Psychopomp Gold is a game I find hard to recommend, but I still admire what it tries to do. In this game, you play as a young woman wearing a headset that lets her see monsters. She explores abandoned structures and collects fetuses by stopping the creatures that reside in them. Movement is tile based on a first-person perspective. You can select an option to examine NPCs and items, speak with NPCs, grab items, and use a hammer to kill enemies. The game is very clunky to control, and combat is very repetitive. Most enemies behave the same way, except a few enemies in the last few stages. It's an endless cycle of being jump-scared by a monster approaching the player and clicking it with the hammer while stepping backward to avoid getting hit until it dies. HP healing items are rare; you must start the entire level over when you die. To get the true ending, you have to collect six hidden green keys, but there is no way to go back to levels you missed without starting a new save file, and the game doesn't hint at this requirement while the player still has the opportunity to collect them. The game is only a few hours long, but this feels incredibly punishing. Now, onto the positives. Every level is filled with creativity, well-designed NPCs, and monsters that genuinely creep me out. While the gameplay was tedious, I looked forward to every level because of what I could find. The lore is fascinating and worth speaking to every NPC and examining every sign. The music is atmospheric, and the visuals capture the PS1 look ideally. If you overlook the clunky and punishing gameplay, you'll find a well-done horror experience beneath it. I love the disturbing world the developer created, and I eagerly look forward to the sequel.
