Excellent Audio Visual Design
With aesthetics akin to a graphic novel, the thoroughness of The Coma's visual design greatly contributes to the game's oppressive atmosphere. The attention to detail in the design regimen ensures individual elements conform to the larger whole; for instance, the map looks hastily drawn from memory on a piece of graph paper. Overall the art style leans towards a stylized realism that helps develop an eerie and unwelcoming atmosphere.
The true star of the show, however, is the incredible audio design--with a soundtrack reminiscent of Akira Yamaoka's work on the Silent Hill franchise. The ambient industrial tracks foster a tense, creepy, and ominous atmosphere, and--in conjunction with the visual design--turns exploring Sehwa High School into an uncomfortably tense affair.
The Coma Is Creepy
As a horror game, The Coma forgoes jump-scares entirely and instead concerns itself with being consistently creepy. Devespresso Games achieves this in a couple of different ways. For one, the gameplay …show more content…
Song's determined footsteps alone is enough to send shivers down your spine. The audio cues associated with the killer alerts you to her presence, but also directly affects exploration. When the sounds emanate ahead of you, it would be wise to improvise a new route--that in turn reinforces the need to memorize Sehwa High School's layout. When the sounds originate behind you, an eventual retreat is severely complicated--especially if you've stumbled upon a dead end. Because of this, the thought that Ms. Song might discover you is actually scarier than when she does so. That's not to say being discovered isn't frightening, though. The foreboding drone of the soundtrack during exploration instantly transitions into a cacophony of terror kicked off by Ms. Song's maniacal screech, the screen shakes, and your knowledge of the environment is put to the
With aesthetics akin to a graphic novel, the thoroughness of The Coma's visual design greatly contributes to the game's oppressive atmosphere. The attention to detail in the design regimen ensures individual elements conform to the larger whole; for instance, the map looks hastily drawn from memory on a piece of graph paper. Overall the art style leans towards a stylized realism that helps develop an eerie and unwelcoming atmosphere.
The true star of the show, however, is the incredible audio design--with a soundtrack reminiscent of Akira Yamaoka's work on the Silent Hill franchise. The ambient industrial tracks foster a tense, creepy, and ominous atmosphere, and--in conjunction with the visual design--turns exploring Sehwa High School into an uncomfortably tense affair.
The Coma Is Creepy
As a horror game, The Coma forgoes jump-scares entirely and instead concerns itself with being consistently creepy. Devespresso Games achieves this in a couple of different ways. For one, the gameplay …show more content…
Song's determined footsteps alone is enough to send shivers down your spine. The audio cues associated with the killer alerts you to her presence, but also directly affects exploration. When the sounds emanate ahead of you, it would be wise to improvise a new route--that in turn reinforces the need to memorize Sehwa High School's layout. When the sounds originate behind you, an eventual retreat is severely complicated--especially if you've stumbled upon a dead end. Because of this, the thought that Ms. Song might discover you is actually scarier than when she does so. That's not to say being discovered isn't frightening, though. The foreboding drone of the soundtrack during exploration instantly transitions into a cacophony of terror kicked off by Ms. Song's maniacal screech, the screen shakes, and your knowledge of the environment is put to the