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There isn't a lot that really scares me when it comes to horror games anymore. Zombies? Whatever. Monsters? Pretty much every game has them! Honestly, the only thing that does seem to get to me is the thought of encountering ghosts. It is what freaks me out in horror movies, and games that have them tend to put me a bit on edge.

So when PQube was kind enough to send me a review copy of The Bridge Curse 2: The Extraction, I already knew that this would be the horror game to give me some scares. I didn't have any previous experiences with the original movies, nor did I play The Bridge Curse "one," but just looking at the trailer told me everything I needed to know. This was a game set within a haunted school in Taiwan, and I was about to face down ghosts as I attempted to survive my night locked in. What I didn't expect however, was how interesting this story was going to be, and how the multiple character's stories would be weaved together. Not just with each other, but with real life events as well.

Introducing Wen Hau University:

Wen Hua University has a dark history. Constructed in the 1960s, the campus has become well known in Taiwan, and is said to be cursed. Urban legends tell of students who met their tragic end at the school, and who have had their souls trapped within its walls for all eternity. These very same stories are what has attracted a young film crew to cash in on the idea, and begin recreating the same "myths" that has made the school so popular. Little do they know however, the line between fiction and reality is soon to be blurred. 

While filming the promo for their movie, a mysterious hand appeared during one of the scenes, and now the world has their eyes on these armatures. 

The game begins with a reporter coming to the school to meet with the film crew, and investigate the strange incident. As she enters the parking garage, she encounters the security guard, sneaks past him, and enters the school building for herself. Once getting inside, she begins exploring the premises, and slowly starts to realize that everything may not be as it seems. News papers and articles from the past hint at an incident which happened in the elevator, and a general creepy atmosphere stands in her way of getting where she needs to be. Eventually she is caught by the security guard, but surprisingly he is more than willing to help her meet up with the film crew, and the two begin exploring the school together.

But then things take a turn for the worst.

After the short intro, the game shifts to the film crew itself. There are three members, and they are currently in the process of recreating yet another one of the school's stories. This one involves the murder of a young girl, and relates back to the construction of the school building itself. They've done their research to stay as accurate as possible to the source material, but while filming the scene something unexpected happens. Their footage is mysteriously missing, and when they begin to shoot the scene again everything goes dark.

Waking up alone in the very same room, each of the three characters are faced with a new reality, and must explore the school to figure out what is going on. Along the way they witness visions of the past, and get a front row seat to what truly happened at Wen Hau University. The game switches between each character one by one, with their stories being tied together to create a much bigger picture. While the overall plot revolves around a mysterious entity known as the "Dark One," the strange events and ghosts encountered along the way are stories all their own. These stories are separate incidences that provide context to the greater mystery of the school, and are the core of The Bridge Curse 2's story.

Real Life Influences:

What's interesting about the stories told within The Bridge Curse 2 is the fact that many of them come from real life stories and urban legends. Without spoiling what the game has to offer, the very first encounter is a direct reference back to the real life death Elisa Lam.

In 2013, Elisa mysteriously vanished in a hotel. She was captured on an elevator's security camera, where she began acting strangely. She steps into the elevator, presses multiple buttons, steps out, and gets back in as if she is hiding from someone. She backs up against the wall, hides around the corner, and is eventually seen talking to "something" before running away off screen. She was discovered days later inside an 8' tall water tank on the hotel's roof, which was locked and would require a ladder. The case has never been solved, and the video itself went viral. It's a sad and horrifying event, where a poor young woman unfortunately lost her life.

While the video is disturbing in general, those in Taiwan tend to find it even scarier. With other stories of haunted elevators being popular in such regions, this video especially hit home. And, again, was used as the inspiration for the first ghost of the game.

Although The Bridge Curse 2 puts its own take on the story, and the outcome, the elevator video itself has been recreated here. It's creepy and disturbing, but it's even more horrifying knowing that it was "real" in different context. This is how a lot of the game plays out, with other parts of the story coming from other popular stories in Taiwan.

Taiwan's take on Horror:

That being said, The Bridge Curse 2 has a slightly different take on horror compared to, say, a horror game developed in the US. Because of this, the way the characters react to the situation might come off as a bit strange to Western players. 

In situations where a western player's instincts would be to run, instead has the character praying or performing a ritual to progress the story. The game gives plenty of context as to why they are doing this, but there were a few moments that left me wondering if I had missed something. Overall it was interesting to see though, and it allowed for some frights that I didn't see coming.

Instead of being up in your face about its horror elements, the game takes time to build the world, and atmosphere. It relies more on background stories of things that had happened, and then slowly shows you piece by piece the results. Ghosts do jump scare you from time to time, but their context is what is truly disturbing. These are stories I continued thinking about even when I wasn't playing the game, and that also led me to realize connections that I originally overlooked. 

