35MM Review (PS4)

Let’s make it clear from the start: yes, 35mm is a walking simulator. It comes with all the elements that are appreciated and hated of this genre, combined with almost primitive graphics, a sound design with as many highs as it has lows, and it might have been launched at the worst time possible due to the current geopolitical situation. Yet the promise of a unique tale in a post-apocalyptic Soviet setting makes it worth a shot. Read on to find out if it’s a hit or a miss.

35mm is not a new game, being launched originally back in 2016 for PC for the delight of the Steam community. Taking into account that the game is developed by a Russian team, only offers Russian language with English subtitles for a post-apocalyptic stroll in a very typical East European setting it is not the best time for the launch of the game. Leaving politics aside, 35mm remains a walking simulator with light gameplay, a few puzzles and some situations where you can die, without real consequences though.

The game developed by Sergey Noskov tries to stand out from other walking simulators and tries to incorporate a lot of things with limited success. On top of the usual walking and exploring your surroundings there are elements imported from survival games, like the need to consume food, there is a camera that you can use, but is not contributing to advancing the events, there are some firefights that stick out like a sore thumb. All of these happen in a world that wants to look big but is mainly empty and is full of invisible barriers.

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The atmosphere is actually pretty good and makes you feel in a middle of a hopeless soviet world, that was heavily affected by a biological catastrophe. That could explain the empty villages and cities, but the outdated graphics take away a lot from the enjoyment. The grey, heavy and depressing visual style does a great job building the atmosphere, and the outdated graphics and the lack of details manages to break it. As the events and the story unfolds, you will come across game design choices that have the very same effect.

35mm has an inventory system with consumables, but also items that you will be able to use anytime. Among them is a knife that you can use to cut ropes locking some doors or strings attached to booby traps. You will also find an axe to open some, clearly marked doors, but useless to open wardrobes. You will also have to gather first aid kits and food cans, since you will have to take care of your hunger and treat your injuries. All these elements contribute to the game but does not change its essence.

Nor do the simple puzzles and the quick time events. All of them are implemented without a real consequence: if you are downed by a trap, you did not notice or if you are shot while trying to escape you will restart from the closest checkpoint like nothing happened. 35mm tries to look more than it is, but the elements included on top of walking and exploring does not feel meaningful. And that is why the game remains a walking simulator, no matter how hard it struggles to look something more. In the end there is no real difficulty, no real challenge and what you need to do is as easy to figure out as a walk in the park.

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The most important aspect of this kind of games remains the story that will reveal itself slowly, by finding clues hidden in the world, listening to various dialogues and puzzling in the different flashbacks your character will experience. The interaction with other characters, including your “teammate” feels artificial and shows a lack of playwright skills from the developers. But they manage to carry you forward and feed your curiosity for the overall picture morsel by morsel.

All the shortcomings of 35mm would have been much easier to forgive if the graphics would not look so outdated. The character’s bodies, faces and animations are a bad joke, the textures lack in details, and the buildings seem to be just a bit better than the ones from the original CS.

On the other hand, the lightning effects can be quite surprising, especially while walking through the woods. The sound effects generally are lacking and come across as muffled, except the forest. This is the only place in the game where the immersion is almost possible, until you notice the graphic quality and number of the trees.

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The Good

The Bad

Conclusion