Daylight (video game)
| Daylight | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Developer(s) | Zombie Studios |
| Publisher(s) | Guy Studios (PC) Atlus (PS4)[2] |
| Writer(s) | Jessica Chobot |
| Engine | Unreal Engine 4 |
| Platform(s) | Microsoft Windows, PlayStation 4 |
| Release | April 29, 2014[1] |
| Genre(s) | Survival horror |
| Mode(s) | Single-player |
Daylight is a survival horror video game. It was released for the PlayStation 4 and Microsoft Windows on April 29, 2014. It was developed by Zombie Studios, and is the first game to be powered by Unreal Engine 4.
Plot
The plot is centered around a woman named Sarah who regains consciousness in an abandoned hospital with no memory of how she got there. A mysterious voice tells her to find the secrets of the hospital. With a cell phone, which is her map, she must explore the haunted hospital and its criminal past in order to escape. As she explores the hospital and the adjacent prison, Sarah begins to learn of the hospital's past, where twelve witches were executed and buried on the hospital grounds, with a thirteenth witch escaping death due to her turning in the other twelve witches. Sarah also discovers that she is a descendant of the thirteenth witch, and that the angry spirits of the twelve slain witches seek vengeance on her. However, it is unclear whether Sarah manages to escape the hospital or not.
Gameplay
The player cannot access weapons; the only tools available are sticks and a cell phone. The environment layout is randomly generated. It is the first maze game to use Unreal Engine 4. In addition, the enemies and other antagonists are procedurally spawned.[3]
The player's goal in each level is to search for notes and logs from the hospital's past, referred to as "remnants", by looking for markings using glow sticks. Discovering remnants can cause a marking on her arm, which attracts the dangerous "shadow people". The player can either make them disappear by using flares or lose them by running away. Once all remnants in a level have been collected, the player is able to acquire a "sigil", an item of significance to the hospital's past, such as a teddy bear and a Bible. Bringing the sigil to "the Seal of Shadows" will unlock the next part of the building, allowing the player to advance further into the hospital and, possibly, to freedom.
The game's interface includes the number of remnants the player has to find and the threat level in the hospital. As threat level increases, monsters are more likely to appear.
Reception
| Aggregator | Score |
|---|---|
| GameRankings | (PC) 54.44%[4] (PS4) 53.20%[5] |
| Metacritic | (PC) 53/100[6] (PS4) 53/100[7] |
Daylight received mixed reviews upon release; PC version of the game has a weighted aggregate rating of 53/100 on Metacritic, based on 34 reviews,[6] and 54.44% on GameRankings, based 25 reviews,[4] while PlayStation 4 version of the game has a weighted aggregate rating of 53/100 on Metacritic, based on 6 reviews[7] and 53.20% on GameRankings, based on 5 reviews.[5] GameZone's Joe Donato gave the PS4 version a 3/10, stating "Daylight accomplishes nothing. Its attempt to expand on the Slender formula is only enjoyable for as long as you’d ever want to play Slender anyway, and it isn’t nearly as effective."[8]
References
- ^ "Indie horror game Daylight coming to PS4". GameSpot. 7 June 2013. Retrieved 7 June 2013.
- ^ Goldfarb, Andrew (6 June 2013). "Atlus Will Publish Daylight on PlayStation 4". IGN. Ziff Davis. Retrieved 29 April 2014.
- ^ "Daylight". Zombie Studios. 2012. Retrieved 7 June 2013.
- ^ a b "Daylight for PC Reviews - GameRankings". GameRankings. Retrieved 5 April 2014.
- ^ a b "Daylight for PlayStation 4 Reviews - GameRankings". GameRankings. Retrieved 5 April 2014.
- ^ a b "Daylight for PC Reviews - Metacritic". Metacritic. Retrieved 5 April 2014.
- ^ a b "Daylight for PlayStation 4 Reviews - Metacritic". Metacritic. Retrieved 5 April 2014.
- ^ Donato, Joe (1 May 2014). "Daylight Review: Random access misery". GZ. Retrieved 2 May 2014.