Point-and-click adventure, survival horror
Mode(s)Single-player

Sense: A Cyberpunk Ghost Story is a 2020 survival horror video game developed by American indie developer Suzaku, released for various home computers and consoles. The game features a blend of Chinese folklore and Cyberpunk themes, while drawing gameplay inspiration from the Fatal Frame and Clock Tower franchises.[1][2] It was followed by a sequel, SENSEs: Midnight (2023).[3]

Gameplay

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The world can be explored via pointing and clicking to reveal elements and solve puzzles. The main character has cybernetic ocular implants, which allow for zooming in on important areas for a closer look.

Plot

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Set in 2083, Neo Hong Kong, heroine Mei-Lin Mak must explore the ruins of Chong Sing Apartments, discovering the history of its 14 lost souls, as well as her own family's past.[4]

Release

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The game was released for Windows via Steam August 25, 2020, but temporarily pulled the next day for bug fixes and difficulty tweaks.[5] It was also released for macOS, in 2021 for Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4 and PlayStation Vita, and in 2022 for Xbox One.[6]

Controversy

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Following the game's release on Switch, Top Hat Studios released a statement indicating they would not censor the game, despite receiving calls on social media to censor the game and death threats relating to the game's art style.[7][8] Though TheGamer questioned whether the statement was instead a manufactured controversy, noting the game received an influx of reviews following the statement, most of which they said were from people who barely played the game, and which contained statements in opposition to "social justice warriors." The Gamer also argued that the art-style present in the game is outdated and that therefore criticism of it is justified.[9] Top Hat Studios responded to the article by TheGamer,[10] ResetEra, and other venues, addressing the accusations of manufactured controversy by providing screenshots of these threats in a Twitter post.[11]

Reception

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On Metacritic the Nintendo Switch version game holds a 55 rating based on 7 reviews indicating "mixed or average reviews".[12] In a review for the PC version for Noisy Pixel Azario Lopez said the game was "a call back to classic survival horror adventures that seemed to cater so much to the developer's needs that it left out the most important part: The player" and that "The story will rarely make sense, and the haphazard nature of the puzzle design force many moments of aimless backtracking."[13] While Cubed3 said in a review of the PC version "fails as an adventure game."[14] While Finger Guns said in a review of the Switch version that "For a game about spirits, Sense: A Cyberpunk Ghost Story is pretty soulless. A by-the-numbers backtracking horror game in the vein of Clock Tower its structure and content feel lackluster and a little disappointing if you went in expecting cyberpunk themes."[15]

References

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  1. ^ Bashir, Dale (August 26, 2020). "Futuristic Spine-Tingling Horror Awaits in 'Sense: A Cyberpunk Ghost Story' ". IGN. Retrieved January 3, 2021.
  2. ^ Wilson, Mike (August 19, 2020). "Cyberpunk Horror Arrives August 25 With 'Sense: A Cyberpunk Ghost Story' ". Bloody Disgusting. Retrieved January 3, 2021.
  3. ^ www.eastasiasoft.com, Admin. "SENSEs: Midnight - Old-school 3D survival horror SENSEs: Midnight arrives to haunt consoles in June 2023". eastasiasoft. Retrieved 2024-10-29.
  4. ^ Romano, Sal (August 18, 2020). "Sense: A Cyberpunk Ghost Story launches August 25 for PC, this fall for PS4, Xbox One, Switch, and PS Vita". Gematsu. Retrieved January 3, 2021.
  5. ^ Lopez, Azario (August 26, 2020). "Horror Adventure 'Sense: A Cyberpunk Ghost Story' Pulled From Steam to Address Gameplay Bugs". Noisy Pixel. Retrieved January 3, 2021.
  6. ^ "Sense - A Cyberpunk Ghost Story for Nintendo Switch - Nintendo Game Details". Nintendo. Retrieved January 3, 2021.
  7. ^ "Top Hat Studios Issues Statement Regarding Demands To Censor Sense - A Cyberpunk Ghost Story". Nintendo Life. 2021-01-02. Retrieved 2021-01-22.
  8. ^ "Sense: A Cyberpunk Ghost Story Publisher "Categorically Refuses" Censorship Ahead of Console Release". Twinfinite. 2021-01-01. Retrieved 2021-01-22.
  9. ^ "Top Hat Studios And Cyberpunk Anime Game "Sense" - Anti-Censorship Or Viral Marketing?". TheGamer. 2021-01-04. Retrieved 2021-01-22.
  10. ^ "Top Hat Studios and Cyberpunk Anime Game "Sense" - Anti-Censorship or Viral Marketing?". 4 January 2021.
  11. ^ "Top Hat Studios, Inc on Twitter: "We originally did not want to make …". Archived from the original on 2021-01-03.
  12. ^ a b "Sense: A Cyberpunk Ghost Story for Switch Reviews". Metacritic. Retrieved 2022-08-23.
  13. ^ "Sense: A Cyberpunk Ghost Story Review - Doesn't Make Sense - Noisy Pixel". noisypixel.net. 21 September 2020. Retrieved 2021-01-22.
  14. ^ "Sense: A Cyberpunk Ghost Story (PC) Review - Page 1 - Cubed3". www.cubed3.com. Retrieved 2021-01-22.
  15. ^ "Sense: A Cyberpunk Ghost Story Review (Switch) – Digital Ghosts". Finger Guns. 2021-01-07. Retrieved 2021-01-22.
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