A Purgatorial Escape from the Horrors of War
If World War One and World War Two weren’t horrific enough, the gaming world has introduced additional horror elements over the years to make them even worse. Call of Duty famously introduced Nazi zombies to dial up the terror, while World War One titles like Conscript act as psychological horror games, playing on the trauma and sheer terror of trench warfare.
Mortanis Prisoners is set during World War Two, inside a Nazi concentration camp. It plays loosely with the concept of horrific experiments conducted in the name of science. So, let’s try to survive the horror once again.
Justina’s Resistance
This first-person survival horror game puts you in the shoes of a Polish resistance fighter named Justina. Through a hand-drawn, static cutscene, we learn a bit about the resistance and Justina, who has been captured by the Nazis and sent to the camp. After a botched rebellion, everyone ends up dead or sacrificed, including Justina, who finds herself in the morgue. She wakes up and is confronted by a ghostly skeletal figure who informs her she is in purgatory. Now armed, Justina must escape the nightmare.
As the narrative progresses, it becomes clear that there are some nice ideas here, alongside some not-so-great ones. It is hard to keep a handle on the plot because you are thrown into the purgatory world so quickly, initially not knowing how you got there. You pick up notes around the environment that provide an idea of the events leading up to your current predicament. You can also see the ghosts of soldiers and prisoners as you explore. Some provide visual clues to past events, while others simply linger. There is a particularly good jump scare early on involving one of these ghosts; I won’t spoil it, but it is highly effective.
Classic Foundations
The gameplay takes place in the first person and employs the classic mechanics of old-school Resident Evil survival horror experiences. You have limited save points, inventory management to juggle, slow-moving zombies to take down, and a lot of puzzles to solve.
Combat is the first element worth discussing. Ammo is scarce throughout Mortanis Prisoners, so you must be careful with how you use it and remain accurate at all times. When the slow-moving enemies appear, you must decide whether the fight is actually worth the trouble, fleeing if necessary. The old-school weapons feel suitably heavy, and the combat is okay, but this is definitely a survival-exploration game first, and a first-person shooter second.
Rewarding Puzzle Design
The exploration is fine; you will investigate various areas while frequently backtracking and opening up new routes for quicker journeys back and forth. There are some interesting puzzles to complete, such as selecting the right paintings or using scales to find the correct weight to open a safe. I enjoyed these puzzles, finding them tricky enough to be rewarding without crossing the line into frustration.
Mortanis Prisoners plays fine without being remarkable, though there are a couple of bugs here and there. Enemies occasionally clip through walls, and there is a strange, cumbersome mechanic when trying to pick up items. Still, it was nice to return to old-school survival horror mechanics that heavily reference the classic games of the nineties.
It gets off to a lovely start with its hand-drawn, comic book-style cutscenes too. I loved the character designs in this section. The game itself features some impressive World War Two interiors, though you do come across a lot of bland corridors and storerooms as well. The monsters have a rather basic feel to them, but I like how the ghostly apparitions were utilised to solid effect.
The sound effects are decent though, as is the soundtrack, which provides some very nice moments throughout. There are bits of voiceover here and there, which are effective and well performed by the cast.
A Fine Journey Through a Well-Trodden Setting
Mortanis Prisoners delivers a short adventure through a World War Two purgatory death camp. It successfully channels old-school survival horror, focusing more on the journey, exploration, and puzzle-solving than on first-person action. I liked the setup, even if the story doesn’t quite deliver after a promising start. It is a game that is fine in all areas, but it doesn’t particularly excel in any of them. It explores a well-trodden setting, and I think if the price were a little bit lower, it would compete much better in a crowded market.
However, if you fancy a punt and enjoy a bit of World War Two horror, then Mortanis Prisoners is certainly worth a shout.
Important Links
Face Human And Supernatural Horror In Mortanis Prisoners – https://www.thexboxhub.com/face-human-and-supernatural-horror-in-mortanis-prisoners/
Buy from the Xbox Store – https://www.xbox.com/en-GB/games/store/mortanis-prisoners/9NRG38H6SVF5/0010
