Master Reboot Review (PC)

good
key review info
  • Game: Master Reboot
  • Platform: PC
  • Show system requirements
  • Gamepad support: Yes  
  • Reviewed on:
Master Reboot

More and more puzzle-adventure games are released each month and it's getting harder to find something that will differentiate one from the rest and bring at least one new mechanic or idea to the table. Among those that stand out we encounter Master Reboot, a first-person psychological adventure horror game.

Filled with exploration elements, it presents an interesting story set in a not-too-distant future where people have managed to find a way of cheating death by preserving their precious memories.

It is all thanks to Soul Cloud, a spiritual software storehouse that allows users to actually upload their essence to the database. This allows them to re-experience their memories endlessly as well as get in touch with lost family members and friends.

Although the concepts of uploading your mind and of a central cloud where people’s memories are stored isn't exactly new, one must admit that it is still a promising starting point for creating a story.

The developers have crafted a sci-fi horror that will make players constantly question themselves while in the game. Moreover, the selection of puzzles, as well as the extremely strange and spooky sections, will definitely keep you alert.

Strangely, there isn't any tutorial, no introduction; therefore, you feel as if you've just landed in the game, unaware of what exactly your goal is or where you are precisely.

The strange silence and this lack of introduction encourage you to move forward and find out what is going on. I'm not sure if the developers did this on purpose in order to further extend the spooky vibe or they just didn’t feel the need to add it, but it surely has an impact.

  The plot that drives the game forward is unveiled the moment you pass through the Soul Cloud and access your personal memories. Having your core memory shattered, things are beyond unclear.

Thus, you must explore whatever environments you come to find in your memory cloud and start piecing things back together.

The interface isn't your traditional point-and-click one and it has quite a lot of controls. Players will make use of the left mouse button for directing their character as well as their keyboard for running, walking, jumping, crouching and picking up objects.

This might make things a bit difficult for people accustomed to the classic mouse-based interface.

There isn't an inventory where you can piece objects together and acquire information about the items or anything that will be of help in figuring out how to solve puzzles. Furthermore, you can only use the object the moment you get your hands on it, with some in-game features helping you along the way by showing where to jump, how use an ax and so on.

The puzzles can be pretty intriguing. One will get to see that the character doesn't verbally give any hints, only images will appear after you finish deciphering a memory. This will unlock additional rooms and new chances to find out more info.

The difficulty level varies, so players can expect easy puzzles as well as very difficult ones that will test both their intelligence and patience.

Slowly, Master Reboot will begin to evolve into something more than a simple puzzle game, future challenges adding to the enigmatic and disturbing nature of the plot.

Speaking of characters, you don't know too much about the protagonist, but you'll find out more as you further advance in the action. Also, you need to watch your back as a girl keeps appearing in the action with the sole desire to get you.

It wouldn't be the biggest problem if the game actually incorporated a save feature and not just a check point. If you choose to leave the game without reaching your next check point, be aware that you won't be able to manually save it and you must start again from your last check point.

From a graphics point of view, Master Reboot is strangely captivating. Although the visuals are very simple and not that attractive, they fit perfectly with the entire atmosphere. Everything, starting from the feel to the gameplay and the look, seems to work brilliantly together to deliver an incredibly strange and creepy game.

Each level has a different and unique design. Personally, I didn't know what to think about it. There were times when I actually thought “Now, this is beautiful!” and other moments when I was a bit thrown off.

When taking the music and sounds into account, this title offers a good mix of terror, mystery, curiosity and, at times, disturbing peace. Nothing seems to be truly safe in the game.

There are moments when you feel as if something is about to grab you even if you are in a child's room full of house dolls and other toys.

Players will hear random voices around them, or even have the antagonist laugh and taunt them as if she were there, right behind them. Plus, let's not forget the horrible messages that you find scattered in the game, each delivered by gruesome voices.

   As for the drawbacks, the action commands can be a bit annoying as you need to move around to get a better angle in order to do certain things. You can even experience the unfortunate situation of getting stuck between things and waste a lot of time trying to get out of there.

Also, even if this whole “silence” concept is a part of the game, not knowing what to do or what your goal is in certain levels can become really tiring and frustrating.

Conclusion

As an overall experience, Master Reboot delivers quite an intriguing experience, with easy and challenging puzzles.

Although some elements feel out of place in the game, as well as the simple graphics and little verbal communication, it still manages to attract with the strangeness of each level and the atmosphere created by the creepy and spooky visuals.

It will surely reward horror game fans with an engaging and terrifying playground that will twist their minds till the very end.

   
   
   
story 8
gameplay 6
concept 8
graphics 7
audio 8
multiplayer 0
final rating 7.5
Editor's review
good
 

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