Wraith: The Oblivion - Afterlife
- May 25, 2021
- Fast Travel Games
Agatha Christie was never this scary... then again, I never experienced her in VR.
Get on Steam"Wraith: The Oblivion - Afterlife" is a horror exploration game where you play as a recently deceased photographer, turned Wraith, exploring the Barclay Mansion to uncover the truth about your death. As a Wraith, you can use supernatural abilities to move through walls, track other spirits, and manipulate objects to discover the mansion's dark secrets. The mansion is filled with dangers, including vengeful spirits and terrifying monsters, and it's up to you to uncover the truth behind your death while avoiding these dangers.
PC
Playstation 4
Playstation 5
Virtual Reality
Windows
Oculus Quest
Oculus VR
PlayStation
PlayStation VR
Reviews
- Impressive sound design and atmosphere that effectively creates a sense of dread.
- Strong graphics and immersive environments that enhance the horror experience.
- Engaging story and character development that appeals to fans of the Wraith: The Oblivion lore.
- Frustratingly slow movement and lack of effective hiding spots make stealth sections tedious.
- Sparse save points and no checkpoints lead to significant time loss after deaths.
- Gameplay often feels like a series of fetch quests, lacking direction and excitement.
- story49 mentions
- 33 % positive mentions
- 61 % neutral mentions
- 6 % negative mentions
The game's story has received mixed reviews, with some players praising its rich world-building, engaging atmosphere, and well-written characters, particularly for fans of the genre. However, others found the narrative to be average or unremarkable, with pacing issues and a reliance on puzzles that detracted from the overall experience. Overall, while the story has its strengths, it may not resonate with all players, leading to a varied reception.
“As a huge World of Darkness and Wraith: The Oblivion fan myself, I'm loving playing this game. It is so true to the world-building and lore, and features great storytelling. It's a lot slower-paced than some people might like, but I've been loving it.”
“In a world filled with numerous short-length and mindless sandbox games, this game boasts a complete story campaign, substantial length (I completed it in almost 7 hours), polished VR mechanics, smooth gameplay, and impressive graphics.”
“The inclusion of quality voiceovers, characters, dialogues, and story is evident.”
“I suppose soft jumpscares might help keep you on your toes, but considering that the story is nothing special, they’re more inconvenient than immersive.”
“As Wraith progresses, the abundance of door/key puzzles and the unremarkable story drains most of the motivation to push past the stress.”
“I couldn't get interested in the story, and navigating the mansion started feeling like a chore.”
- gameplay25 mentions
- 24 % positive mentions
- 64 % neutral mentions
- 12 % negative mentions
The gameplay is characterized by a slow pace that caters to players with motion sickness, which some find frustrating and tedious, particularly in a game that features a rich story and polished VR mechanics. While the mechanics, such as realistic hand movements and stealth elements, are well-executed, the gameplay loop primarily consists of fetch quests and lacks engaging elements, leading to a less immersive experience. Despite its impressive graphics and ambient tension, the overall flow and excitement of the gameplay may not meet the expectations of all players.
“In a world filled with numerous short-length and mindless sandbox games, a game boasting a complete story campaign, substantial length (I completed it in almost 7 hours), polished VR mechanics, smooth gameplay, and impressive graphics.”
“The game showcases flawless VR mechanics, such as well-designed hands with inverse kinematics (IK) arms, precise finger positions around grabbed objects, and various VR-related options in the settings.”
“Pros: rich and interesting story + great ambiance + no cheap jumpscares but tension + very realistic hands and arms + easy puzzles and object use that add variety to the gameplay.”
“I think the main reason for things being so slow is to cater to people with motion sickness problems, which I can respect, as they also go as far as providing extensive customization in the options menu for motion sickness - but if this is the reasoning for making everything so slow, it's just crippled the gameplay and flow for something that people get used to after a few hours in VR as it is.”
“Gameplay is slowly moving throughout the house, taking pictures to trigger past events/memories where you watch characters engage in dialogue, which I found very boring.”
