The Park is a new first person narrative driven horror game for the Xbox One and PS4. I was completely expecting something else when I started up the game. The emotional toll that I felt after had played through The Park was something I did not expect. The Park was developed and published for the PS4 and Xbox One by Funcom games.
Players take the role of Lorraine, the mother in search of her missing little boy, Callum. Atlantic Island Park is the backdrop for the game. An amusement park with a vicious dark past that won’t let go of the people who come to visit. The park’s rides seemingly come alive once you check them out. As you progress through The Park Lorraine slowly loses her own mind as she searches for Callum in this haunted place. I don’t spoil good games that need to be played. All I can say about the ending is; What the hell?
Graphically The Park is some where in the middle of good-looking console games. As you play through The Park you will notice walls that shouldn’t vanish in mirrors. The few characters you will see are decent looking models that would have looked better than all the NPC’s in Elder Scrolls: Oblivion. Overall the dark atmosphere and lack of real bright colors gives you that feeling of dread in a horror game. The audio is one of the best parts of The Park. The creepy sounds and footsteps that sound like they are right behind you will make you look around. The speakers around the park also have some raspy man speaking, stay and listen to hear what he is saying.
The game play in The Park is really simple. Players will run when it is allowed in certain areas, not all areas in the game are meant to be seen. Lorraine doesn’t have any weapons or jumping abilities, she does have some sweet pipes that can be constantly used to look for her son. Each time you press the B button she will call out for her child, some times certain things will get highlighted when this happens. Be sure to read everything you can. At one point you will find a flashlight even though you only use it for a few minutes. The fact that you can’t do much makes the game ever more nerve-racking to play. It added even more to this horror game.
The Park is reasonably priced at $12.99 on the Xbox One. The whole game will only take a couple hours to complete. Some players can rush through it in an hour if you really ignore some of the areas in the amusement park. The one thing I really loved about this game is that it really did grab my attention the whole time. The Park is also one of those games that come with an extremely easy 1000 achievements to collect. The Park will keep you guessing until the last moment when it all ends.
