

At the outset, I had hoped it would be an interesting mechanic. The sanity meter doesn’t actually do anything, other than dictate when you can and can’t use your powers. Then the game stuck me in boring and repetitive gun fights in a parking garage for far too long.

I was taught to shoot and fight hand-to-hand. I was introduced to the sanity meter, which drained as Ian used his abilities.

Every once in a while his nightmares seem to bleed outside of his sleep, with the creepy ceramic monsters seeming to appear in reflections and even fully manifest in his house. The opening of Past Cure acts as a tutorial, going back and forth between wandering Ian’s house picking up collectibles and living his nightmares. Ready for a boss fight? There are clear cut-and-dry divisions throughout the game that act as compartments for all of the ideas and influences that Phantom 8 must have had while making the game. Ingredients seemed to be tossed at me one by one instead of mixed and blended. Most things aren’t presented as a nicely digestible meal. After a long while, it would find a new element to latch onto, and the process would repeat. Instead it balls them up like tightly packed snowballs and pelts me with them until I’m numb from the cold repetitiveness. Past Cure doesn’t nuance any of its ideas. Sadly, most of the game is not versus this. A number of opportunities feel wasted as an intriguing mystery turns into a repetitive slog. Sadly, it never fully realizes any of its influences. There are some clear signs that Past Cure is an indie game, but an impressive eye for art and graphic design, and a certain cinematic flair had me excited in the opening hours. The opening moments even had me thinking Heavy Rain for a time, as they were presented in a very cinematic way. At times it seems like it wants to be Max Payne, and at others there’s an Evil Within or Silent Hill vibe. On his missions Ian experiments with his new powers, quickly coming to realize their inherent danger: with each use, his sanity frays a little more, inviting the nightmarish attention of something beyond reality.Many clear influences and styles shine through during the length of Past Cure’s campaign. Driven by hallucinations and his thirst for revenge, Ian enlists his brother's help as he sets out on a thrilling hunt for the perpetrators of the conspiracy against him, and for the truth underlying his torment. They twisted his mind, imbuedhim with preternatural mental abilities such as time control and telekinesis. STORY After his years of torture, ex elite soldier Ian lives in the safehouse of his brother, struggling with the consequences of the military experiments he was put through. Players are challenged to use an array of skills varying from powerful time bending mental abilities to brutal melee combat and stealth kills. An intense, cinematic, story driven experience, blending stealth and combat gameplay. Past Cure is a dark psychological thriller that blurs the lines between dreams and reality. An intense, cinematic, story driven experience, blending stealth and combat gameplay.Story driven Third Person Action-Stealth Thriller.Pre-Owned/Used: Very Good Condition games available Please get in touch for information on these options.
