Despite only being a short Demo for a cancelled game, P. T. is a complete masterclass in building tension, suspense, and terror. It is without a doubt, the scariest piece of media I have ever experienced. P. T. Truly frightened me in ways I had never experienced before. This is due to a number of aspects of its game design.
The entirety of P. T. takes place in a single photorealistic apartment hallway that the player must repeatedly walk through while solving the game's cryptic puzzles.
Due to the game's small, isolated, and claustrophobic environment, there is never a moment where you feel safe. The entire experience feels akin to a nightmare, as it takes a relatable environment (a hallway in a suburban house) and distorts it in deeply unsettling ways. The dark, shadowy lighting and eerie silence immediately signal to the player that something is not right. This feeling is reinforced with each new loop through the hallway, with the environment gradually turning more unnatural and horrific as the game progresses. Eventually, the game becomes so suspenseful that even just the act of turning around becomes a daunting and frightening task.
This unrelenting dread is bolstered by P. T's absolutely horrifying sound design. The sounds of P. T. are extremely unnerving. There are some moments where the game becomes almost silent, and others where it chills you to the bone with a torrent of exceptionally freaky and sinister sounds. Disembodied moans, footsteps, blood curdling screams, demonic voices, and the eerie sound of a baby crying are just some of the spine chilling noises that players may hear throughout the game.
The radio present in the hallway is perhaps the most disturbing aspect of P. T's sound design. The radio is constantly droning on about unspeakable crimes and the voice on the radio seems to become more and more malicious each time the player enters the hallway,
The game also contains some of the most ghastly and disturbing imagery you will ever see in a piece of horror. These include the infamous crying fetus in the sink, the bloody hanging fridge, and the creepy poltergeist Lisa who stalks your every move throughout the game. Some of this imagery is so nightmarish that it will stay with you long after you finish the game.
Moreover, the game never gives a clear explanation of what the horrific things in the hallway actually are or why they are happening. It also does not give you any way of repelling or fending off the supernatural forces when they attack. This has the effect of making the player feel completely at the game's mercy, and taps into the intense primal fear of dealing with a force you don't fully understand or comprehend.
The story of P. T. is incredibly cryptic and ambiguous, but the game provides subtle clues through it's gameplay and visuals in order to give the player hints about the history of the hallway they are trapped in. The story touches on extremely taboo and disturbing subjects such as familicide, the death of children, and forced abortion. But it does so in extremely artful and unforgettable ways.
When all these elements are combined, you get an incredibly atmospheric, detailed, complex, and frightening psychological horror game that is virtually unmatched in the horror genre of gaming. Despite only being a "playable teaser" for a game that never even got released (Silent Hills) you would be heart pressed to find a better and scarier horror game than P. T.
The entirety of P. T. takes place in a single photorealistic apartment hallway that the player must repeatedly walk through while solving the game's cryptic puzzles.
Due to the game's small, isolated, and claustrophobic environment, there is never a moment where you feel safe. The entire experience feels akin to a nightmare, as it takes a relatable environment (a hallway in a suburban house) and distorts it in deeply unsettling ways. The dark, shadowy lighting and eerie silence immediately signal to the player that something is not right. This feeling is reinforced with each new loop through the hallway, with the environment gradually turning more unnatural and horrific as the game progresses. Eventually, the game becomes so suspenseful that even just the act of turning around becomes a daunting and frightening task.
This unrelenting dread is bolstered by P. T's absolutely horrifying sound design. The sounds of P. T. are extremely unnerving. There are some moments where the game becomes almost silent, and others where it chills you to the bone with a torrent of exceptionally freaky and sinister sounds. Disembodied moans, footsteps, blood curdling screams, demonic voices, and the eerie sound of a baby crying are just some of the spine chilling noises that players may hear throughout the game.
The radio present in the hallway is perhaps the most disturbing aspect of P. T's sound design. The radio is constantly droning on about unspeakable crimes and the voice on the radio seems to become more and more malicious each time the player enters the hallway,
The game also contains some of the most ghastly and disturbing imagery you will ever see in a piece of horror. These include the infamous crying fetus in the sink, the bloody hanging fridge, and the creepy poltergeist Lisa who stalks your every move throughout the game. Some of this imagery is so nightmarish that it will stay with you long after you finish the game.
Moreover, the game never gives a clear explanation of what the horrific things in the hallway actually are or why they are happening. It also does not give you any way of repelling or fending off the supernatural forces when they attack. This has the effect of making the player feel completely at the game's mercy, and taps into the intense primal fear of dealing with a force you don't fully understand or comprehend.
The story of P. T. is incredibly cryptic and ambiguous, but the game provides subtle clues through it's gameplay and visuals in order to give the player hints about the history of the hallway they are trapped in. The story touches on extremely taboo and disturbing subjects such as familicide, the death of children, and forced abortion. But it does so in extremely artful and unforgettable ways.
When all these elements are combined, you get an incredibly atmospheric, detailed, complex, and frightening psychological horror game that is virtually unmatched in the horror genre of gaming. Despite only being a "playable teaser" for a game that never even got released (Silent Hills) you would be heart pressed to find a better and scarier horror game than P. T.