The Healing is an interactive messenger game available on iOS and Android. It comes from Reality Games, the makers of games such as Seven – Deadly Revelation, Seven – Endgame and The Sign: Ghost Dimension. The story is written by Daniel Abenthum and Tim Ringelmann. Carsten Oellerich, Nina Meyer and Kai Lilie provide contributing material.
The game stars Stephania Zitis, Simon Anthony, Georgina Machado Pereira, Mike Provenzano, TongueTied Games, Timo Lorenzen, Salina Vago, Lotta Boo Wild, Isabelle Ajemian, David Nash, Serge Hanna, Chantal Worsfold, Anna Bisnaire, Rachel Kalameja, Charlotte De Mouilpied, Sebastian Gede Brendholm, Francesco Roberts and Jessica Zebley.
Out of the blue, you’re added to a group chat by Dr. Crow, an ominous person in the guise of a plague doctor. For some inexplicable reason, it’s impossible for you to leave this chat.
– Official Synopsis
Like many interactive messenger games, you can name your character. This gives the perfect opportunity to fully immerse yourself in the world. You even get a profile where you can change your status and provide fun information like a favorite movie and TV show.
Furthermore, you’re also able to form relationships with the characters. At one point in the game, can choose which gender you have an attraction to. However, you can also choose to have no attraction at all.
Depending on which gender you choose, some characters will swap. For example, there’s a blogger and if you choose to romance a male character, you’ll meet Andreas. But if you romance a woman Zoe will join your adventures. Some of your choices can affect your relationship with characters, which can lead to them mistrusting you.
If your relationship is positive, you’ll form a stronger bond. You might even strike up a romantic relationship with them.
This is a common thread in games by Reality Games. There are usually several romantic options to choose from. Of course, as I’ve previously mentioned, if that doesn’t interest you then you can skip romantic attachments altogether.
The story of The Healing is split into six episodes. The first episode was released either in 2021 or 2022 depending on which version you are able to get. As Reality Games is a German company, the games release in German first. Its subsequent English translation usually takes a couple of months.
However, as someone who’s been playing the waiting game for the last couple of episodes, it’s worth the wait.
The Healing is the fourth game I’ve played by the developers. Earlier this year I delved into the worlds of Seven and The Sign. This game is closer to Seven in terms of its story. It revolves around a more realistic threat as opposed to the ghosts in The Sign (though that’s just as fun and scary).
Your opponent is a figure wearing a Plague Doctor mask who calls themselves Dr. Crow. Their mission is to heal the world but like every megalomaniac who wears a mask, they go overboard and attack innocent people.
There are a few scares in the game. Some of these come from jump scares while others are from well-crafted tension. Dr. Crow isn’t alone but I’ll let you discover their allies in your own playthrough. All I’ll say is, be prepared to have nightmares with at least one of them.
The Healing is my favorite story out of the studio’s four games so far. I’ve enjoyed the others but with this game, the studio has taken everything they’ve learned from the others to create a much better and more involved experience.
The cast is made up of people from around the world. So, even though it’s set in one place, there are different accents. For me, this only adds to the experience. I love hearing different accents and it gives the game’s world more depth.
Honestly, there isn’t much more I can say about the cast without going into spoiler territory. However, they helped to make me forget I was playing a game and wasn’t actually interacting with them. The most important thing in an interactive messenger game is immersion.
Of course, there are times when the immersion breaks. It has to. Otherwise, you may find yourself believing a lunatic in a Plague Doctor mask is coming after you. There are at least three different endings and you’ll have several choices that take you down these paths.
I didn’t receive a bad ending, but I didn’t completely achieve a good ending either. That means that I see a replay happening in the near future.
This brings me to the only drawback of the game. To be fair to Reality Games, they aren’t the only studio that employs this idea. Furthermore, it also makes sense for them to do it. The Healing is a free-to-play game, much like the others from the studio, but the game has pay-to-play minigames in it.
While you can complete the minigames without spending money, it’s an easier and faster way to complete them. You can purchase coins that help you to skip the minigames.
I don’t even want to think about how much I spent on coins but I saw it as an investment in a game I enjoyed. I only wish future games could come with a premium version where you pay a fixed amount to get the game without the minigames. Simulacra games incorporate this model, where you pay between $5 – $10 for the game.
However, don’t take this as me disparaging the game. The minigames can be fun but they get in the way of a great story.
If you have a little extra money you can purchase the flat-rate pack which gives you unlimited coins. This means you can skip the minigames to your heart’s content. You can also purchase the premium pack which opens several other paths for you. Personally, I always buy these.
Not only are they opening up more of the game but it also gives money to the developers. Considering it’s a free-to-play game and provides a thrilling story similar to a limited series, I don’t begrudge paying a little extra. If I had the money, I’d gladly purchase the flat-rate pack.
The Healing is a thrilling, sometimes spooky, ride with more twists and turns than a rollercoaster with the twistiest of twists and turnest of turns that’ll make you want to keep playing. Before you do, it might be beneficial to look at their other offerings. All of the studio’s games warrant your attention and The Healing houses references and callbacks to the others.
For the full experience, you should check out the two Seven games and The Sign. Their newest game, Orphans, is currently available in Germany. It’s unclear when the rest of the world will see it but I hope it’s soon.
I can’t wait to play it.
