Spooky season never ends for me, friends! And that means it’s time to talk about another horror game! On the chopping block today, we have The Bridge Curse 2: The Extrication. This horror adventure comes to us from developers SOFTSTAR ENTERTAINMENT and publishers PQube and Gamera Games. You all probably know me well enough at this stage to know that when I’m naming companies, the game is GOOD. Very interesting to note, this game and its predecessor are part of the same universe as The Bridge Curse movies. The first game is actually an adaptation of the movie! Anyways, let’s jump right into this one!
What is The Bridge Curse 2: The Extrication?
The Bridge Curse 2: The Extrication is a first person survival horror adventure. It’s set with the renowned Taiwanese private university Wen Hua University (also known as Chinese Culture University), mostly within the Da Ren building. This particular area is alleged to be one of the most haunted places in Taiwan in real life. That’s something I was very surprised to learn, but it intrigued me even further.
Through the game’s story, you play four different characters, all who link in together. Everyone is in the university for a different reason. Most are involved in the university film club and are recreating some of the in-game university origin story. A dark tale of arranged marriage, turmoil, and murder. A murder that links each person together in a different way. However, there are more ghosts in the university, more things to run and hide from, and more tales to discover. I won’t go further into details as the lore of this game is fantastic. I played through the whole thing in one sitting, I couldn’t stop if I wanted to.
The School Curse?
I’ve taken issue before with cursed schools being the subject of horror games. It’s something I’ve found to be pretty overdone as a whole. However, The Bridge Curse 2: The Extrication made the premise feel fresh. I think this is, in part, thanks to the real life origins of the university, and its alleged haunting. Again, I say alleged as I did have a hard time finding information on this side of things. I also didn’t want to get too side tracked. If anyone knows of any real-life tales from the area, let me know! Ramble aside, there are enough differences in this story from the standard to make it interesting. The subplots of the other ghosts of the university are intertwined perfectly in tandem with the main story. There is also clear resolution for each story presented. It’s satisfying.
Graphically speaking, I adored the style of The Bridge Curse 2: The Extrication. There were a couple of moments early on where the facial animations seemed a little off, but not enough to diminish the overall experience. Very much moments for a little laugh. The layout of the university is well done, and the additional spooky areas feel solid. They fit in quite well with the lore and atmosphere established.
Gameplay was also pretty smooth, I can’t think of any moments where I had issues. Or rather, issues that weren’t my own doing. One particular segment requires you to only move at particular times, and it took me a couple of tries to get used to that. Overall though, it was extremely smooth sailing.
School’s out
I’ll hold my hands up and admit, I wasn’t expecting too much when I started The Bridge Curse 2: The Extrication. I’ve been disappointed a lot this year with games, and the base premise has been done a lot. But by the time I finished this game, it was all I could think about. Truth be told, this may actually be my game of the year. It’s not often that I play a whole game in one sitting. I can count on one hand how many games I’ve actually done it with on a first run. Genuinely, I cannot recommend this game enough. It even has me eager to learn about Taiwanese folklore!
Now all I need is a physical copy of The Bridge Curse Road to Salvation and a physical copy of The Bridge Curse 2: The Extrication and my life will be complete. Hey SOFTSTAR, PQube, Gamera, want to hook a lady up for Christmas? Kidding, kidding. Unless… Happy holiday season friends! I hope you’re all having a deliciously spooky time!
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