Most video games’ protagonists are heroes, gunning down unhealthy guys or attempting to avoid wasting the princess. You possibly can argue the protagonist of Life Eater is sort of like a hero. Certain, he stalks individuals relentlessly earlier than murdering them within the service of a darkish god. But when he didn’t do this, the world would finish. So actually, when you concentrate on it, it is a noble mission — and by enacting Zimforth’s will, I’m saving the world.
Life Eater is a bizarre little recreation that’s not like something I’ve ever performed earlier than. Once I first performed it upon its launch in April, I observed the placing visuals and audio results, and the brief cutscenes between marketing campaign chapters despatched chills down my backbone, however I discovered the precise meat and potatoes of the sport to be pretty minimal.
Right here’s the way it works: I get offered with targets, every of whom has their very own schedule. Every sufferer’s private timetable begins out clean; I’ve to uncover the small print of my sufferer’s life by poking and prodding at them. As an illustration, I can uncover that my goal has breakfast at round 9 a.m. by leisurely rattling their doorknob after which scampering away. Hacking into their pc offers me a touch as to their weekend habits, and hiding within the bushes is an efficient solution to be taught whether or not they commute or not. It’s solely once I really perceive the sufferer and their schedule that I can strike, sacrificing them at nighttime to purchase our world one other 12 months of peace.
![A player in Life Eater pores over the schedule of a victim they’re stalking, looking at their daily routine in the form of a schedule grid.](https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/IlFXbSCB-C8vZtVJnKQ6OZ9APGk=/0x0:2044x1149/1200x0/filters:focal(0x0:2044x1149):no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/25470974/ss_80e69ef90d3fd7590200456c0c0770b289849017.jpg)
Picture: Unusual Scaffold/Frosty Pop
At first, I bounced off Life Eater arduous. The ending ritual to sacrifice the sufferer would all the time be the identical — take away this organ if they’ve a commute, and break this rib in the event that they slept a sure variety of hours per day. It took loads of the enjoyment out of poring over a sufferer’s life, as a result of I all the time knew the precise information I wanted to collect, so I had little curiosity to do anything. The marketing campaign additionally introduces a number of targets early on, however a few of them are harmless and should not be touched. I had a tough time ascertaining which individual was the “proper” sacrifice, and ultimately I grew pissed off with the sport and put it down, pondering it was bold and admirable however not for me.
A latest replace from developer Unusual Scaffold has modified issues. The ending sacrifice is now way more diverse, and now I need to go into the ritual with as a lot info as I can presumably glean. Moreover, a brand new Limitless Mode has been added to the sport, and I discovered this to be a great way to apply my stalking expertise. After a number of rounds of Limitless Mode, I felt like I may sort out the marketing campaign, and the narrative weight of the story lastly bought its claws into me.
![An open torso, waiting for a ritual to be performed upon the ribs and organs, in the game Life Eater. There’s text on the bottom which reads “Water the flower”](https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/B3lRuRLyNi47JLxZ2OlN9EYnVoU=/0x0:2560x1440/1200x0/filters:focal(0x0:2560x1440):no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/25470975/ss_f018cd5199c8e6419e18a2d0a8b2a6fcdd7daf97.jpg)
Picture: Unusual Scaffold/Frosty Pop
The trick to Life Eater is that each motion takes time, which is a finite useful resource, in fact. Moreover, a failed motion raises suspicion — if I attempt to break into somebody’s home they usually catch me, I’m liable to being found and presumably stopped by the police. I can ease suspicion by doing any variety of non-stalker actions, like going to work, sleeping, or socializing… however that burns into my time, and if the clock hits zero with out me performing the required sacrifice(s), the world ends.
The minimal type of the sport pays dividends right here, as a result of every one of many procedurally generated victims can find yourself being comparatively complicated. The sport by no means straight up tells you if somebody lives alone — however I can assessment the data I’ve uncovered and see the blocks of time the place the sufferer is alone and determine whether or not they have firm at any given hour of the day. And generally I discover some really grisly secrets and techniques, like a Saturday ritual the place my goal goes to the woods to drink blood with their buddies. It’s a recreation that really makes me really feel like a stalker, which is a really novel horror expertise.