Welcome to the Attic!

UPDATE: It is a sad day. I failed in listening to the warning that this game does not work on iPad mini. While it worked flawlessly in episodes 1 and 2, I hit a point where a puzzle simply wouldn’t work and I am stuck on episode 3 forever. Kids, don’t take my lead. Unless you have the regular iPad, DON’T get this game. And it says it should work on my iPhone 4S which is lies because the “analog” controls I loved so much aren’t there, leaving moving about virtually impossible. I’m sorry I couldn’t finish this review 🙁

In Fear I Trust: Episode 2 – Last Desk

One thing I noticed right at the beginning of episode two is that they start each one with a “previously on…” flashback to the most memorable cut scenes in the previous episode. Just in case it’s been a while, or you want to jump back to one episode randomly. The game saves each chapter individually, so if you miss stuff you can go back and just replay that part of the game.

This game turned a corner for me in the second episode. It got creepier, and a hell of a lot more interesting. After Waking Up ends, you appear in an academy…. A 1960s, Soviet Union academy, to be exact. I fully expected this game to stay in the prison that we were in during the beginning. But this story turned more historical with its many flashbacks and presents a backstory for your character that many wouldn’t expect from a simple-looking ios game.

It becomes clear that the man you’re playing had a very rough childhood. Aside from being bullied, he also went to a school where those in charge were into dark magic. One of the most interesting notes you’ll find is a teacher’s diary. As the entries go on (don’t worry, they’re not tedious) they grow more sinister. Just like the guard’s note in Waking Up, the teacher makes note of the other staff members walking around in a daze. Serious and quiet, they clearly left her unnerved and doubting her decision to teach there. I really love collecting notes and “memories” during each episode, and at the end it even totals everything, which lends itself to replayability. “I missed TWO notes??!”

Roaming the rooms and hallways in this game, with the headphones on and sound up, is my favorite part. It’s incredibly atmospheric. Bangs, booms, squeaks, and creaks galore! But be sure you’re taking your time, and looking over every room with Retrospective on, as you could be missing a vital piece to the next puzzle and find yourself roaming the whole level all over again and getting more and MORE FRUSTRATED… err, not that I’d know from experience. It shows things you wouldn’t otherwise “see” with the naked eye, such as writing in a mirror to show you how to solve a puzzle. Roaming about is SO fun, and I found myself getting a bit paranoid and thinking I saw things that weren’t there.

To be honest, I’m a bit fuzzy on the story. What exactly is going on, and why, can be a bit confusing here. But I’m the first to admit I sometimes have airhead moments 😛 It could also be exactly what they were intending at this point. But it’s also what is keeping me so intrigued. I WANT to know the story. I want to go back and play it again and read all those notes again and know every detail I can. So intentional or not, being a bit confused and lost is partly what is keeping me present when I’m playing.

The end of this episode is, dare I say it, quite spiritual. I’m really interested to see what Episode 3 has in store for me, and I really hope they keep this story, or at least a series of similar scary games, coming.

So what are you waiting for?? Grab your iPads and headphones, sit back and prepare to get creeped out!

Stay scared,
Dark Princess