![]() ![]() You play as Nicole, a grown woman now returning to the Timberline, an old mountain hotel that belonged to her parents, Claire and Leonard. Then, in the last half hour or so, it goes properly off the rails and the content warning is proven necessary. ![]() It's a decent enough first person explorey mystery along the lines of Firewatch or Gone Home, but, you know, not as good as either of those. ![]() I would have said that about The Suicide Of Rachel Foster too, at least based on the bulk of the game. There are sensible ways to deliver content warnings, and a game signposting that it is extremely serious business in massive white letters on a black background usually means that, in reality, the contents of it are pretty milquetoast. Normally these feel a bit like grandstanding. You can also catch us streaming games we’re reviewing and staff favorites at twitch.If you couldn't tell from the title, The Suicide Of Rachel Foster makes sure you know it's about proper issues with one of them big content warning screens up front. Your support enables us to continue to provide this type of content and more. If you want to contribute to our coverage of Chicago’s video game scene (and more) please consider becoming a patron. We are the only publication in Chicago that regularly reviews video games, and we cover lots of local Chicago-based events and more. If you like the video game, tabletop, or other technology content that Third Coast Review has to offer, consider donating to our Patreon. On the other hand, if you’re put off by some of the subject matter and how it’s handled, and you still want a scary, atmospheric game, you may want to get your horror fix elsewhere. If you don’t tend to focus on story, or this still seems like an interesting premise, then I’d recommend The Suicide of Rachel Foster. I’ve played games that made me feel gross before, but it made sense because that feeling had purpose and conveyed a message. It feels like a Shining Game we never got, and does a great job realizing its snowed-in, haunted mansion but by the ending of the game I felt gross, without feeling like I’d learned something. I love the overall presentation of The Suicide of Rachel Foster. The way this game handles its heavy subject matter is weird, and borders on creepy.Įnd spoilers Screenshot: The Suicide of Rachel Foster But Leonard seems to be portrayed as a sympathetic character who had “love” enough in his heart for everybody in his life. A lot of horror movies delve into themes of sexual assault, and if handled better I think The Suicide of Rachel Foster’s story would actually be good. A lot of reviewers mentioned this, but it turns out that Leonard, Nicole’s father, was having a sexual relationship with Rachel, Nicole’s friend. While The Suicide of Rachel Foster does an incredibly job of presenting its setting and building tension, it falls short in the story department. Warning: Spoilers follow in the next paragraph: This, combined with having sounds realistically move from your right to left ear as you move does so much for putting you in the shoes of the character and makes you feel like you’re there. Mousing over objects gives a brief description from the eyes of Nicole that help the player get a sense of her memory of the place. The run down, abandoned hotel the game takes place in looks great, and the winter setting gives off some serious Shining vibes, which I love. Much thought seems to have been given to the atmosphere and audio design of The Suicide of Rachel Foster. It’s fun, if simple, and the cramped hallways and corridors, as well as the constant wind and creaking of the hotel make sure you never feel truly safe. There is another character who you frequently talk with over your cellphone but never interact with (like Firewatch). Sounds compelling, right? Unfortunately, the sparse story, abrupt and confusing plot developments, and the way T he Suicide of Rachel Foster handles some sensitive subject matter make it hard to recommend.Īs Nicole, you’ll explore the mansion, solving minor puzzles and collecting parts in order to piece together the puzzle of your father’s checkered past and the suicide of Rachel Foster. ![]() Soon after she arrives on the scene though, a freak snowstorm and some potentially supernatural disturbances mean she’s trapped in the hotel with no relief in sight until the storm lets up. This, and a note from Nicole’s long dead mother telling her to sell the property, compel her to revisit the hotel and these events. The death was ruled a suicide, but new information has come to light. After receiving an upsetting phone call, Nicole is forced to relive some truly traumatic events that happened at the hotel, surrounding the suicide of Rachel Foster, a girl around her age whose body was found on the hotel’s property, nine weeks pregnant. ![]()
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