Combining exploration, puzzle-solving, stealth, and tense chase sequences, The Bridge Curse 2: The Extrication aims to deliver a heart-pounding horror experience. As players navigate the decaying corridors of a haunted hospital, they must evade malevolent entities and uncover the secrets of its past. But does the gameplay effectively build suspense and deliver genuine scares, or does it rely too heavily on predictable jump scares and tired horror tropes? Read on to find out!
A Haunted Campus or a Haunting Experience?
The Bridge Curse 2: The Extrication is a first-person survival horror game set in a haunted hospital, focusing on a group of student journalists investigating supernatural occurrences. The game features a blend of puzzle-solving, stealth, and chase sequences, emphasising a narrative-driven experience rooted in Taiwanese folklore.
Navigating the Spectral Ward
Gameplay in The Bridge Curse 2 revolves around exploring the dilapidated hospital, collecting items, solving environmental puzzles, and evading malevolent entities. Players navigate through linear environments, often triggering scripted events and jump scares.
The Bridge Curse 2: The Extrication incorporates stealth mechanics, allowing players to hide in lockers or under beds to avoid detection. Chase sequences are frequent, requiring quick reflexes and strategic use of the environment to escape pursuing enemies. Quick Time Events (QTEs) are also present during critical moments, demanding precise button presses to progress or survive. The focus is on a linear progression through the hospital, with limited exploration outside of the set path.
Whispers from the Afterlife
The story follows a group of student journalists from a university occult club who venture into a haunted hospital for a livestream investigation. They are drawn into the hospital’s dark history and encounter various vengeful spirits. The narrative unfolds through cutscenes, in-game dialogue, collectable documents, and environmental storytelling.
Despite linear gameplay, the story is presented in a non-linear fashion, jumping between different characters’ perspectives and timelines. There were times when different parts of the story felt like they weren’t particularly well tied together, and this became immersion-breaking as it caused me to often stop and wonder if I’d missed something.
The Bridge Curse 2: The Extrication delves into themes of trauma, regret, and the lingering impact of past events. The narrative is heavily inspired by Taiwanese urban legends and folklore, featuring distinct supernatural entities with their own backstories.
Tools of Survival and Supernatural Interaction
The mechanics primarily consist of exploration, puzzle-solving, stealth, and chase sequences. Players interact with the environment by picking up items, examining objects, and solving simple puzzles to unlock new areas or progress the story.
The camera functions as a key tool, used not only for navigation but also for revealing hidden clues. There is a limited inventory system, which allows players to carry only a few essential items at a time. Despite the urgent premise, there are no combat mechanics; the emphasis is on evasion and survival.
A Visual and Auditory Symphony of Horror
The Bridge Curse 2: The Extrication features detailed environments, creating an eerie and atmospheric setting. The visuals effectively depict the dilapidated state of the hospital, with decaying walls, flickering lights, and unsettling details. Character models are reasonably well-rendered, with distinct designs, and both lighting and shadow play a crucial role in creating suspense and enhancing the overall horror atmosphere.
The sound design is equally effective, with chilling sound effects, ambient noises, and a haunting soundtrack. Jump scares are (expectedly) included, and work to great effect. Given the eerie atmosphere and focus on stealth, it’s only natural to be on edge when playing The Bridge Curse 2: The Extrication by default.
Echoes of the Past
Despite having two endings, once the main story is completed, there is little incentive to play again. This is because there are no branching paths or significant unlockable content to encourage multiple playthroughs. The narrative is linear, and the puzzles remain the same on subsequent playthroughs. While there may be some collectable documents that players might miss on their first run, these are not substantial enough to warrant repeated playthroughs for most players.
Conclusion
The Bridge Curse 2: The Extrication delivers a tense and atmospheric horror experience, effectively utilising its haunted hospital setting and Taiwanese folklore. The narrative is engaging, and the visual and auditory presentation create a genuinely creepy atmosphere. However, the linear gameplay, reliance on jump scares, and lack of replayability hold it back from being a truly outstanding horror title.
Pros
- Atmospheric and detailed environments.
- Engaging narrative.
- Effective sound design and music.
- Well-executed chase sequences.
Cons
- Linear gameplay with limited exploration.
- Clichéd story.
- Over-reliance on jump scares.
- Lack of replayability.
