The horror game genre seems to be perking up nicely in recent months. With games such as Resident Evil Village being one of the biggest titles of 2021 and starting 2022 off with some alternative titles such as Evil Dead, there is huge demand. Admittedly when I saw the name for this game I thought it was very unusual but then I glanced at the words “inspired by titles such as Silent Hill” and knew I had to get in on the action. Injection π23 Ars Regia is the solo development project of Abramelin Games. I’m always fascinated by games produced by solo developers and find it stunning that they can bring full releases to the world when the biggest titles have thousands of staff. With Silent Hill and the original Resident Evil games being high up the list in my favourite games of all time, I was very intrigued to see if this could scratch that nostalgic classic horror itch.

Introduction

In a short but sweet cutscene, we learn a little about the setting in Injection π23 Ars Regia. Taking place in Villanueva de Tapia known as “El Entredicho” which is a real town in Southern Spain located within Malaga, nothing prepares you for the eerie creepy weirdness you’re about to embark upon. If you’re the type who hides behind the sofa for horror movies or anything remotely jump-scary, then you receive a nice little message warning you that some of the stories and references within the game are based on real-life and historical events. There is then a gentle reminder that all characters are fictional and any resemblance is coincidental. There is an opportunity to change your camera settings and performance modes in the options but this can also be done within the games pause menu, so if you don’t do it straight away, don’t worry. One thing I instantly recommend though from the get-go is to check your brightness levels as I had to turn mine up fully, this is a very dark, gloomy and gritty adventure. Difficulty settings are sectioned off into easy, normal, hardcore and nightmare, casuals will want to select easy for your first run. If you haven’t put on your headphones, turned all the lights off and closed the curtains for this one, then you aren’t doing it right!

Gameplay & Exploration

There is no in-game tutorial as such, but you do get a brief explanation of the HUD and mechanics in the world before you begin your journey. It was an almost instantaneous WTF moment as I turned the first corner and encountered what can only be described as a dog-like creature with multiple heads coming toward me. I’m not sure if this is the impact they were after but it certainly had that jump scare moment. What I didn’t like too much about Injection π23 Ars Regia was the lack of direction on what the goal was, there is no hand-holding, no prompts telling you where to go and what to do. For some though, this may be an appealing prospect as it effectively forces the player to explore the entire game world. There is a strategic element to the game in piecing together clues that you find scattered throughout this mysterious abandoned town.

You’ll come across locked doors in typical fashion with the task of finding out how to unlock them to uncover what is behind them. Collecting scraps of the map allows you to negotiate areas more fluidly. I’ll be completely honest though and say that for a good few hours I was wandering around wondering what I was actually supposed to be doing and scratching my head. Sadly I feel this approach to no light direction may turn people off, but I urge you to stick with it.

Controls, Graphics & Audio

The control scheme is fairly simple and easy enough to navigate, if you’re familiar with games in this genre then you’ll be right at home. There are indicators when you approach enemies with dark red alert bars, raise these high and you’ll be attacked and expected to respond with conflict. You can however try and stealth your way around and avoid a fight and potentially death. You can take out enemies by way of melee or weaponry that you collect, but combat is extremely clunky.

The sound and visuals are what hold Injection π23 Ars Regia up so strongly. The ambience of the murky streets among Malaga really does have Silent Hill vibes running through them, the unearthly and horrifying creatures roaming around keep you on your toes constantly. Whilst the aesthetics aren’t to a triple-A standard, we must remember this is the work of one person and he has done an incredible job. The mixture of the grainy dark dingy movie feels blends well with some great lighting details. The menu design is well constructed with some great choices to switch things up such as different camera angles and perspectives and alternative graphics settings. Audio is equally satisfying, especially with headphones for those maximum anxiety-inducing confrontations with the unknown.

In Conclusion

Injection π23 Ars Regia had me in two different mindsets throughout my time with it. One part of me was extremely impressed with how the atmosphere was presented with its petrifying, gloomy and grainy visuals and the fact only one person developed this experience. The other side of me was disappointed and frustrated with zero sense of direction. It may seem very critical of me with a solo developer being at the helm, but maybe have some additional hints in the easy mode and leave the more difficult selections with true exploration. The game for the most part is mechanically sound with some of the wackiest enemy designs I’ve ever witnessed in a video game. This is certainly a very unique take on the horror catalogue and a very memorable one at that.

Replayability and longevity are questionable, with the steep difficulty level I saw as much as I needed to in around nine hours. But those wanting to hit those all-important achievements may find much more game time for them. As far as I’m aware this is the second title in a trilogy so it does make me want to play the first instalment for comparison reasons. Personally, I’d recommend playing Injection π23 “No name, no number” first for a fraction of the price, if you enjoy that, then dive in and dim those lights for some “Ars Regia”.