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Paper Ghost Stories: Third Eye Open hits PS5 with much intrigue. Is it worth your time? Or should it have stayed confined to the paper?
A Different Type Of Horror
Almost three years ago, indie developers Cellar Vault Games released Paper Ghost Stories:7PM. An intriguing title, the game told a story of horror using a unique papercraft graphical style set in a small town in Malaysia. In reality though, this small game was merely the test base for what the developers had in store and now it is in full force with the release of Third Eye Open. Once again set in a small Malaysian suburb, the story focuses on a young girl named Ting. As a six year old when the story starts, she is full of wonder and intrigue as she moves into a new house with her parents. It’s here she meets another young girl called Xiu. It quickly becomes apparent to both the player and Ting herself that Xiu is not of the living world and is, in fact, a ghost. With only Ting being able to see her, this sets up the mystery of this horror tale for both Ting and the player. It’s a great opening to the game that only increased my intrigue as to why Ting can see and interact with the world of the dead.
With this mystical power, Ting has to balance this ability along with dealing with important moments in her young life. The story spans a five year period ending with Ting at eleven years old but it’s what takes place during those years that seals this story as one to remember. Ting has to deal with many real world problems, such as witnessing her parents arguing and fighting whilst dealing with the pressures of growing up in school, with bullying and feelings of isolation. This may not seem particularly exciting but it’s the way the tale is interwoven with the fact Ting can see and interact with the spirit world that makes this so interesting and different. It’s a coming of age tale with a horror twist – not in a bloody gory sense but one of supernatural experience and how those experiences shape Ting’s ordinary life. It’s important to note that having played 7PM is not vital to the experience and new players can jump straight into this great story without any prior knowledge. This is a tale that on the surface seems mundane, but which has so many layers for the player to peel back.
Exploration And Understanding
Third Eye Open is a horror game at its core but it does some interesting things with gameplay that keep it feeling unique and fresh. It is a narrative adventure at heart, in which a lot of the core gameplay loop consists of exploring areas as Ting and interacting with the environment to uncover facts and context to the story. Along with this, the game does a great job of sprinkling in puzzles to keep the players on their toes. The puzzles aren’t particularly complex but they certainly were a welcome change to the gameplay for me. Additionally, there are some fantastic stealth elements added to critical parts of the game that heightened the tension and atmosphere for me. At first I thought this game would be a pure walking sim with some exploration but these elements surprised me. Add in some quick time events and dialogue choices and you have a solid gameplay experience on offer here to complement the wonderful story.
The journal in the game is another strong point for players as it’s easy to access and allows the players to keep track of the tasks in hand. Often I would be exploring and forget my main objective, so being able to easily access this journal is a real time saver. It is worth noting that this type of game won’t be for everyone, since, as previously mentioned, a lot of the game is walking around exploring environments. But for horror fans, rest assured the game does have some wonderful atmospheric areas that really will unnerve you, just as they did for me. The story will always be the priority in a product like this but gameplay does a solid job complementing.
Paper Crafted Precision
Graphically speaking, this game is absolutely stunning. Like its predecessor, the game employs a truly unique papercraft style that is unlike anything else available today. Watching the cut out characters glide around the static backgrounds is truly something to behold. As I was playing, I began to question what was hand-drawn and what wasn’t as it all looks so good blended with the backgrounds. The scenes in which dialogue plays out also look fantastic as they show close ups of the characters’ facial expressions and emotions. The graphics look superb but also look like they’re ripped straight out of a child’s drawing book which is really mesmerising! It’s clear that the developers wanted to make this game a love letter to Malaysia and its culture and this is evident with wonderful art and décor honouring their fascinating culture. It also helps that the ghosts look pretty damn creepy when they appear!
Regarding sound design, it’s a solid if unspectacular effort. The narrative and dialogue are told mainly through text bubbles and facial emotions so there is no real voice acting on display here. I have no major issues with the sound design as mentioned; I just have nothing to say that stood out for me or helped to increase the tension or atmosphere, which was disappointing. The musical score fares better with a soundtrack that helps accentuate the clear passion and love for the Malaysian culture in the daytime scenes, whilst night time and spirit realm areas are accompanied by a creepy brooding score. Solid effort.
Verdict
Paper Ghost Stories: Third Eye Open is a great horror tale combining the story of a child’s life with her ability to interact with the dead. This unique combination creates an emotional, yet eerie story. Stunning visuals that are unlike any other game make this adventure worth your time. It’s certainly not for everyone with its lack of true gameplay and narrative approach, but there’s a great tale to be discovered if you can see past this. Now I really want to visit Malaysia!
