A Psychological Puzzle of Memory and Mystery
Psychological thriller Recall: Empty Wishes is the first outing for Taiwanese developers Puff Hook Studio. It’s a side-scrolling affair set in Taiwan during the 2010s and it’s looking to deliver an immersive adventure you won’t forget.
So let’s uncover whether Recall: Empty Wishes makes good on its intentions, or if you’ll end up wishing for a different game to play.
A Haunting Search for Answers
Teenager Tommy Lin is a well-thought of student who’s known for being kind and intelligent, which is why there’s much concern when he suddenly goes missing. His sister Yonny, and her friend Phoebe, embark upon a journey inspired by the dark arts, hoping to find answers about Tommy’s disappearance.
Through the use of an old toy phone receiver meant for children, they’re able to enter the memories of those people closest to Tommy. In this surreal place, they’ll encounter everyone’s deepest desires as they seek out the truth to the goings on.
A Slow Burn: Narrative Pacing and Character Development
As far as openings go, Recall: Empty Wishes gets straight into matters involving the occult and it sets a very creepy tone for the proceedings ahead. Slowly, perhaps too slowly, you’ll begin to understand what might have happened and why it did, whilst also unearthing the issues others are facing in the close network of family and friends. It’s no fault of the pacing either; more that it takes a little time to figure out what’s happening.
Still, the choice to tell the stories of multiple people is intriguing and more interesting than simply reliving the memories of Tommy.
Phone Calls from the Past
The gameplay is very straightforward for the most part, where you’re basically navigating 2D side-scrolling environments. There’s a decent variety of locations to traverse throughout, including the family home, the school, the park, and more. Interactions with everything and anything is important, because you may need to pick up a specific item or initiate a conversation in order to make progress. Occasionally a choice is required during dialogue, which provides a little engagement, but it’s the puzzles that really draw you in to every little detail.
There are some simple problems to solve that aren’t taxing in the slightest, as you’re just using a found item. Thankfully, other conundrums involve the likes of codes and sequences that can only be ascertained by scouring the surrounding areas and reading text carefully for clues. At one point it even gives you a quiz on a number of different subjects, which is pretty fun as well as difficult.
Due to the nature of the telephone being connected to this weird realm, you sometimes have to keep an eye out for phone numbers too. These allow you to move into the memories of different people, with five of them in total – Eartha, Mocky, Phoebe, Tommy, and Yonny. Each one essentially plays out as a full chapter in the overall narrative, offering alternate perspectives to some situations too.
A Web of Memories
Recall: Empty Wishes does get a tad confusing in terms of how to overcome certain moments of the latter stages, which is a slight shame as you end up wandering around a bit lost. It’s not helped by the introduction of a patrolling creature who can bring death upon you, because it’s distracting more than anything else.
Despite that, you’ll probably wrap up the initial playthrough in a few hours and then, if you so wish, you could attempt to achieve an alternative ending, or two. There’s definitely some replayability to be had, should the story have captivated you.
Visually, the pixel art is rather impressive and I like the way some lovely hand-drawn elements are incorporated. While many places visited are dark and chilling, a handful are beautiful in contrast, with great use of lighting to create ambience in a picturesque location. As for the audio, it’s very on-point for conjuring an unsettling atmosphere whenever necessary and seldom becomes an irritant.
A Thought-Provoking Mystery with Old-School Charm
On the whole, Recall: Empty Wishes does well to deliver multiple interesting layers to its psychological narrative, grabbing your attention in the process. There are times, in both the beginning and end, that might leave you slightly confused however, for different reasons. It’s a lot to take in initially, but once you get going, the situation becomes enthralling and the puzzles help keep focus in between plot points. Not a single section feels as though it outstays its welcome, which keeps things ticking over nicely too.
If you like old school puzzles and a web of dark tales, Recall: Empty Wishes is worth considering.
Your Links
Recall: Empty Wishes Launches, Unraveling a Psychological Thriller in Taiwan – https://www.thexboxhub.com/recall-empty-wishes-launches-unraveling-a-psychological-thriller-in-taiwan/
Buy Recall: Empty Wishes on Xbox – https://www.xbox.com/en-gb/games/store/recall-empty-wishes/9ng69bv59tq2
