This year I wanted to give myself a bit more time to play spooky games. In the spirit of fall as a whole, I am officially playing spooky games until November. November has some games coming out that are day one games for me but until then, I plan on enjoying horror, creepy and fall-themed games. To kick things off, I played Portable Moose’s Sally Face and it was divine.
A Spine-Chilling Mystery Adventure
Sally Face puts you in the feet of Sal, a young boy with a prosthetic face. While the game will eventually explain why he has a prosthetic face, it will take some time for everything to come together. As always though, I won’t spoil anything. Sally Face does an incredible job keeping you on the edge of your seat. There is plenty to explore in this game so make sure to interact with everything.
The game is broken up into episodes, each more revealing than the last. You’ll investigate murders, conspiracy theories, and even speak to ghosts. The game will slowly reveal more terrifying things to you as the player, but you’ll have to continue anyway. As unsettling as this game can be at times, I was never discouraged from figuring out the truth.
I found myself truly intrigued by this game’s story. The more I learned, the more I wanted to keep going. I played this game in one sitting because I just couldn’t put it down. If you like mystery games, story driven games or supernatural games, you can’t go wrong with Sally Face.
An Art Style Fitting For A Classic
The art style of Sally Face fits the game’s theme perfectly. Some parts of the game can be a little disturbing but it is all necessary to build the plot. There were moments where I felt very unsettled but nevertheless, I forged forward. There were moments in the game where the camera would zoom into something with super detail and those were the moments that really revealed things in a disturbing way. It reminded me of when they would zoom in on SpongeBob and the details would just be so gross.
Towards the end of the game, the art style will shift paying homage to other media within the horror genre. There are a lot of moments in the game that made me sit back and appreciate the art style, but this was certainly my favorite moment. Sally Face made its own place within this genre, but the game also celebrates the games and movies that came before it. It is really important for a game to understand its place in the world and Sally Face owns its place like a boss.
As you explore the world of Sally Face, make sure to interact with everything. Even items that don’t prompt you for interaction could hold secrets for you. Anything that looks like it warrants curiosity probably does. This is also a reason you might find yourself replaying this game. Luckily the game’s episodes let you replay them separately whenever you want. Take your time with this game and enjoy everything it has to offer.
Sal’s Group
As Sal explores his new home he makes a handful of friends along the way, all of which are lovely. Not all of them are alive but regardless, he gets along with just about everyone he meets. As the events of the game transpire, these kids will bond in ways no kids should have to. Even so, this brings them closer than most friends and that ends up paying off in the long run.
One thing about Sally Face that stood out to me was the balance between this sort of supernatural crime detective game and Sal’s every day life. I was surprisingly invested in things like Sal’s school life and how he’s used to being bullied. These moments grounded the game and allowed me to see Sal and his buddies as more than just main characters. I could see their personalities and why they were so drawn to each other.
I think my favorite thing about this game was its story but that story would be worthless without these wonderful characters to play out the plot. For a game that only took me about six hours to complete, I became quite invested in Sal and his group of friends. I’ve got to hand it to Steve Gabry for creating such a wholesome and disturbing adventure all in one package. And thanks to Super Rare Games, that package is finally physical on the Nintendo Switch and that is how I proudly played it.
Face Your Fears
Take a deep breath and jump into the world of Sally Face. I think you’ll find it to be very rewarding in the end and everyone who can stomach a good horror game should check this one out. I thoroughly enjoyed my time with it and I look forward to future playthroughs where I find things I never found before. Until then though, I’ll certainly be carrying Sal and his friends with me wherever I go.
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