Published by PCube Limited and developed by Dragonis Games, Necrophosis: Full Consciousness is a first-person psychological horror game that relies on its world-building rather than monsters and jump scares. Horror comes in different forms, and when we say the word, certain things instantly come to mind: dark areas, gore, unbeatable enemies, jump scares, and monsters. While all of these elements combine to form a solid horror game, sometimes horror is presented as a world that reveals itself in a way where every area becomes a horror story in itself. Such is the story of Necrophosis: Full Consciousness. This is our review of the Xbox Series X|S release of Necrophosis: Full Consciousness, in which we explore a twisted but awe-inspiring world and get eaten accidentally.
Necrophosis: Full Consciousness starts in a small desert-like area where you are introduced to the insane scale of the game. Through scripts and other lore items, you are gradually made aware of this twisted world around you. The universe is dead, and the area serves as a graveyard of forgotten gods, celestial beings, and other creatures that are no longer relevant. The first area offered a small glimpse of what I will be doing for the rest of the game, as you start finding objects in the world, and once you have found them, you start looking for slots, or places to put them in, and progress further in the game.
Every area in the game is like a locked room with some puzzles at the heart of it. To open the path ahead, I had to find three brains and place them in small human bodies connected to a giant spider-like creature. To find the brains, I had to solve some smaller puzzles in the game as well, which not only allowed me to learn more about the game’s world but also helped me understand who I was and what my purpose was in the game. While this information is kept vague, it gives enough information to keep you glued to the screen.
As you move further into the game, you really start seeing the amazingly developed world inspired by the works of H.R. Giger, with some unique elements as well. The inspiration is there, but I liked the fact that the developer has created its own unique grotesque designs as well. Faces coming out from the ground, massive skeletons towering over the levels, giant hands blocking your path, and some lost souls wandering around without any purpose. Every level has so much to digest that for a few minutes, you forget about progressing further in the game and just stop and take all of it in. Once you can comprehend what is happening around you, you start looking for interactable objects scattered around in each location.
This is where the game starts to lose its charm, because it’s one puzzle room after another puzzle room with a small bit of lore and information here and there. The puzzles have no innovation in them, considering how insane the world design is. Nearly all puzzles in the game require you to explore the area, find an item, and insert it somewhere. This is the core gameplay loop of Necrophosis: Full Consciousness that gets old very quickly. It also breaks the pacing of the game, because you genuinely would want to explore more of the game and its amazing level design, but a puzzle is in your way that you must solve before moving on.
Despite it feeling a little stale, I have to say that the puzzles do feel at home in Necrophosis: Full Consciousness because you are actually helping out different beings stuck in this world. During the early part of the game, there is a large being cursed with nails in its hands and feet. I managed to remove its nails, and in return, it opened up the path ahead, allowing me to progress in the game. Then, in another puzzle, I was tasked with helping a face sticking out of a gravestone. Apart from the main puzzle, there are also some mini puzzles which do not influence the main narrative but allow you to help others and learn some fragments about this dead universe.
Our own character’s body is a combination of bones and rotten flesh, which fits perfectly in the world. For certain tasks, our character was also able to ‘infuse’ with certain machinery and creatures to solve puzzles. Like during a section, I rode a giant being and used it to open a heavy gate. In another scenario, there was a cannon that allowed me to knock down some poles to find a key item. Every piece of machinery is inspired by the game’s design, and nothing feels out of place. I can easily say at this point that the world design is strong enough to pull you through the entire game despite the weak puzzles and repetitive gameplay elements. You just have to see it all.
Necrophosis: Full Consciousness is a mixed bag of emotions because, on one hand, we have an amazing art style of the game with stellar level design. I wouldn’t really call the game horror because there is very little of anything that would scare anyone, but some levels will send chills down your spine. Dragonis Games’ previous title, The Shore, was also a visual beauty, and it is evident that they have managed to bring the same level of quality world-building to Necrophosis: Full Consciousness as well. However, when it comes to the gameplay, the game falls behind by a lot because it is just puzzle after puzzle with very little to explore and do. There is not a lot of depth in what we can actually do in the game.
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Final Verdict:
Necrophosis: Full Consciousness shines when it comes to its visual art and the level design; however, it lacks when it comes to gameplay. There is not much to do on every level apart from finding objects in random locations, solving puzzles, and moving on. While the levels provide an awe-inspiring experience, the slow-paced gameplay gets in the way and somewhat ruins the pacing of the game. With its short runtime, minimalistic gameplay, plenty of puzzles, and a beautiful world to explore, Necrophosis: Full Consciousness will still appeal to players who want to experience something unique at a cosmic level. Just don’t expect too much in terms of gameplay.
Final Score: 7.5/10
Disclaimer: An Xbox Series X|S review copy of Necrophosis: Full Consciousness was provided by Critical Hit PR on behalf of PQube Limited. For a detailed breakdown of our scoring and review process, please refer to our Review Policy.
