Review | Decarnation - From Hell With A Message

It’s impossible to look at our modern cultural output without noticing the number of stories centred around characters unsure of who and what they are. Given the world is so uncertain, that makes sense. We do live in an ever-changing world with ever-changing people, where the differences between facts and fiction mean less than they ever have, and that fluidity is reflected in our stories. Nothing is certain. Apart from climate change messing up our planet to be an inhospitable hellscape. Aside from that, nothing is certain.

That combination of horror and change is the core of Decarnation, a pixel-art horror game by French indie developers Atelier QDB. You take control of Gloria, a cabaret dancer in a Paris club as the 1980s come to a close. Approaching her 30s with a new statue of herself in a gallery, she soon finds herself in a terrible situation and split between a horrifying reality and a horrifying fantasy tainted by touches of Lovecraft. Along the way, Gloria will be dancing in rhythm puzzles, solving puzzles and uncovering the mysteries of the world inside her mind.

This broad-stroke description may reduce the game to a set of defined genres, but Decarnation certainly tries many approaches, through both gameplay and story, to weave an intriguing narrative. This works and doesn’t work. 

Y’know… if you really think about it. Sometimes one thing… has two meanings.

The developers cited Perfect Blue and Mulholland Drive as influences. Those certainly come across through the central character of Gloria, whose situation and deteriorating mental state give way to a crumbling Parisien cityscape that is certainly eye-catching. The visual design of the world is impressive. Steep fractured staircases and harsh lines of apartments and cafes are broken by tentacles and decay. This contrasts with intricate interior environments and glitzy dance sequences. Combined with the, at points, disgusting body horror and it's highly effective as a visual horror experience. It's an excellent use of the pixel-art style that allows you to fill in the gruesome gaps to your own peril.

That high quality in design extends the game's sound. The score is tremendous at constantly unnerving you whenever you might start to get comfortable. Whether it be the droning during your exploration of the fantastical world or the odd dissonance of upbeat French pop from musician fleur et bleue, there is a real understanding of how to maximise the score’s effect. That includes sound effects in-game. Whether it's the fleshy body horror, or the hisses of ghoulish creatures chasing Gloria through dingy basements, Decarnation demands to be played with a good headset or speakers. I would be lying if I didn’t say that reviewing the game on Switch and playing with the console's own speakers certainly reduced its effectiveness. 

Decarnation certainly has an effective presentation, but what about the meat and bones? When it comes to story and gameplay, both are good but have a few issues.

Gloria is a character who is seeking control and much of the story focuses on her desire to find a new identity as she reaches 30. Whether it be the gawking crowds at her cabaret dances and her nude statue in a museum, her difficult relationship with girlfriend, Joy, or the offer for an artistic show of her own, she spends the game trapped by others both literally and figuratively. Where the storytelling succeeds is in some of its more interesting musings that extend the personal story to a wider discussion on identity, and the changing world as the 90s arrives. 

Not gonna lie, that nice crêperie around the corner has really gone downhill since the tentacle-eye-monsters took over.

One scene sees her being read an edition of Cosmo Magazine, with articles on Madonna's Like A Virgin and the odd controversy on its release. There are moments like these which indicate a wider criticism of how society objects to women taking ownership of their own sexuality and these give the game a real depth and bite. It's a shame that Decarnation doesn't do more of this as they do prove effective within the narrative, sometimes feeling like a collection of suppositions rather than a flowing narrative. It does a good job of pulling everything together in a finale that embraces changes through sticking to core principles though, to prevent the story from being too scattered. 

The narrative's metaphorical approach extends into its gameplay. This is good in concept. Using gameplay itself to tell a story is usually more interesting than having cutscenes explain everything. Decarnation takes this approach with all of its puzzles, whether they be chess-based puzzles, or rhythm-based dance sequences, or even boss fights against gruesome flesh monsters. It truly runs the gamut. What this does result in is gameplay that feels uneven. 

TITLE CARD!

Sometimes it works. The puzzles tend to be the most effective, as they tap into the storytelling elements the most, and crucially create an odd dissonance between the hard logic of the puzzles and the increasing horrors and senselessness. Those are the best aspects of Decarnation’s gameplay. Puzzles such as finding items through Gloria’s twisted apartment block to assist her neighbours, to a puzzle to move pieces around a chess board, occupy this space really nicely. The boss fights and sections based around avoiding enemies using light also works well as more heightened horror set pieces. Where the game does sadly fall down is in its rhythm sections, which have an indicator that doesn’t feel entirely clear and on Switch joy-cons, never really feels responsive enough. A controller with a quality analogue stick, unlike the joy-cons, should make those sections feel more tactile but given they are so integral, they do feel like a slight letdown.

These issues do detract but don’t hurt what is ultimately a good effort by Atelier QDB. Clocking in around six to eight hours and at a more than reasonable £13.49 price point, Decarnation is another good indie entry in a time when gaming's most interesting experiments are coming on the smaller scale side of development. It doesn’t hit every note but does flower into something strong and worth your time.