Weeping Doll (PlayStation 4) Review

As mentioned, Weeping Doll does make an okay first impression, mainly thanks to the visuals, which can be pretty good to amateurish at worst. 3D models are rendered fairly believably, and while the game does use a dynamic texture filtering technique that sometimes results in some horrifyingly low resolution mapping, it does get the job done for something made by a small team. The real problems come from some ill-conceived design choices that have objects clipping though each other. Other visual shortcomings are likely the result of laziness, which is really perplexing considering how small the game's whole world is. The same repeating paintings displayed around the home and tea displays will burn into the retinas of anyone who plays this. So many assets are reused and overused throughout, and it really does become distracting, breaking immersion.

Weeping Doll does manage one thing right and that is controls. On the surface, this title may resemble a standard first-person game that uses the standard dual stick control scheme, but since this is a VR game it dares to be a little different. Looking around with the VR headset on is basically the right analogue stick that most people would be familiar with in a first-person control set-up. The controller's left stick is used for what can be described as "teleporting," which is somewhat amusing since the player-character is a simple house maid. In one way, it can also be compared to placing a unit down in a strategy game. The right stick and shoulder buttons snap the perspective about 45 degrees, and the left and right triggers are for the maid's left and right hands. At first, this control set-up is a lot to take in, but after a minute or two it actually does make sense, and then it becomes apparent that Weeping Doll is actually some kind of point-and-click adventure! Suddenly, excitement rises high, and the obvious shortcomings become less apparent because now the controls are mastered and finally the game can begin.

Without even realising it, Weeping Doll ends. This is a very short game that is punctuated by the fact that it does not cut to black or have credits roll, or even any closure at all. The game ends where most demos would cut to a screen that shows a release date for a completed game. The entire experience can be completed in less than 30 minutes, and with such little content, Weeping Doll cannot be recommended for the asking price. Even the scant puzzles are preschool level challenging.

It is such a meagre offering, as the game's central location has more than five other doors that can never be opened, which only serve to tease and mock those who dropped the cash for this title, and roughly half the rooms that can be accessed are pointless. After about 10 minutes of wandering the house, the revelation the game had been beaten finally occurred. Returning to the starting room is Weeping Doll's ending—the room is rearranged like a gallery displaying the dev team's portraits and names. It is a weird way to end a story like this, which is about child abuse—certainly not the most graceful means to immerse anyone with a tragic conclusion.