Coincidences? Review (PC)

Coincidences? embraces the horror cliche with open arms, with a plot that builds from the foundation of a questionably cheap home, a seemingly ordinary world where regular people reside, and a job that entails the bare minimum yet offers the greatest of benefits. It all seems too good to be true, yet you know deep down that there is something else that lingers in the hidden clauses of the contract. Something, somewhere, holds its breath in anticipation of your next move. Is it all a bad dream, or is it merely a coincidence?

As a first-person psychological horror, Coincidences? feeds from the same troth as your typical cult-like walking simulator that harbors lightweight gameplay and scarcely noticeable interactive segments. The plot, which more or less leans into your traditional B-movie horror tropes, centers its world around the usual suspects—the mysterious home on the far end of town that just so happens to boast an affordable price and a chance to start anew in an ordinary town. It all starts there, not with the untimely death of a relative, but with an anticlimactic beginning, a fickle promise of there being something more, and a job at a local store.

It doesn’t take all that long for the wheels to fall apart and for Coincidences? to start shedding its skin. As you begin to find your feet and appreciate your lucky streak as a newfound resident in a regular town, your surroundings soon begin to adopt a darker tone. The bitter truth eventually hits you like a freight train, and before long you begin to connect the dots. Luck, as it happens, ceases to exist, and you, as the proprietor of that seemingly perfect home near the woods, is merely a smokescreen for a much, much darker reality. It’s simply your job to make sense of it all whilst the world crumbles around you and puts you on a roller coaster of traumatic experiences.

For the most part, Coincidences? plays out like your traditional walking simulator game. With lightweight gameplay segments that primarily involve exploring the environment, completing routine tasks around the home and in the general store, and butting heads with the supernatural kookiness that shrouds the world, it almost feels like a home away from home. Frankly, you have heard this story before, as have you been to this neck of the woods, either as a camp councilor or as a sociopath masked killer. The question is, how does Coincidences? compare to other B-movie horror games of its kind?

Coincidences? clearly gets one thing right, and that’s the atmosphere. Minced with its visually appealing skin, it finds a good balance between being a natural-born horror and a dainty piece of pulp fiction. While still evidently light on gameplay, it curates a backbone that caters to the usual aspects of a memorable thriller, with suspense, drama, and the occasional jump scare to support an otherwise weak plot. And honestly, I’m unable to slate the atmosphere, as it genuinely does work wonders on the mind and gives you something to write home about.

As I mentioned earlier, the mood and the suspension are what drive Coincidences. Given that you not only have a bleak environment to tackle, but an entity that lingers and forces you to keep track of the smallest of things, the odds of you skipping a heartbeat here are incredibly high. When it strikes, it works. Granted, it can begin to lose its value after so long, but I’d also be lying if I said that I didn’t experience my fair share of fleeting anxiety attacks. On that note, Coincidences? had me by the ball and chain.

I won’t pretend that everything here is forged in gold, because at the end of the day, several jump scares here are, for lack of a better word, cheap. But, to give credit where credit is due, most of the ninety-minute campaign is surprisingly effective. As I said, it hits the nail on the head with its atmosphere, as does it do a remarkable job of holding your attention as you slowly navigate through the motions and weave the lines into a plausible narrative. For some, that ought to make the asking price seem reasonable. But, for those who want a fully-fledged story with vast twists and turns, it might not be enough to satisfy the needs.

Of course, for an independent game, Coincidences? certainly stacks a lot higher than the average, soulless first-person psychological horror. With clean visuals, grounded gameplay mechanics, and a lot of technical polish, it stands out as a well-rounded experience that gets all of its priorities right. Even to the finest detail, it finds a way to fill in the blanks. The puzzles, for example, include an option that allows users to bypass trickier spots. It’s a small feature, though it does aid the immersive feel and, of course, helps to keep you on the right trajectory.

Verdict

Coincidences? orbits B-movie pulp in an attempt to find sanctuary in the arms of a familiar concept, with one hand on a predictable plot and another on the vein of a genuinely uncomfortable and unnerving experience. To that end, I’d say that it finds the right balance between the two. It might not boast a brilliant storyline, but it does hold its own as a psychological horror that can keep you second guessing for ninety minutes or so. Perhaps that’s enough to warrant the purchase. In my eyes, it is, though perhaps not for the reasons that others might be interested in.

When all’s said and done, Coincidences? is an absolute blast to work through. While weak in plot points, it delivers everything it displays on the box, including a terrifying gameplay experience, a good variety of puzzles, and a ton of genuinely unsettling jump scares. And let’s face it, if you are a fan of indie horror games, these are the things that you want to indulge in. Coincidences? simply provides a service that allows you to access the fuel that drives your desires.