​Perception Review

By Kevin Mitchell  |  Posted: June 29, 2017

Sight. This all-important sense for the vast majority of living things on Earth is not something that you generally think about on a daily basis. How would you interact with the world without it, how would you live your life in total darkness? Our protagonist Cassie has learned to "see" using echolocation at a young age, honing her skills to ensure she doesn't need anyone to help with even the most mundane tasks. However, young Cassie is haunted by visions of an abandoned mansion in Massachusetts in her dreams. Even though she is blind, she journeys to the estate on her own, believing that she was meant to be there. What she soon realizes is that she should never have set foot inside that house.

Before you venture into the haunted mansion, players are given the option to keep Cassie from talking as she explores each room and interacts with the environment. While this option exists for those who want to immerse themselves in the darkness, for my playthrough, I opted to let her chat away. Being blind, the game's visuals deliberately depict a dark and dreary environment. Using her talents, she can tap her cane on any surface, illuminating rooms in a bluish tint for a set amount of time as the sound vibrates off every surface. Doorways and fireplaces are marked with a green hue, letting you navigate through the dark corridors without constantly tapping your cane. You can attempt to make your way around using the sound of your footsteps, but it only reveals a couple of feet around you before quickly dissipating. If you're thinking of always tapping the cane so you're never in the dark, think again. The House is listening, and your presence there is not wanted.

Early on, you learn that just like in The Amityville Horror, the mansion is alive, in some form at least. Make too much noise, and an insectoid hooded creature hunts you down, turning the rooms a disturbing shade of red in the process. All of this combined creates a creepy atmosphere, but Perception isn't just about Cassie. Each chapter takes you through the history of the inhabitants who lived in the mansion, allowing you to experience the influence the house had on their sanity. The supernatural elements are quite disturbing, and there are quite a few jump scares as ghosts and ghouls appear and vanish right before you. Other ambient noises highlight the environment, such as howling wind, TVs, audio logs, and even bubble wrap-lined rooms.

As you might have guessed, walking (or running) through the dark can be quite confusing. Cassie's sixth sense ability highlights the next object or room you need to reach to advance the narrative. Holding the button down, you'll lock onto whatever it is, highlighting it through the blackness. Even so, I still found it difficult to reach my destination. Door A may be the only way through to the objective, but for that door to open, you still need to go through doors B and C to properly explore the mansion. If you come across a letter, greeting card, or anything else that you would usually read in these types of games, you'll scan it with your text-to-speech app on your phone. It's a neat feature that I appreciated, keeping with the atmosphere the game is trying to create. With the threat of the monster always lurking, which you can hear with every tap of the cane, I grew cautious over time about overusing the ability. If you happen to be hunted, there are countless hiding places to stay put, such as bathtubs, chests, and even behind curtains. If you are found, The Presence, as it is called, eats you alive, resetting your position to the main entrance of the estate.

Simply Put

Perception is unique and downright frightening. The narrative is well-written, and I was satisfied with my decision to listen to Cassie talk to herself as she explores the haunted estate. As you journey through the lives of the past residents, the house changes, keeping it from growing stale.