Angel Engine

While there can be some appeal to the game’s mix of some horror, tension, and what amounts to relatively simple mini games, it ends up feeling like it’s lacking in depth pretty quickly

Look, if you’re all in on the whole Angel Engine thing and you want to be a part of the jumpscare universe, alright, get the game. But everything in me screams to get it on PC where the mouse and keyboard controls for all these twitchy little movements probably makes more sense. The bindings on a controller are whack and the hiccups of competent gameplay make it so very, very unenjoyable. And honestly, if your kid wants to giggle while they pee their pants, there are better games that do this and have storylines that aren’t brazenly for shock value.

And so, Angel Engine‘s life draws to a shockingly quick close. But what will be its eternal reward? On the side of virtue, Angel Engine has solid visual and audio presentation and does a great job of introducing mechanics without overexplaining them. On the side of vice, it features a gameplay loop that is more frustrating than frightening, and a confusing, vague narrative that talks horror at you without letting you experience it. And while the time I spent with it was brief, I don’t really find myself craving more. So I, The Lord Of All Video Games For Time And Eternity, deliver final judgement. For being a competently made, but not particularly exciting or frightening game, Angel Engine shall spend the rest of eternity in a Nantucket dive bar, where the water is a little too warm and the grilled cheese is a little too cold. And so the Lord spake, and it was good. In all seriousness, I’d recommend Angel Engine if you’re a superfan of the series. Otherwise, I’d suggest waiting for a sale.

Angel Engine stands out as a bold experiment, one that captures the essence of the original web series while grappling with the challenges of independent production. Although the atmosphere and art direction are well-executed, the gameplay structure fails to sustain the narrative’s weight over the long term. This is a title that deserves the attention of fans of the original work and analog horror, though it requires a fair amount of patience to overlook the underlying repetitiveness that limits its potential.