The Church in the Darkness
***Special thanks go to my lovely fiance for proofing this review for me.
Developed by Paranoid Productions, The Church in the Darkness (CD) is a top-down isometric roguelike infiltration game set in fictional Freedom Town, South America, home to the Collective Justice Mission led by Isaac and Rebecca Walker. You play as Vic, aunt or uncle to Alex, a youth that has recently ceased contact with his mother while aiding said Mission. Your task is to venture into the cult-driven settlement and retrieve your kin while enduring both hostile and docile patrols, and discern the nature of this secluded sprawl. I will be entirely honest in that this title has been an interest of mine since my knowledge of its development from John Patrick Lowrie of Team Fortress 2 fame and Ellen McLain-most notably the voice of GLaDOS from the Portal series-at MAGfest 2017. Why I have only recently purchased CD is still baffling to me, as described in detail in the further writing due to its atmosphere alone.
Here are several of the defining elements in The Church in the Darkness:
Atmosphere - Haunting and hopeful. These are the two primary descriptors I can rationalize for CD’s looming sentiments. Isaac and Rebecca Walker-voiced by the famed professionals mentioned prior-are the eerie unified voice of the Mission itself, predominantly through an amplification system, but their characters are reinforced by a supporting cast of non- or semi-hostile non-player characters. How this game deviates from other roguelikes is how the fundamental narration changes with each playthrough. For example, Isaac may be more aggressively inclined to prioritize the Mission’s defense against foreign powers while Rebecca holds the pacifist conviction during a single playthrough, then these outlooks may drastically change in subsequent sessions. Each new game develops an altered rendition of the same scenario with the player being tasked to develop a psychological profiling of the Mission’s voice. Suspicion immediately mounts upon beginning anew, serving the Church’s message and allowing it to consume the player’s vigilant approach. Not many games achieve this eerie province, even fewer-if any to my recollection-to this sheer degree.
Aesthetic - The Church in the Darkness does not incorporate intense graphical capabilities nor a complex array of actions the player can perform, instead electing attention to the narration and message therein. Crude maps and outlines aide in this immersion, as do the options that players can take such as hidden routes between map sections and a variation of lethal and nonlethal suggestions. A masterful scoring by Lowrie and McLain really drives the narrative with provocative pieces awarded within the alternate endings that insinuates even further depth and absorption. To summarize, similar to the Walkers’ motives, it is more about being heard than seen.
Gameplay - This title employs an unusual control scheme for the Nintendo Switch’s dual-Joycon configuration, but it quickly becomes manageable with habit. With this comes challenging stealth and brutal combat scenarios that have their pros and cons. On one hand, the aiming system can be dubious with its intentions as it is difficult to lock onto enemies. On the other hand, once you get used to its general mannerisms the game plays fairly well with an array of features providing tactical options. For example, rocks can be thrown to distract enemy patrols, and holding the B button to employ stealth while maneuvering allows the player to discern non-player characters’ fields of view. Certain named characters may help or hinder player progression in various ways not to be discussed in this writing for the sake of preventing spoilers, but from my own perspective they have thus far provided an intriguing aspect to the narrative. While on the topic of progression, it must be stated that perceived death is not the end for most playthroughs. At times when designated goals are met the player may instead be captured, branching into other storylines and subsequent endings to silhouette a vast collection of subplots. Without wishing to spoil, unexpected developments may occur during the story to further obscure wariness toward the story’s direction, influencing the player’s perspective and conclusion. As stated prior, multiple endings can be achieved with repeated trials, each awarding music tracks performed with considerable tonal suggestions by John Patrick Lowrie and Ellen McLain as their respective characters. This commonly causes the player to question their actions, inciting frequent play to discover hidden content. As each playthrough resolves, equipment and contacts may also be gained for succeeding challenges, further enhancing replayability.
TL:DR - CD is a unique infiltration roguelike developed in part veterans of the music and game industry, John Patrick Lowrie and Ellen McLain. Storytelling and world-building keep players engaged with the cult-like sights, sounds, and memoirs within Freedom Town. The general gameplay can seem ‘blocky’ at times, but it soon becomes a manageable and enriching experience that few games can replicate. I very highly recommend The Church in the Darkness to those that enjoy stealth titles, atmospheric pieces, and discerning psychological profiles. They are waiting for you. Thanks for reading.
Do you feel this review helped in any way? Feel free to visit my Curator Page at Spearpoint Reviews.
