Photomaly Review (PC)

I’m not in the business of asking questions, though I am in the business of capturing images of things that should have answers. It isn’t my place to pry at things that don’t involve a shutter, yet photography holds secrets that I can’t help but feel the need to decipher. I want to develop a perfect snapshot of a good business, but something out back draws my eye. Who is it that lurks behind the studio, and what is it that they want with a shutterbug like me, if not a glimpse into the ever-famous red room? I have questions, but it seems that I’ll never find the right answer.

Photomaly is an unusual game. It isn’t mechanically far-fetched by any means, though it does force a habit of being an aggressively perplexing experience that likes to play tricks on you when you least expect it. In the beginning, it seems like an ordinary task: a photo studio asks you to capture images of the locals, and the promise of a brighter post-shoot experience for both the model and the photographer lures you into a seemingly harmless affair. You meet the folks of an eccentric town, and you position them in all sorts of different places to find the ideal shot. You publish your work, earn a bit of cash, and then make small upgrades to your store to boost your productivity. It’s easy, honest work that doesn’t require a lot of mental energy. And yet, beyond the studio, a secret bellows from the other side of the lens. It’s your job to figure out what it is and why it matters.

If you’ve played a low-poly horror game before, then this probably won’t come as much of a shock to you. If you have yet to endure a PSX-inspired chore core flick à la The Boba Teashop or Kiosk, however, then one can only describe it as a fever dream that blends the rustic charm of an old-school first-person thriller with light but seemingly important chore core elements. As the studio hand in an old photographer’s workplace, it simply falls to you to do as a photographer normally would. And by that I mean, introducing models to their rightful spots on the white cloth, positioning them in a way that compliments the setting, and developing images. That’s the easy part. But, what isn’t quite as simple to navigate is the world behind the lens. Things are odd—disturbing, even. Yet, all you can do is hold your camera and hope for the best.

If you’re not capturing subjects or befriending the strangest of folk in this old-school nightmare, then you’re purchasing supplies for your studio, installing various cosmetic upgrades, or simply creating god-awful drawings for your desktop. Again, these are the simple tasks that serve only to distract you from the bigger picture. It’s what happens outside of the studio that wheedles into your brain and piques your curiosity. The sinister smiles harbor more than mere emotions; the world has something that it wants to reveal to you.

While the core gameplay loop is highly reminiscent of your typical horror-themed chore core sim à la Shift at Midnight, Photomaly certainly has a way of keeping you on tenterhooks. Given its abnormalities and almost otherworldly nature, the odds of you ever finding a normal shift here are pretty slim. Take the customers, for example. Unlike your typical walk-in client, guests in this world each have their own quirks and preferences, several of whom often require you to wax their deepest, darkest desires. In some cases, you may find an overly slender client who wishes to morph their body into something monstrous. In other cases, you may find characters who look regular at first, but reveal a darker, more complex personality once the studio light reveals their smile. But, it isn’t your job to ask questions. Rather, it’s your duty to fulfill requests and to ensure that the shots reach the appropriate client.

For a game that centers its premise around a simple loop, Photomaly is an incredibly unpredictable game. In fact, it does a brilliant job of holding your attention, not with vast twists and turns, but with a setting that feels oddly familiar yet also disturbingly devoid of human emotion. At times, it comes across as comical. But in others, it hits the right nerve and sends you on a wild journey that has no formal connection to the underlying plot. It all feels messy, yet you can’t help but love it, flaws and all.

The heart of Photomaly is evidently in the hands of its own kookiness. As a horror, it fills a niche area that primarily consists of flaunting disturbing animations and unpredictable gestures that serve only to shock the audience. Like a fever dream, it adores the weird and the otherworldly, and it makes a habit of showing that obsession with its low-poly imagery and theme. It might not look all that great, but it certainly works wonders on your imagination. And for some, that’s enough to spark a conversation.

Of course, if you’re looking for a game that’s relatively light on gameplay but bursting at the seams with low-poly rigor mortis, then Photomaly ought to be able to scratch that itch. Like Shift at Midnight, it favors the brief spells of creepiness over traditionally long jump scares and complex build-ups. It might not always hit its mark, but it does lean into that old-school style of storytelling surprisingly well. To that end, I’d say that it’s a game worth taking a chance on.

Verdict

Photomaly takes the ugliest snapshot of a low-poly world that you want to hate, yet can’t help but gaze at for extended periods of time. Like a fever dream, you want to wake up from it, yet something keeps you in a form of purgatory, fumbling around in the dark as the world continues to spoon feed you its atrocities and questionable focal points. Photomaly captures all of that, thus making it a creepy, well-rounded experience that deserves its spot on the food chain as a disturbing yet highly entertaining low-poly horror flick.