It’s always nice to know what you’re getting into. Lord knows that I would have appreciated knowing that some of the pixel art RPGs I recently reviewed were 20-30 hours long, and not the 8-10 I foolishly assumed going in. First-person horror Village of the Curse makes its intentions clear within moments, noting that it’s meant to be played in a single sitting, and as such, progress isn’t saved.
Prior to playing, there was another giveaway to the game’s short length: it’s priced at a ridiculously low £1.65 on the Xbox Store – something I wasn’t aware of until after requesting a copy. Sadly, this price is not only indicative of its brevity, but its quality as well.
After an intro showing a car travelling along a quiet woodland road, we arrive at the path leading to the titular village. You’re armed only with a torch – with the environments so dark that turning it off will plunge the screen into complete darkness – and instructed to “Go to village” and explore.
It’s here that notes can be found revealing instructions for a ritual that, for whatever reason, must be performed. While entering the village’s dozen or so oddly barren houses in search of crucifixes and similar paraphernalia, you’ll be presented with jump scares and the ghostly remnants of the former villagers. As there’s no combat, challenge instead comes from navigating the village and the buildings around it, which can feel a little maze-like. Thankfully, most interactable items are highlighted from afar, preventing from searching high and low. A reminder of the current objective is available too, although it can be a bit unclear at times.
Visually, it’s fine. There’s nothing here in the way of spectacle though, and sloppy details let it down, such as the occasional floating item and sights such as books poking through the bottom of a shelf. The UI is chunky yet functional, but there isn’t much in the way of options outside of altering the volume and changing the language.
Every achievement can be unlocked on the first playthrough, which shouldn’t last much longer than 40 mins, so don’t expect to revisit and discover things missed the first time around. It’s very much a ‘one run and done’ experience.
Village of the Curse isn’t only mechanically lean, but there isn’t much of a story here either, with the few notes found being formed of short truncated sentences. Together with the lack of puzzles and combat system – ergo no grounds for failure – it can only offer very light exploration, calling on basic navigational skills only.
You’ll get the same experience watching a YouTube playthrough as you will playing it, essentially providing a list of items to find while a dried-up old hag occasionally appears out of nowhere. What should be a mildly compelling low budget horror is more akin to popping into Tesco five minutes before closing on a Sunday afternoon. Empty shelves, darkness, and confused folk constantly stood in your way.
Sometimes You’s Village of the Curse is out 5th June on PS5, PS4, Xbox Series and Xbox One.