“While the slow movement might be a deliberate choice for encounters with opponents or stealth mechanics rather than comfort concerns, it often makes the game feel tedious, especially in a desaturated grayish indoor atmosphere.”
- atmosphere17 mentions
- 47 % positive mentions
- 35 % neutral mentions
- 18 % negative mentions
The game's atmosphere is generally praised for its impressive sound design and environmental aesthetics, creating a rich and immersive experience. However, some players find the tension lacking, particularly during encounters with hostile ghosts, which can feel frustrating and reliant on luck. Overall, while the atmosphere is a highlight, the execution of gameplay mechanics can detract from the overall experience.
“People who gave a negative rating are tripping; maybe it will get worse towards the end, but the atmosphere and environment design are on point, and the controls are pretty smooth for a VR game.”
“Both the sound design and voice talent are top-notch; the game is dripping with atmosphere and really knows when to pack a punch and when to let you breathe.”
“While the slow movement might be a deliberate choice for encounters with opponents or stealth mechanics rather than comfort concerns, it often makes the game feel tedious, especially in a desaturated grayish indoor atmosphere.”
“Atmosphere sound-wise was pretty alright, but I never really felt tense.”
“These moments are more akin to 'The Room VR' where drinking in the atmosphere without having to brace for impact on scares is an intoxicating sensation.”
- graphics14 mentions
- 86 % positive mentions
- 7 % neutral mentions
- 7 % negative mentions
The graphics of the game are generally praised for their impressive quality, featuring consistent lighting and antialiased visuals that enhance the overall experience. While some reviewers noted that the visuals are decent but not groundbreaking, particularly for a PC VR title in 2021, the game's polished mechanics and smooth gameplay contribute positively to its aesthetic appeal. Overall, the graphics are considered a strong point, adding to the immersive nature of the game.
“In a world filled with numerous short-length and mindless sandbox games, a game boasting a complete story campaign, substantial length (I completed it in almost 7 hours), polished VR mechanics, smooth gameplay, and impressive graphics.”
“The game makes a notable effort to deliver impressive graphics with consistent lighting and antialiased visuals.”
“For a first impression, it seems to be an interesting game with good graphics; not so scary the first hour I played, more chill, but I can imagine that it gets a little more intense the further you get.”
“For $30, I would have appreciated some better looking graphics for a PC VR game in 2021.”
- grinding7 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 100 % negative mentions
Players find the grinding aspect of "Afterlife" to be a mixed experience, with slow pacing and tedious stealth sections detracting from enjoyment. While the game effectively creates tension and fear, the repetitive nature of the "hide and seek" mechanics can become tiresome, leading some to prefer watching gameplay rather than playing it themselves.
“While the slow movement might be a deliberate choice for encounters with opponents or stealth mechanics rather than comfort concerns, it often makes the game feel tedious, especially in a desaturated grayish indoor atmosphere.”
“I think that the 'hide and seek' mechanism of the encounters could be done better; it became a bit tedious over time, but yet it was scary and enjoyable.”
“Scares can fall short at times; the lack of hiding mechanics can make certain encounters tedious.”
- music2 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 50 % neutral mentions
- 50 % negative mentions
The game is criticized for lacking any sound, including background music, which significantly detracts from the overall experience.
“For some reason, there is no sound at all in the game, not even background music.”
- stability2 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 100 % negative mentions
Users report significant issues with stability, particularly noting that opening doors using index controllers is both awkward and prone to bugs. This recurring problem suggests a need for improvements in controller responsiveness and interaction mechanics.
“Opening doors with index controllers is also very awkward and buggy.”
Critic Reviews
Wraith : The Oblivion – Afterlife VR Review Quest 2
Agatha Christie was never this scary... then again, I never experienced her in VR.
82%Wraith: The Oblivion – Afterlife review
Thanks to its creeping sense of dread, Wraith: The Oblivion - Afterlife is probably the best VR horror game you will play this year.
80%Wraith: The Oblivion – Afterlife Review
Imagine dying in an old mansion, then “waking” to discover the walls have turned to blood and sinew, and tortured, agonised faces scream from beneath the fleshy floorboards.
80%
