‘The Church In The Darkness’ Video Game Review

This is the first game I have reviewed with my son, Ethan, and the first game we reviewed on Mac together. A game of firsts! Whoop!!!

The Church In The Darkness is a Top Down game that, depending on the difficulty that you choose from at the beginning, will probably determine how long your run of the story will be. It has an immersive, atmospheric tone. There are loud speakers that are always blaring out some information about what is happening in the town. It’s probably a good idea to listen to this rather than just ignoring it, as the information told can often help you understand what personalities the two preachers in the jungle town will have… this is important in trying to help plan your next move.

A single run-through of the game can last anywhere from a few minutes to a bit longer. If you’re are one of those players that likes to collect everything, and you are very sneaky, you could probably survive for 1 and half hours or more. This game is not just about surviving, though. The point is to rescue your nephew from this church cult. Who you are can change in menu: male or female, skin color, stuff like that. however, the point is to save your nephew. As you explore this jungle town, you will collect items that will be open to you and in your inventory on your next run through. When you are caught, you are put into a cage and, depending on the mood of the preacher, he may let you go or kill you.

The Church In The Darkness story goes like this: the year is 1977, and you are in a South American jungle. The tone, sound and score of the game reflect the craziness within the cult. The mood is always tense, and you constantly have the sense that you should be running, which is clever, because, for the most part, you should be sneaking. Although, you could run if you find a disguise.

Ethan says:

I like the detail in the world… there’s like four people in cages, just randomly in the middle of your path. The game has a lot of endings, and it’s not exactly easy to get to them. You can die multiple times and do many playthroughs, and still not get a new ending. But to clarify, that’s probably only because it’s really difficulty to complete. You mostly die. There are 4 different levels of death to choose from. From Interloper difficulty to the insane Spy difficulty. Good luck playing on Spy mode!

It’s funny, because the creators suggest you play on Spy mode to fully immerse yourself into the game. Honestly, I think this just the way to fully immerse yourself into death. But overall, what The Church In The Darkness has going for it is the replay-ability. New game playthroughs reveal more of the story. You get to understand how the world works, and eventually, you survive longer on the next time through.

Ethan’s final words:

If you are looking for something different from the normal type of game, something unique, then this is for you. The atmosphere is great. It holds your attention enough so that when you die, you don’t rage quit, but you start again because you want to find out more about the story and finally rescue your dammed nephew!

Ruben and Ethan rate The Church In The Darkness 7/10