Originally posted on April 5, 2020.
Developed by Paranoid Productions, The Church in the Darkness (CD) is a top-down isometric roguelike infiltration game set in fictional Freedom Town, South America, home to the Collective Justice Mission led by Isaac and Rebecca Walker. You play as Vic, aunt or uncle to Alex, a youth that has recently ceased contact with his mother while aiding said Mission. Your task is to venture into the cult-driven settlement and retrieve your kin while enduring both hostile and docile patrols, and discern the nature of this secluded sprawl. I will be entirely honest in that this title has been an interest of mine since my knowledge of its development from John Patrick Lowrie of Team Fortress 2 fame and Ellen McLain-most notably the voice of GLaDOS from the Portal series-at MAGfest 2017. Why I have only recently purchased CD is still baffling to me, as described in detail in the further writing due to its atmosphere alone.
Here are several of the defining elements in The Church in the Darkness:
Atmosphere - Haunting and hopeful. These are the two primary descriptors I can rationalize for CD’s looming sentiments. Isaac and Rebecca Walker-voiced by the famed professionals mentioned prior-are the eerie unified voice of the Mission itself, predominantly through an amplification system, but their characters are reinforced by a supporting cast of non- or semi-hostile non-player characters. How this game deviates from other roguelikes is how the fundamental narration changes with each playthrough. For example, Isaac may be more aggressively inclined to prioritize the Mission’s defense against foreign powers while Rebecca holds the pacifist conviction during a single playthrough, then these outlooks may drastically change in subsequent sessions. Each new game develops an altered rendition of the same scenario with the player being tasked to develop a psychological profiling of the Mission’s voice. Suspicion immediately mounts upon beginning anew, serving the Church’s message and allowing it to consume the player’s vigilant approach. Not many games achieve this eerie province, even fewer-if any to my recollection-to this sheer degree.
Aesthetic - The Church in the Darkness does not incorporate intense graphical capabilities nor a complex array of actions the player can perform, instead electing attention to the narration and message therein. Crude maps and outlines aide in this immersion, as do the options that players can take such as hidden routes between map sections and a variation of lethal and nonlethal suggestions. A masterful scoring by Lowrie and McLain really drives the narrative with provocative pieces awarded within the alternate endings that insinuates even further depth and absorption. To summarize, similar to the Walkers’ motives, it is more about being heard than seen.
Gameplay - This title employs an unusual control scheme for the Nintendo Switch’s dual-Joycon configuration, but it quickly becomes manageable with habit. With this comes challenging stealth and brutal combat scenarios that have their pros and cons. On one hand, the aiming system can be dubious with its intentions as it is difficult to lock onto enemies. On the other hand, once you get used to its general mannerisms the game plays fairly well with an array of features providing tactical options. For example, rocks can be thrown to distract enemy patrols, and holding the B button to employ stealth while maneuvering allows the player to discern non-player characters’ fields of view. Certain named characters may help or hinder player progression in various ways not to be discussed in this writing for the sake of preventing spoilers, but from my own perspective they have thus far provided an intriguing aspect to the narrative. While on the topic of progression, it must be stated that perceived death is not the end for most playthroughs. At times when designated goals are met the player may instead be captured, branching into other storylines and subsequent endings to silhouette a vast collection of subplots. Without wishing to spoil, unexpected developments may occur during the story to further obscure wariness toward the story’s direction, influencing the player’s perspective and conclusion. As stated prior, multiple endings can be achieved with repeated trials, each awarding music tracks performed with considerable tonal suggestions by John Patrick Lowrie and Ellen McLain as their respective characters. This commonly causes the player to question their actions, inciting frequent play to discover hidden content. As each playthrough resolves, equipment and contacts may also be gained for succeeding challenges, further enhancing replayability.
TL:DR - CD is a unique infiltration roguelike developed in part veterans of the music and game industry, John Patrick Lowrie and Ellen McLain. Storytelling and world-building keep players engaged with the cult-like sights, sounds, and memoirs within Freedom Town. The general gameplay can seem ‘blocky’ at times, but it soon becomes a manageable and enriching experience that few games can replicate. I very highly recommend The Church in the Darkness to those that enjoy stealth titles, atmospheric pieces, and discerning psychological profiles. They are waiting for you. Thanks for reading.
Do you feel this review helped in any way? Feel free to visit my Curator Page at Spearpoint Reviews.
Originally posted on April 5, 2020.
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