Supernormal Review
Has any other demo had the impact of Hideo Kojima's genre-redefining PT? That stunning playable teaser for the scrapped Silent Hills may be a decade old now (sorry, yes, that made me feel ancient, too), but its legacy is still undoubtedly shaping the games we play today. One of the latest to pay homage, Supernormal, says it's the spiritual successor to Allison Road rather than PT itself, another unreleased game that was heavily influenced by Kojima's aborted horror project. But doing the one thing Silent Hills and Allison Road couldn't, Supernormal has actually made it into our hands – and while it doesn't leave the same impact as its inspirations, it certainly has a few moments worthy of them… as long as you're prepared to get through its underwhelming first half to see them.
Like PT, Supernormal takes place in just a single location – Mr. Sakamoto's stylish Japanese home – and it's your job as an investigator named Wyatt to uncover exactly what the hell happened to his daughter, Sophia. Though the home is neat and orderly, there are plenty of signs that something's amiss. There's blood spattered on the piano. Bloody handprints are stamped all over the downstairs bathroom. Flies crowd around a pile of unwashed clothing in the laundry room, where a pistol just so happens to lie idly next to the washing machine. While we're spared the terror of yet another looping hallway extravaganza, Supernormal requires you to become very familiar with Sakamoto's home, and as you move around – exploring inexplicable sounds and following ominous blood trails – the true horror of what took place here begins to come to light.
That can create an appropriately tense atmosphere, but it's one that's frequently shattered by some strange choices,
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