Claire: Extended Cut

I enjoyed Claire: Extended Cut on PlayStation 4. It’s definitely a stressful survival horror game, but that’s what fans of the genre want. Sure, it might be short, but the game’s length isn’t a deal-breaker since it crams a lot of content into a short gaming session. Exploring the hospital as I tried to keep Claire alive and sane, finding new shortcuts, opening previously locked doors to connect each location… it all felt great in this indie release. If you’re looking for a short 2D survival horror game, then look no further!

The art style is similar to that of Lone Survivor, so if you have played and loved that game, you will love Claire: Extended Cut. They also share a creepy atmosphere, and a theme of loneliness. Having played both games, I would say Claire: Extended Cut is probably slightly creepier and scarier than Lone Survivor, but both are great games. I greatly enjoyed playing the game for my Claire: Extended Cut review, and I can easily recommend this one for you.

If you're willing to look past some flaws, Claire mixes wonderful atmosphere with great writing to create a 2D indie horror game that I found scarier than many major efforts.

While Hailstorm Games does at times get carried away with moralising, the overall story is effective and comes with enough twists and turns to cover the admission price.

Claire: Extended Cut is a hard game to recommend unless you’re willing to open literally hundreds of doors to get to the meat of the story. The reason that it’s a hard recommendation is because the story here is good, but everything surrounding it just doesn’t seem polished enough. With an inventory system that doesn’t work well with the game’s layout and a map that constantly needs to be check to understand where you’re going, Claire: Extended Cut is a haunted house that some horror fans likely won’t mind walking through, but many others would be better off skipping.

Where 'Lone Survivor' succeeded, 'Claire,' has trouble. It relies too much on being lost, both in terms of interaction and narrative drive. Even if it had a more interesting protagonist, the game's inconsistent ability to remain scary holds it back.

Claire: Extended Cut is a good addition to a survival horror fan’s personal library, especially if you like the psychological aspect of games like Silent Hill. The 2.5D graphics do a great job of presenting the story and the sound kept the game tense. I did find the bugs, the occasional aimless wandering, and somewhat obscure puzzles to be a problem in some parts of the game. If you can overlook these issues, Claire: Extended Cut is a scary and fun experience that becomes better and more sinister as you continue to play.

When an enemy is lurking around, the music and effects ramp up intensely

Claire does a good job of creating an unsettling world and telling a story that touches on some dark themes.