Out of Hands preview - "A creatively unnerving hands-on experience"
Morbid curiosity is a dangerous thing but it is also one of the most powerful, which is why people are drawn to something they know they should avoid. With the horror genre, it's natural to explore what could be so terrifying, something that Out of Hands presents. This unusual game by Game River is disturbing yet fascinating in presentation and concept. The way elements and gameplay come to be is creative, to say the least, and has a very surreal angle to it. As you play, you may find yourself wondering more about your own mind than that of the protagonist.
The game is Out of Hands
Of all the different parts of the human body, the hands have the capacity to be one of the creepiest. Since Out of Hands is all about hands, you can imagine a very creepy story is taking place. The game opens from the first-person perspective of an unnamed character. While dreaming, they slip into a nightmare where their entire face has turned into hands. However, the different voices inside the character's heads assure them they can escape if they confront something they refuse to accept… what happened with their lover. This game takes you by the hand and then gives you more to handle.
Out of Hands is a creepy strategy experience
A defining characteristic of horror is how it is presented. Out of Hands has gone the uncanny route by using real visuals in the game. The game is shown across numerous polaroids with the images in them being actual photos of hands. The hands on the cards and those on the face all have numerous movements they move between, which gives the sense of being trapped. When the hands grab something, the image changes to show the hand playing with the item. All of the polaroids feel alive, helping to sell the dreamlike state of things.
The challenge of the game is something else to consider and reminds you this is actually an ordeal you need to play through. Each chapter of the story is broken into a sort of card game duel with your Inner Demon acting as the opponent. Time is a huge factor as every move you make advances the turn, bringing attacks closer to hitting you, and helpful items closer to fading away. This means that you'll need to strategize between keeping your heart healthy, removing threats, and attacking your Inner Demon. By combining all of these elements, you get an uncomfortably effective nightmarish duel.
The icing on the cake is the addition of upgrades. Your Inner Demon has multiple phases and between each phase, you get some story and an upgrade. The upgrades can apply to parts of your face to affect how other parts behave or even give you an extra action to use.
It's difficult to be Out of Hands
Though the game is still in development, there is one issue that definitely needs to be addressed. Out of Hands is creepy but that won't overpower frustration. The more you play the duels, the more you realize that it's a chess-like game. You need to start thinking several moves ahead in order to guarantee victory. Here's the problem: In this scenario, the opponent's chess pieces are hidden meaning you can't plan effectively. That means that battles will require dry runs in order to see what you're up against and then start planning for that from the very beginning. Although you get a checkpoint at each Inner Demon phase, it makes no difference if you've taken too much damage or made too many mistakes.
If you're Out of Hands, time to get some more
Out of Hands is an upcoming surreal horror game about fighting your Inner Demon with photos of your hands and objects. It's very effective in creating a disturbing nightmare scenario with real footage to drive the point home and solid gameplay to boot. It may take some time to get adjusted to the difficulty through trial and error as you play. Although, if you manage to get your hands on this game, you may soon find yourself out of hands… because they'll be focused on playing.
