The Mortuary Assistant captures the familiar, haunting atmosphere that P.T. brought to the horror gaming world before Silent Hills, the game it teased, was canceled by Konami. Both games have plenty of obvious differences in story and mechanics, especially given that P.T. was never a full game, but they are both unsettling to play and feel like part of the same lineage.The unnerving environments they create is why they are two of the scariest horror games in recent memory.
The Mortuary Assistant is a new horror game featuring a protagonist (the titular assistant) who must embalm bodies while trying to fight off demons attempting to possess her. Each night, players learn more about her past and her regrets, something that the demons use to their advantage as things escalate. But it is not only her past that drives the story, but also the dark history of the funeral home and the secrets it harbors.
After the release of the enthralling Silent Hills P.T., many horror games replicated the repeating hallways and familiar scares. However, only a few have been able to capture the unsettling feeling that P.T. gave players. It is important to note that The Mortuary Assistant is not (nor does it attempt to be) a P.T. replica, but it does understand what made P.T. such a cool experience.
Unnerving Scares In The Mortuary Assistant Recall P.T.'s Subtlety
The Mortuary Assistant is unnerving from the beginning because players are embalming dead bodies; slicing into necks and pumping a body full of chemicals is fairly stomach-churning all on its own. But it has none of the stereotypical actions like hiding in lockers or running from monsters that plague modern horror games and have come to bore many players. Facing this more sobering view of mortality, even in a game, is enough to leave people on edge.
However, when The Mortuary Assistant takes the jump from death to demons, it doesn't shout or stomp too loudly about it. It's a slow buildup that feels inspired by Silent Hills and P.T. The player might turn around to see a dark shadow watching them from across the room, which slips away when observed. Unsettling things may appear in mirrors. It could even be that the body they're working on suddenly moves. And yet, the worst entity is the all-white smiling figure who perches in the corner of the room or stands beside the body waiting for the player. The entities in The Mortuary Assistant are reminiscent of the woman that follows the players in P.T., and excellent use of accompanying sound goes a long way toward haunting players.
These scares and the unnerving atmosphere keep one looking over their shoulder throughout the game. Every time they enter a room, they expect to see something in the corner watching them, or to stumble upon a new memory the demons are using to torment the protagonist. Instead of fleeing or fighting, The Mortuary Assistant smartly asks players to perform a more mundane task, all while constantly trying to undermine their attempts to do so, leaving them alone just long enough that the next scare feels like a surprise. The Mortuary Assistant is not a P.T.-inspired game, at least directly, but it does use its slow build-up and haunting atmosphere to amp up the scares in a way that many P.T. fans will find refreshingly familiar.