Game Review: Don't Knock Twice [PS4, Xbox One, PC]

How many times have you given yourself the pleasure of relaxing in the comfort of your living room a winter evening with popcorn and enjoying a scary thriller? Being a horror fan myself, I am always excited to check out new horror games especially if they are based on movies, such as the game we are reviewing today, Don’t knock Twice. The game is developed by Wales Interactive and follows the footprints of the film that was released in 2016.

Plot

In the game you get the role of a mother, a former drug addict who, paying for her passion for drugs, has ruined her relationship with her daughter Chloe. Therefore, in order to restore the relationship of mother-daughter love, she tries to win her back again, but without realizing that she will be forced to face the ultimate evil that was liberated in the corridors of the enormous mansion.

Gameplay

You experience the action in first person, through the eyes of the protagonist. You start in a room of the villa without electricity, with only a candle and your mobile phone. These two things are essential and your survival guide on the nightmarish journey. Candle is the only light source you have in the game, and your mobile phone is the only communication channel you have with Chloe (in the form of text messages) and your assistant in the progress of the story.

Of course, you have to prepare yourself psychologically because these are not going to save you from the jump scares the game has to offer. As you explore the villa, you feel a shady presence in the shadows. Windows shutter, doors closing by themselves, threatening portraits look at you as if they have life in them and many other situations in which if you are not observant you may pass by them, but they are there and this is one of the nice elements of the game. The devil, they say, is in the details and here the game does it very well. Distorted figures through the mirror, changes in the positions of the objects, the statues' poses, the terrifying documents you find as you explore, all this and many others give a strong push to the game that creates discomfort to you multiple times.

But unfortunately, although Do not Knock Twice starts out strongly, it quickly fades away. Once you find out how to open any door and especially when you realize that whatever you do, there is no way to die, the game loses interest. Knowing that you are virtually invulnerable, everything is done linearly and you just go from room to room, get scared and continue until you see the end. The game is a very short experience, around two hours of total duration, which is also its greatest weakness.

But nonetheless, it works pretty well. You can easily illuminate the corridors of the mansion with your candle, check your phone and read the important documents you find. You can interact with virtually all objects, but due to the dark nature of the game, it is very likely that you will not find any objects that look dim or tiny. The control and some mechanisms are a bit weird in some places and in some puzzles, but generally you won’t have a substantial problem.

Pricing & Availability

Don’t Knock Twice is available on PS4, Xbox One and PC on Steam for $20.

Graphics & Sounds

Graphics, with their simplistic textures, are satisfying and manage to create the requisite haunted atmosphere. Note that the game also supports VR, offering a more intense horror experience that somewhat compensates for the short duration and problems. The sound varies in high levels and with its sudden presence and bloody outburst it sends chills all the way to your backbone.

Conclusion

Don’t Knock Twice has elements that will keep you and your company on screen for a night of horror. The very short duration however, coupled with the high price and some misinterpretations in the handling and mechanisms, while not completely ruining the experience, definitely removes many points. It is worth checking out if you have a VR device. Otherwise, perhaps you won’t be satisfied. Let us know your thoughts and impressions in the comments below.

Download Don’t Knock Twice on Steam here.

Don't Knock Twice screenshots (above) and trailer (below)