Again, it's different from other horror games, but at the same time horror fans will still have a general idea of what to expect. (It is a really nice change of pace though!)

The Gameplay:

As for the gameplay itself, The Bridge Curse 2 is a first person horror "survival" game. You explore the school, which is very detailed, look for clues, and solve puzzles. There is no actual combat in the game, but a lantern does come into play during specific sections, which will allow you to push away ghosts. It has a cool down between each use, but is required to progress through parts of the game. This means there are moments where you will have to avoid enemies to wait for it to recharge, and that can be a challenge.

Outside of ghost encounters, the game is mostly exploring the school, finding clues, watching videos, and reading cell phone messages. Everything from the environment itself to these messages will provide more story context, and pave the way to understanding the eventual ghost encounter. Puzzles themselves are actually pretty basic, with your standard set of flipping switches, finding numbers to unlock doors, and searching objects for keys, but they aren't really the focus of the game to begin with. Where the gameplay shines comes from being engrossed in the atmosphere of the school, and finding every little detail to help you see the full picture. Thankfully the game adopts a Resident Evil style map which highlights areas in red if something still needs to be found, but even then finding everything isn't always that obvious.

The ghost encounters themselves are pretty unique, but make use of mechanics horror fan will be familiar with. While the jump scares might still surprise you (even if you see them coming), the "fights" are mostly stealth sections or your typical "run away and don't die" scenes. One has you using a single fuse to unlock and lock doors while you avoid a ghost that chases you, while another clearly wants you to hide in a locker until the "thing" goes away. That being said, there are some unique ones as well, with the first "major" battle at the end of chapter 2 being pretty stand out. Not only is the context disturbing, but the entire thing is set up so well, and simply enjoyable. While it was still scary, I also couldn't help but think how cool the whole thing was! Which also sums up quite a few parts of the game.

Although it is a horror game, it has a lot of scenes I really liked, and that made me want to stop and just take in. Of course I couldn't because something was trying to kill me, but that added to the fun of it all as well.

Thankfully the game's checkpoint system is forgiving, and dying doesn't set you back too far at all (some fights even have midpoint saves). There's an achievement for dying every way possible, so that encouraged me to fail every chance I got. Some of the deaths did jump scare me too, but since I did it on purpose it wasn't as scary.

The game does have multiple endings, but for the most part it is a straight shot from start to finish. Being roughly five to six hours long, the endings mainly split near the end of the game. There are hidden items and collectibles to find throughout the adventure though, so there is some replay value for those who would like to go back through it. By that point you would be familiar with the game's plot however, so some of the scares and mystery is lost. On the flip side understanding more about the game means you'll make more connections while going back through it, so replaying might be worth it for that alone. But there's no denying the first time through is the best.

Should you play it?

The Bridge Cruse 2: The Extrication is a short but fun horror experience. My initial impressions didn't leave me too enthusiastic about what was to come, but I'm happy to say that things changed pretty fast. While the first encounter felt like the game wanted us to be afraid of the security guard, which I wasn't, it's what came next that was truly scary. Once the game started diving into the history of the school, the events that lead to ghosts haunting the halls, and the overall mystery of it all; I was hooked!

Anyone wanting to play the game should be aware that it truly is a short game. Again, five to six hours the first time through, and that is with finding nearly every collectible. The gameplay is mostly exploring, with puzzles being pretty light, and boss encounters that aren't really that challenging. Still, the presentation of it all is very nice, the story is interesting, and the world has been handcrafted with a lot of care. The school really does look nice, but the "other" areas were what interested me even more. Getting glimpses into the past was a lot of fun, and helped keep me engrossed in this school's history.

Although some of the dialogue is a little cringy, the English voice acting is pretty good overall. One character came off as weird at first, but it was actually done on purpose. Sure, the lip flaps do not always match the voices, but it's a small complaint that really has no impact on the overall presentation.

Overall, I really enjoyed my time with The Bridge Curse 2. Despite not playing the original, nor watching the movies, I was hooked from start to finish! The game is thankfully its very own story, so previous knowledge isn't required, and it left me wanting more. (Which in my case there is more!) While the gameplay itself isn't anything we haven't seen before, it is also a game that didn't need to reinvent the wheel. The fun comes from the story, and that is really where it delivers. 

If you are a horror fan looking for a shorter experience, with a well thought out connected mystery, then I'd strongly recommend checking out The Bridge Curse 2: The Extrication. I went in with low expectations, and walked away as a new fan. (Even my non-gamer wife sat with me as I played it, and she enjoyed the story as well!)

I'd like to thank PQube once again for providing us here at Netto's Game Room with a review copy! We really appreciate the opportunity.