A tense psychological adventure that you must experience

When I was presented with the idea of Thresholda psychological adventure developed by Julien ÉveilléI thought of similar items found in Death loopdeveloped by Arkane Studios. It turns out that Julien was a designer on this project, and things started to make sense. It's a indie game from start to finish, but the systems and gameplay are well on par with bigger budget projects.

Gameplay and mechanics: a tense adventure

This is essential for a game like this, where your actions directly affect the outcome from the start. It's an ambitious approach, given that the developer is handing the keys to the player and saying, “Do what you want.” Add to this the existence of a psychological mysteryand we have a compelling idea on our hands. So let's see if it can live up to these ambitions.

Threshold begins by putting you in control of a notable protagonist on their first day of a unique job. Without much preamble, you receive instructions as you ascend to the top of a mountain via an elevator. The job is simple: keep the train moving at all times. To do this, your colleague, Mo, gives you a whistle as well as an overview of your new job. Mo walks you through the basics, but not before nearly killing you as you struggle to catch your breath in the thin mountain air. . Fortunately, your company provides air canisters to keep you alive. Don't worry about blood when you open the tube in your mouth for that gentle air relief.

Story and Character Dynamics: Who Can You Trust?

Back to Mo. He answers your questions when you have them, and I'm sure you will. However, it is up to you whether you can trust him or not. Additionally, what you do while the train is running on time is also up to you. That said, it will eventually slow down and you'll have to hurry with a megaphone to use your whistle to get it back into gear. This has the negative effect of using up your precious air, creating a tense gameplay loop. Running, jumping, and talking aren't advised, but they're not fun, so exploration leads to progression at the expense of managing your resources.

The developer has done a remarkable job of keeping the environment small while still providing plenty of possibilities. It's reminiscent of an escape room where trying something might lead to a roadblock or a new awareness of the predicament you find yourself in. There's a lot to spoil in this design, so I'll limit myself to revealing secrets since your actions completely dictate the multiple endings and ways to progress, and… why is Mo looking at me? Moving on, as you get a little crazier and unpack some of the plot threads that revolve around this job, you'll eventually have questions that need answers. Mo can help you, but your boss also offers advice from time to time.

Game design and immersion

I would like to call on superb game design here because I was always surprised by how the game reacted to my discoveries. Even when I thought I was accessing something I shouldn't have or doing something outside of what the narrative wanted me to do, something was waiting for me. And as the blood thickens around the character's lips, so does the stench of true mystery. Needless to say, I had a lot of fun. While slowly allowing my mind to sink deeper into this psychological chasmI was engaged with the dark tone and unique gameplay elements.

A feature allows you to collect items to use as you see fit. Similar to point-and-click games, using items on objects can produce various results, so experimentation works. Wait, the train is slowing down…

Okay, let's come back.

Mo will also react to your actions and call you out if you do anything fishy. I've learned that it's best to hide anything you do outside of your job description, but he's so smart. Of course, you might find yourself in a position where you don't know how to progress, but going back through the stages and exploring the entire map again usually reveals new items or scenarios.

Challenges and endings: a double-edged sword

This is a game that forces you to experiment without being explicitly told what to do. It works for the most part, but some elements are just too ambiguous, resulting in unnecessary padding of the overall flow of the game. This is probably normal, but I couldn't help but want that level of confusion as I found myself entering the various final routes. The endings aren't hard to spot when you have the chance, so they almost feel like a postponement. There are also a few secret endings, but I would have liked more variety and confusion to match the constant state of panic I was experiencing. I think being “too comfortable” hurt the immersion in the final moments.

Graphic and audio design: a perfectly destabilizing combo

Regardless, the visuals lend themselves well to the overall tone of the mystery. THE PS1 era graphics are always disturbing; the sound of your character trying to breathe brings about a sense of urgency needed to really sell this experience. And maybe this doesn't belong in the review, but when Mo wasn't there, I missed him. I still miss him now. So let's finish this review so I can get back to work.

Final Thoughts: An Unmissable Psychological Adventure

Threshold was a tense and unique experience that will easily hold your attention from start to finish. Limited guidance does not harm progress due to certain quality game design from this solo developer. Sure, things could have been clearer and the final story branches could have matched the level of ambiguity of the rest of the game, but psychological indie game lovers have easily found their new favorite title to discuss in their gaming circles. I am happy Threshold came across my desk, and I'm even more excited to share it with you, if only so my shift is finally over and you can take my place