Nevermind is a Frighteningly Beautiful Journey Through The Human Psyche

I felt moved for the first time in my life by playing a horror game. Nevermind, our October game of the month, is my first review of a crowdfunded game I have gone through start to finish. I must say, it has had quite the positive affect on me.

The amazing thing everyone should know about Nevermind is that it works with biofeedback technology and responds to your heart rate or even camera motions. Unfortunately, I lacked this technology, so I was unable to experience that part of Nevermind, but the developers promised those playing without biofeedback an enjoyable time nonetheless.

The story behind Nevermind is different than what I expected. You play as a good guy, a doctor trying to help your clients, except this is a new kind of therapy. You’re called a “Neuroprober,” someone who is actually able to enter your clients mind and search through their memories, trying to uncover the source of their problems and phobias. What a unique concept! I was excited off the bat because as soon as I knew my in-game profession, I knew I would get to go through some seriously disturbing and horrifying situations.

I. Love. Setting. It’s an important thing to me, I want a game to make me really feel like I’m a part of the world they have created. Nevermind does a wonderful job with setting. Each mind you enter is very different, so the settings you see reflect their character as you learn about their past and travel through scenes of their memory.

The scenes are constantly changing, as if you have entered a real human mind. You start in a very peaceful place, as the client is calm. Then, their memories begin changing and the horror sets in. Remember, it is your job to uncover what makes them scared and makes their mind so dark. It’s up to you as a Neuroprober to venture into the mind and help them recover from their trauma.

The gameplay is rather simple. Move, look, point, pick up things. I think that works with a game like this, because the focus is not on the controls or your “abilities.” Instead, it focuses on uncovering the hidden memories that are vital for this client to return to a normal life.

Puzzles are not my thing, and there were quite a few in Nevermind. They all made sense once I figured them out, and they fit into the game’s premise very well, it just took me an extra hour or two than most people I’m sure. I began to feel frustrated when I was stuck, but that’s how puzzles can be.

I was disappointed when I got to the end. It was way to short for my taste, but I did discover that Flying Mollusk wants to expand Nevermind and add more content, which I will be very supportive of.

Overall, Nevermind supplied me with some great jump scares, but I came away from the game more emotionally impacted rather than terrified. It’s horrific yes, but the humanity behind it is so powerful, it really relates to the audience. I highly recommend this game to everyone, not just horror fans. Thank you for the journey, Nevermind!

Nevermind is our October 2015 Crowdfunded Game of the Month.  Be sure to check out our Nevermind coverage throughout the month.