I’ve not yet completed Here They Lie on PlayStation VR, but there’s a reason for that. I can only play it when my wife is in the same room.
The knowledge that someone ‘real’ is close by reassures me as I creep around a town where creatures with zebra, horse and pig heads, some yielding machetes, threaten to tip me over the edge with their bizarre behaviour.
A masturbating freak follows me down a sewer pipe, and I feel him following me. Though I’m scared out of my wits, I laugh hysterically after each fright, and find myself involuntarily punching thin air, or reaching out with my hands to pick up a weapon to protect myself – even though I know it won’t help.
When I do get passed a weapon, I thoroughly enjoy beating one of the freaks and leaving him a pool of blood. For someone who isn’t at all violent, it’s strange that VR makes me laugh like a murdering maniac.
Here’s a short video of a section of Here They Lie, the bizarre horror game from Santa Monica Studios and Tangentlemen. My wife filmed me without me knowing. It’s kind of weird watching it back because the terror and the surreal sights feel real with the VR headset on, like you’re there, trapped, afraid and isolated.
Please excuse the language.
Out of all of my PS VR experiences so far, Here They Lie has proven to me that there’s real hope for horror games on PlayStation VR. It’s a genre that lends itself really well to virtual-reality, toying with your emotions and making you feel real fear.
Stay tuned for our Here They Lie review shortly, and do check out our other PlayStation VR game reviews, as well as a comprehensive review of the hardware.