This ain't no Disney World
The Park by Funcom is a story driven game played through the viewpoint of Lorraine who's son Callum has lost his teddy bear in the local amusement park. But this is no day out in Disney World. This amusement park hides a dark and sinister secret. Just as the park is closing Callum informs you that he's lost his favourite teddy bear inside the park. A friendly employee decides to let you go to retrieve the teddy but Callum decides to follow you and he wants you to play chase with him. The Park quickly takes a turn for the worst because no sooner do you climb aboard
the escalator everything turns dark and maniacal sounds can be heard coming from all directions and the once bright day is bathed in darkness. There are notes, newspaper clippings and objects left lying around the park for you to examine/read. Each letter or note you read hints at the danger to come without giving everything away but unfortunately I could barely read any of the notes or newspaper clippings on my TV without going right up to the screen. This is a shame because doing so took me out of the game a little bit but thankfully it wasn't something that wrecked the game for me.
As you travel around the amusement park you come across all manner of classic rides. Bumper Cars, Ferris Wheel, Haunted House, Tunnel of Love and a Roller Coaster. These rides aren't just there to be looked at either. To progress the story you will have to ride them all. Sometimes you'll be all alone but the best rides as we all know are the ones when you have someone with you but that's all I will say about that. When you're seated on a ride Lorraine will begin reminiscing about about her relationship with Callum and she starts off as a Mother declaring her love for her child but it soon begins to turn sinister and downright evil. This is also true as you wander the amusement park from one attraction to another. You can feel Lorraine's grip on reality slipping further and further as the game turns into a truly disturbing psychological horror.
The park's visuals are not the best you will ever see but they do a fantastic job of immersing you into the environment and at one point an incredible feeling of claustrophobia came over me. The sound is absolutely superb and really drags you into the game. I recommend wearing a set of headphones so you can fully immerse yourself in the game. Wherever you turn or whatever ride your on there will always be noise surrounding you. Sometimes it's subtle little noises just out of your peripheral vision and sometimes it's in your face. I lost count of the times I swear I heard a noise and snapped my characters head around only to catch a slight whisper of something before it was gone forever.
There are some genuinely scary moments in The Park unfortunately they mostly rely on jump scares. Thankfully Funcom decided to use some common sense and used those type of scares very sparingly and because of that it makes them all the more effective. The real horror dawns on you slowly begin to realise what has happened and when it all clicked together I felt a chill run down my spine and for a game to do that me is incredible.
Reviewing games can be an incredibly frustrating experience at times. The Park Is one of those games I fell in love with but it's length makes it a questionable purchase. I completed The Park in just under one hour and thirty minutes and only went back in to get a sneaky achievement I missed during that playthrough. Asking anyone to part with £10 for something so short is a hard task. Personally I would wait until the game is discounted during a Games With Gold promotion and when it is I suggest you snap it up, turn down the lights and put on your headphone.
Publisher: Funcom
Developer: Funcom
Modes: Single Player
The Park is available now for £10.39
Review code supplied by Funcom Oslo AS.