Here They Lie (PlayStation 4) Review

At first, Here They Lie establishes itself as an awkwardly-controlling walking sim, with some visuals that suffer from lots of pop-in, muddy textures and mesh loading. It is not all bad, however. When the game is not stressing itself, it is actually capable of some really stunning and crazy sights that are utterly mesmerising thanks to VR. The control is never quite ideal, since Here They Lie does not offer enough options for everyone. The options available all manage to botch the right analogue stick controls with one choice, making a nudge on the stick snap to the direction the VR headset is facing, while the alternative only slowly pans in the relative direction with a dark hazy border along the frame. Moving while turning is done with the direction the user's head is facing within the game world. The idea would be effective, since it is basically the old Resident Evil "tank control" method, but done with the user's neck/head for turning on the go; however, the problem with it is that it is never quite sensitive enough, even with the sensitivity set to maximum.

As mentioned, Here They Lie gives the impression that it is a walking sim. It is set in what can be best described as a David Lynchian stream of consciousness, where spatial relativity is warped and twisted with some slightly impressive results. There are some hidden collectibles scattered throughout, which serve no real purpose other than to confuse. These collectibles are usually some kind of piece of photograph that is accompanied with narration by characters that have no clear bearing on the game's plot, or a note with cryptic writing. It is usually one or the other, but sometimes it is a battery for the flashlight, which itself is also unclear if it has any mechanics other than lighting dark areas. Some of the notes allude to some enemies having a reaction to light, but even with some experimentation it is not clear if that is true.

Other than the long stretches of walking around, there will be a few moments where there is some actual game mechanics involving light stealth. These stealth sections can be best described as a poor man's Outlast, which is just trying to avoid a line of sight and bolting towards any door frame, since enemies never leave their post. Other gameplay elements involve some minor moral choices that affect the game's ending, or running from the reoccurring big-bad, which is a giant fiery man in a business suit carrying a satchel.

Here They Lie is a pretty shallow game with some inconsistent image quality. The graphics also show a lot of cut corners, with a lot of reused assets that are recycled over and over throughout. In spite of these shortcomings, Here They Lie manages to be kind of endearing. However, the VR might even make some users feel queasy from motion sickness. In a section that can be best described as a depraved city full of animal people, the motion sickness manages to make the grotesque setting and atmosphere feel very real, but this was likely not intentional and was more so caused by the novelty of VR.

This is a very flawed game, yet it is still an interesting one thanks to its visuals and absurdity. It is not really worth $19.99, since it doesn't have any substantial replay value. The incoherent story and avant-garde style make this not exactly an enjoyable walking sim, but instead make Here They Lie an interesting virtual 3D model and animation demo reel.