The Mortuary Assistant Review

In the realm of indie horror, few games have dared to delve into the macabre world of mortuary work. The Mortuary Assistant invites players to step into the shoes of a new employee at Riverview Funeral Home, a seemingly ordinary establishment that soon reveals a sinister underbelly. With its blend of eerie atmosphere, puzzle-solving, and a touch of the supernatural, The Mortuary Assistant offers a unique and chilling experience. However, does The Mortuary Assistant provide enough excitement to wake the dead or is it headed for the crematorium of forgettable games?

A Haunting Gameplay Experience

The story revolves around a demon attaching itself to your character and you working out who the demon is, bringing them into the real world and then removing them via cremation of a dead body that they are bound to.

At its core, The Mortuary Assistant‘s gameplay revolves predominantly around the meticulous process of embalming deceased individuals. Players must carefully prepare bodies for viewing, ensuring that they are properly preserved and presented with dignity. This involves a series of tasks, including draining fluids, injecting chemicals, and setting the deceased’s features. While the concept may sound mundane, the game’s execution is anything but. The detailed animations and immersive sound design create a sense of reverence and respect for the deceased, while also hinting at the supernatural forces at play.

Beyond the embalming procedures, The Mortuary Assistant weaves a compelling narrative filled with mystery and suspense. The story is told through a combination of dialogue, environmental clues, and haunting visions, gradually building tension and keeping players on the edge of their seats.

One of The Mortuary Assistant‘s greatest strengths is its ability to create a truly unsettling and immersive atmosphere. From the dimly lit funeral home to the eerie sounds of the night, the game’s environment is designed to evoke a sense of unease and dread. The game’s pacing is also carefully calibrated, with moments of frantic, dread-filled tension flashing into existence in a heartbeat before suddenly stopping, leaving everything as it was before (with the exception that you may now need a change of underwear).

The supernatural elements in The Mortuary Assistant are used sparingly but to great effect. The game’s ghosts, demons and other spectral entities are both haunting and mysterious, adding a layer of depth and intrigue to the story. The way these elements are integrated into the gameplay is also done exceptionally well, with the supernatural encounters serving as both challenges and opportunities for exploration.

Interestingly, The Mortuary Assistant makes use of jumpscares, but very subtly. This may sound strange, but let me elaborate. Most of the time, outside of seeing a dead body sit up an look at you (which may or may not happen), the scares happen in plain sight and the way that such things scare you is the fact that you wonder just how long you were being stared at by that thing in the corner before you even noticed it and before it slithered away. Almost every such interaction leaves you feeling vulnerable and essentially jolts you into a state of heightened awareness.

The Mechanics of Death

The Mortuary Assistant‘s mechanics are both simple and engaging. Players must carefully follow the instructions provided by the game’s tutorial and complete each task with precision. The Mortuary Assistant’s controls are intuitive, making it easy for players of all skill levels to pick up and enjoy.

The mechanics are designed to be both informative and immersive, providing players with a glimpse into the real-world process of embalming while also creating a sense of tension and unease. Most of us will never deal with dead bodies as intimately as you will in The Mortuary Assistant, nor do we have any desire to. Thus, playing the role of a mortuary assistant and working so closely with corpses creates an immediate sense of unease. As players progress through the game, they will learn about the real tools and techniques used in mortuary work, while also facing increasingly challenging and disturbing tasks.

The supernatural encounters in The Mortuary Assistant serve as a constant reminder of the dark forces at play. As mentioned, these encounters are not merely jump scares or random events; they are carefully integrated into the game’s narrative and mechanics, forcing players to confront their fears and solve puzzles in order to survive.

There are several things that you need to do in order to learn what the demon’s name is, such as using special parchment paper that combusts upon detecting a supernatural entity or by scribbling on a piece of paper to reveal symbols in order to learn more about said demon.

Overall, the combination of the mundane task of embalming and the increasingly-frequent supernatural threats creates a unique and unsettling gameplay experience like no other.

A Solitary Journey

The Mortuary Assistant is a single-player experience, focusing on the solitary work of the mortuary assistant. While there are no multiplayer modes, the game’s immersive atmosphere and haunting story make it a compelling solo adventure. If anything, including others would almost certainly detract from the immersion because the game’s underlying agenda is to make you feel vulnerable and alone. The isolation experienced by the player character is heightened by the eerie silence of the funeral home and the occasional supernatural encounters. This solitude forces players to confront their own fears and anxieties, making the game’s horror even more impactful.

An Audiovisual Feast of the Macabre

The Mortuary Assistant is a feast for the senses, a symphony of sight and sound that immerses the player in its haunting world. The game’s graphics are a testament to the developer’s dedication to atmosphere and immersion. The dimly lit funeral home, with its intricate details and realistic textures, creates a sense of foreboding and unease. The game’s lighting is expertly used to highlight both the beauty and the decay of the human body, adding to the overall sense of dread.

The sound design is equally impressive. The haunting ambient sounds, eerie music, and realistic sound effects combine to create a truly immersive experience. You hear the creaking of floorboards, the dripping of water, and the distant whispers of the dead. These sounds contribute to the game’s overall atmosphere and help to build tension and suspense.

Together, the visuals and audio create a powerful and unforgettable experience. The player is drawn into the world of The Mortuary Assistant, feeling the cold, damp air of the funeral home and the weight of the dead. The game’s atmosphere is so immersive that it can be difficult to shake off even after the credits roll.

A Haunting Returns

The Mortuary Assistant offers a high level of replayability thanks to its multiple endings. The narrative branches according to the player’s choices and actions, leading to different outcomes and revelations. This encourages players to explore different paths, uncover hidden secrets, and experience the game’s haunting story in new and equally-exciting ways.

In total, there are six possible endings, each resulting from your own deductions and conclusions mainly about which body you think the demon might be contained within. Put simply, there are so many ways that you can get it wrong, which subsequently sparks natural intrigue within players.

Conclusion

The Mortuary Assistant is a high-quality chilling and atmospheric horror game that offers a unique and unforgettable experience. With its immersive gameplay, compelling story, and haunting atmosphere, The Mortuary Assistant is a must-play for fans of indie horror.

The Mortuary Assistant is immediately creepy and a truly scary game, so those of a more sensitive disposition should probably avoid it. That being said, the title makes it incredibly clear what to expect and what you will likely be getting into, so use your judgement wisely.  While The Mortuary Assistant may not be for everyone, those who appreciate a slower-paced, story-driven horror experience will find much to enjoy.

Overall, The Mortuary Assistant is a brilliant entry on the indie horror landscape. With exquisite audiovisual design, an enjoyable story and accurate, exciting gameplay, The Mortuary Assistant is certainly a game to be experienced (especially with the lights off!).

Pros and Cons

Grade: 8.5/10