Les jeux d'horreur misent souvent sur des créatures ou du gore pour faire peur, mais Please Wake Up révèle la terreur dans la mémoire humaine défaillante et les perceptions hallucinées de la réalité. Ce titre indie s'appuie sur des recherches en psychologie et neurosciences pour bousculer le sens de soi et de la vérité chez les joueurs. Une narration métafictionnelle traverse l'ensemble, interrogeant la solidité de notre réalité vécue.
Le gameplay simple consiste à repérer les changements sur des objets qui bougent quand on ne les observe pas. Des astuces psychologiques comme l'implantation de faux souvenirs, l'effet Mandela et l'effet McCollough amplifient le doute sur nos propres souvenirs, tandis que des illusions opto-visuelles peuvent persister jusqu'à trois mois - bien que les joueurs puissent les désactiver. Les fans d'horreur indie accessible et retorse y trouveront leur compte.
“Please Wake Up” is an original horror game that will hack your brain. Most horror games present the player with a fictional scare, oftentimes of creatures or gore. However, there is very real horror in our everyday lives that is completely under-explored. For example, research has shown that human memory is extremely unreliable, which leads many people to unknowingly construct false identities and narratives about themselves. Furthermore, we've discovered that our perception of reality is mostly 'hallucinated' by our brains -- not the outside world.
Every part of the game ties into this theme. Not only is real psychology and neuroscience research presented, but many other game features help drive home the effect. This includes the gameplay, which is simple and accessible -- but also engaging. Objects will change when you're not looking at them and it's your job to point out the changes. Players end up questioning the reliability and accuracy their own memory and perception. Furthermore, the game uses a number of psychological techniques to highlight the point even more. This includes the implantation of False Memories and the Mandela Effect. Another techniques used is the McCollough Effect, which is a visual illusion that can have a minor effect on vision for up to 2.8 months (players can turn this off in the settings).
All of this culminates and ties into a metafictional narrative that implies that the "reality" and "self" we experience aren't necessarily even real or accurate -- we just assume they are.
*WARNING*
THE FULL GAME USES OPTICAL ILLUSIONS THAT CAN HAVE MINOR VISUAL AFTER EFFECTS LASTING FOR UP TO 3 MONTHS.
VIEW THE ILLUSIONS AT YOUR OWN RISK.
THE DEVELOPER IS NOT LIABLE FOR ANY NEGATIVE OR DAMAGING EFFECTS THAT CAN OCCUR AS A RESULT OF THIS GAME.
WE RECOMMEND PROVIDING THIS WARNING FOR ANYONE ELSE WHO MAY BE VIEWING.
USE OF THESE ILLUSIONS CAN BE TURNED OFF IN THE SETTINGS.
