I take a look at the creepy and gorgeous The Coma: Recut by Devespresso Games!!!
Growing up can be hard, especially during those dog days of High School. There’s tests to take, pencils to sharpen and praying to the homework gods above that your dog didn’t eat that assignment you just worked hard on at the last possible moment! But what if you got more than a slap on the wrist for falling asleep in class? What if, instead you woke up in a dark and twisted otherworld filled with tentacles and dead things? A place where your deranged teacher wants nothing more than to store her tetanus riddled fire axe in your chest cavity as her head gradually turns into an octopus?
Well my dear backloggers, this time on the Backlog Odyssey I’ll be taking a look at the game that puts the f@#k this s$&t in your home work and shrieking killer faculty in your classroom, The Coma: Recut. So stick around, find your cubby and try not to be tardy because it’s time for another Backlog Review!!
The Coma: Recut is a 2D side-scrolling survival horror game, developed by Devespresso Games and was released in 2017 on Steam, the PlayStation 4, the Xbox One and eventually the Nintendo Switch in 2018. But if you look carefully, you may notice that there’s another game floating around out there with the same title! Well, a similar one at least. And that’s because The Coma: Recut is actually a remaster of Devespresso’s premier game from 2015, The Coma: Cutting Class.
Being a fledgling indie developer at the time, the fine folks at Devespresso wanted nothing more than to realize their dream of developing and self publishing their passion project, The Coma: Cutting Class. So, as soon as it was finished, they released it in a limited fashion on Steam. But, even though they were proud of the work they put into the game, there were features and polish they wanted to implement. Then when the prospect of releasing the game on consoles presented itself, Devespresso took the opportunity to reshape the game into what we know it as today. Which is lucky for us because now we’re graced with enhanced, hand-drawn graphics and animations as well as refined game mechanics that significantly improved the experience overall. That and it granted us the ability to finally be able to skulk through the eerie halls of Sehwa High on console, in The Coma: Recut!
In The Coma: Recut, you play as Youngho, your average high school student just trying to survive his freshman year (pun fully intended!). But after finding a mysterious looking pendant that belongs to his homeroom teacher Ms. Song, Youngho is thrust into a dark and twisted reflection of the campus he knows so well. A dimension known as The Coma. Now, in order to escape he must unravel the enigma he finds himself in, all the while avoiding a bloodthirsty killer stalking the halls! The only problem is, the longer Youngho stays in this nightmare, the more dangerous it becomes!
The first thing you’ll notice when walking through the doors of Sehwa High, and to be perfectly honest, the reason I so desperately dove head first into playing The Coma: Recut, is that it’s art direction and design is absolutely superb. I mean, can you blame me?? I’ve always been a sucker for that graphic novel style! The clean lines and detailed character portraits really set the stage for the moody and dark story you’ll unfold as you play the game. The ingame graphics themselves may be a bit more simplistic but they maintain that Devespresso style we’ve all come to love, and stays true to the aesthetics of the world.
I’d say the only issue I have with The Coma’s presentation is its sound design. The soundtrack, although not terrible, is more utilitarian than something you’d hum along with. And although it adds to the atmosphere to the game perfectly, it’s not really something I’d listen to outside of the game. I mean, it’ll definitely let you know when you’re in danger or when it’s safe to take out your flashlight. But, it and some of the other sound effects found within, can get in the way of your ability to determine if the killer is approaching or not! Many times I’ve scared myself with my own footsteps thinking a raving psycho with a box cutter was just outside the door!
Your objectives in the game can be a bit simplistic as well, with you mostly wandering room to room trying to find the next key item. And just like the various sounds, the controls will more often than not get in the way of you doing what you want to do. But it’s not that they’re complicated or anything, it’s just that they don’t always respond when you need them to.
That being said, and despite the gripes I have with it’s controls, I very much enjoyed exploring the world in The Coma, discovering the dark details of the Sehwa High alumni and dodging and weaving around the dark spirits that roamed its halls. I only wish the overall gameplay experience was a bit more polished. Otherwise, it’s a fantastic game that channels some of the same emotions I experience while playing one of my other favs, Clock Tower, and I’d recommend any horror fan check it out.
All in all, I’m glad I got the chance to play The Coma. It’s artistry and intriguing mystery was worth the price of admission all on its own. With a sequel on the horizon and to be released sometime in the future, you can bet I’ll be back on the Devespresso train ready to don my Ghost Vigilante badge once again! Who knows, maybe I’ll revisit this one, just to see if I can get the good ending this time!
If you enjoyed this review, don't forget to check out the video version linked at the top of the article!! You can also support The Backlog Odyssey by subscribing to my YouTube channel where you'll find more video review just like this one!!
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