Maid of Sker is a new first-person horror survival game by Wales Interactive that just got released today. Although it follows the same steps as any other horror game, Maid of Sker comes inspired by British Folklore and a mix of an enthralling story, binding you to get to the bottom of it all and solve the mystery of Sker Hotel. Mixed with the beautiful setting of the eerie hotel and surrounded by dense forest, Maid of Sker got me hooked immediately. The review copy for Maid of Sker was provided for the PlayStation 4 console.
The game is set in 1898 and begins with you in the first-class cabin of a steam train, with a letter in your hand from Elisabeth. The letter itself is a cry for help from Elisabeth, who wants you to come to the Sker Hotel on Sker Island immediately. As soon as you get to the location, you immediately find yourself pretty alone in the northern region of the British Islands. As you make your way towards the destination, you get introduced to a hauntingly beautiful singing of a woman’s voice. This is a pretty big part of the game that plays a big role in the story of Maid of Sker.
As you enter the Sker Hotel, things start to get pretty scary with its dimly lit halls, and dark hallways that induce fear. Before you get on to explore the hotel, you get to connect with Elisabeth through a phone, where she gives you a brief but hasty story of what is going on and what you need to do. The song that you previously heard is the song that has caused the curse or darkness. Your main objective is to find the song cylinders that are the root of the problem with the song that they are playing.
The gameplay is pretty simple in Maid of Sker and has a more of a linear story progression. Although your objective is pretty clear that is to find and bring all the song cylinders to Elisabeth in the attic, there are plenty of notes and audio recordings that reveal more of what really happened in the hotel. The notes that you collect can jot down the events of the past, and give you a better picture of what really happened in the hotel and why is in the condition that we see it in.
Your exploration in the game is not only confined within the walls of the hotel, but you also get to explore the Gardens area along with the really scary basement of the hotel. In any case, you can pick up maps from pretty obvious locations that are hard to miss. Maps will help you understand where you are in this dark hotel, and what other rooms you might have missed for clues, items or song cylinders. The Cylinders themselves are pretty easy to spot as they can be identified by the song that is being played in them. They are also indicated by a mysterious light shaped figure that flies away when you get too close.
However, in most cases, the cylinders are usually found in a torture type of chair, which further reveals that the haunting song plays a big part in the demise of the Hotel and its inhabitants. Talking about the inhabitants, you quickly find out the horrors that occupy the halls and the grounds of the Sker Hotel. The zombie-like figures, who are called the Quiet Ones are humans that have been turned into blind monsters, that have a very sharp ear and focus on sound. This is a big gameplay mechanic in the game where sound plays a big role, and stealth matters the most.
The enemies or the Quiet Ones are always on a hunt, hearing the slightest sound that you make. The game does its best to catch you off guard by forcing you to make some noise and alert them of your location. This is where things start to go south for you and you are left with nothing but to make no sound, and even hold your breath while hoping for the best. The Quiet Ones usually run after you if they know your position, and will hit you a few times before taking you down. This means that you have some time to escape, run through a doorway, and hope they don’t follow you.
As sound matters most in the game, you will find that the player will find some obstacles that can cause some sort of noise. These include dusty areas and bonfires that induce coughing, thus making noise or traps that contain glass bottle noise to alert your position. Noise is also caused when you sprint, which is why it is best to crouch and sneak past the Quiet Ones without alerting them. You can also reduce noise by holding your breath. This feature comes in handy when you are cornered or have an enemy close by. I thought this feature was great especially when I was caught off-guard or at a dead end while facing a Quiet One.
Other than relying on your own self, you also have other items that can help you in the gameplay. The first is the Blodwin’s Nervous Tonic, which is a health potion to heal you after you have successfully evaded the enemies. You also come across the Phonic Modulator that we earlier saw in the game reveal trailer as well. The Phonic Modulator acts as a sound generating grenade that you can trigger around enemies. This stuns them for a few seconds allowing you to escape multiple enemies at once. However, the Phonic Modulator works by reloading it with special charges that can be found in various locations.
Visually, the game looks really good even on the PlayStation 4 console. This makes me wonder how good the game would be on a PC, especially considering that it has realistic visuals with 4K uncapped on PC. The game design is pretty fantastic from the dark and eerie hallways of the hotel to the lush and overgrown plants in the gardens. I thought this complemented the game further and invokes the feeling of solitude while being in a traumatizing and haunting place. On the other hand, the music is fantastic as well, but not as much as the hauntingly beautiful lullaby of the song.
Final Verdict
Maid of Sker is really well made game that brilliantly knits the story of the game inspired by British Folklore. While horror games are nothing new, Maid of Sker has its own unique way of inducing fear, plenty of jump scares, and a really good story that has been blended in beautifully. The game’s strongpoints are its story and the way it is told without overwhelming the player, and the dark but fantastically portrayed art and visuals. The game works flawlessly without any major hiccups or stutters after being optimized for the console version. If you want to embark on a psychologically thrilling journey and step into the world of this haunting British Folklore, I highly recommend you give it a go.
Final Score: 9/10
