Point-and-click horror games thrive on player agency—the feeling that your choices directly impact the narrative. Yet, when the tools you use to navigate that world are temperamental and frustrating, even the creepiest settings can fall short.
Enter Netflix’s latest horror offering, Unhinged, a game from the minds of Zach Cregger and David Fincher. Instead of relying on traditional controllers or keyboards, this experience throws the player into the role of Ava, using her phone as the primary interface to interact with the world. Players must navigate dark hallways and communicate with their friend Claire while attempting to escape a killer covered in blood.
This unique setup offers moments of potent immersion. Hearing Claire call for help or using the phone’s light to illuminate pitch-black spaces certainly ramps up the tension, making you feel truly trapped within an abandoned apartment building after a devastating storm has cut off the power. However, this reliance on the phone quickly revealed its temperamental nature.
Using the device as a pointer proved challenging. The quick-time events (QTEs) that demand swift action or defensive maneuvers were often frustrating, making precise aiming nearly impossible. Furthermore, managing the device itself was a headache; players often found themselves struggling with accuracy when trying to move through the environment.
The frustration peaked when the phone—which was supposed to be a helpful tool—became an obstacle. Trying to manage the controls while dealing with the stress of the horror narrative felt like fighting against the game itself. It highlighted the fundamental idea that if a game introduces an unconventional control method, it must function flawlessly, or at least feel deliberately innovative.
Despite these technical quirks, Unhinged delivers on atmosphere. The setting is suitably creepy and atmospheric, and while its runtime is brief—clocking in around 30 minutes—it manages to establish a compelling sense of dread.
Where the game truly shines, however, is the stellar cast. The performances from Zoë Kravitz as the protagonist, Sadie Sink as the well-meaning friend, and Troy Baker as the killer are absolutely phenomenal. Their acting grounds the experience, offering a level of emotional depth that vastly overshadows any technical limitations of the phone-based controls.
If you have a few spare minutes, a Netflix subscription, and are willing to give this unconventional approach a try, Unhinged remains a worthwhile horror experience. It proves that exceptional storytelling and phenomenal performances can triumph over imperfect mechanics, making it a solid recommendation for fans of point-and-click suspense.
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Credit: PC Gamer
