Remember those old chooose-your-own-adventure books? No? Well Hysteria Project is the 
evolutionary result that the genre has produced. It’s sort of like one of those DVD-based games where you play certain chapters based on the outcome of what’s going on in the board game etc. But it’s all self-contained for your iPhone and doesn’t require you to push buttons on the remote.
Essentially you have been abducted and wake up bound and gagged in some unfriendly looking shed. From there it’s a struggle for survival as you choose what to do, which way to go and to hide or fight. The entire game is and the story is told through video clips. You make a choice, a clip plays, the resulting clip shows and then you make another choice. That is provided that your previous choice didn’t get you killed.
The game is fairly simple in premise but could have you running around in the errie forest for hours. There are hints and clues on which way to go but don’t trust them because sometimes they lie and you walk into a trap.
The whole fun of the game is trying to survive. But there’s no timer, no statistics and no score. So that pretty much means no replay value whatsoever. It’s a simple interface where you watch the video clip and then are presented with the options. Generally, the options are things like - Go Left, Go, Right, Find a place to hide, try to move to a new hiding spot, etc.
The video is well done and the whole game does maintain the atmosphere and tone. The sound is quite good as well which is no surprise considering the whole thing is basically video made to fit the iPhone.
Sometimes, while playing, I would wonder if it was really a game all and perhaps not an interactive film. Either way it was entertaining and while not as immersive or engaging as it could be it’s certainly worth a look if you’re if sounds interesting. Part of the reason the game isn’t completely immersive I think is because you never see the protagonist and many will have problems projecting themselves into the role I imagine.
Yes this review is short, but it’s a fairly straightforward affair. I look forward to the next product from French outfit BULKYPIX and wish them luck with Hysteria Project. The game is $1.99 or 1.59 € and available in 5 languages (English, French, Italian, German, Spanish).
Hysteria Project now available on iTunes.com
