Reality Games‘ Orphans were released at the beginning of the month. If you live in Germany, you’re probably at least two episodes ahead as the first four are available there. However, for the rest of the world we’ve only played the first two, or at least playing through them. Although, if you’re playing the French version then there’s a chance you haven’t even gotten the opportunity to play the game yet as that version isn’t available at the time of writing this.
With that being said, let’s dig into this first episode. Be aware there might be mild spoilers such as character names or the general story of the episode. There won’t be any spoilers that ruin the major plot, surprises, twists and anything that would be a disservice to Reality Games and the players. The reviews for the episodes will also be shorter compared to my overall review after the game is completed. If Reality Games’ Orphans follows The Healing‘s release dates then the finale will be at the end of this year.
Episode One
This is the calm before the storm. The game begins with our main character receiving a message from Mika. We don’t know who this person is but they seem to have our number. The mystery of how they have our number is quickly cleared up and soon we’re thrown into a group chat with more strangers. The characters we meet here are Sandy, Jarek, Leon, Tammy, Ina and Samuel. They’re a group that visits abandoned locations and twists the ghost stories around them to create compelling videos for their online accounts.
Through the episode, we meet a couple of other characters with ties to either the characters we’ve recently met or… let’s not ruin that one. Anyway, the first episode is what you’d expect from any premiere. It’s slow in terms of action and the story. This is so we can spend time getting to know the characters before it kicks off. One of the most important rules in horror is to make your audience care for your characters before the horror happens. This is how you do it. You spend time building the cast and world around you and then turn it on its head.
It’s as we approach the climax things begin to heat up. When episode one finishes, you’ll want to keep going. With the cliffhanger it has, there’s no other choice.
Episode Two
Thankfully, you’re able to do just that as episode two is available too. It’s harder to talk about this episode as a lot of it is spoiler territory. However, there are lots of spooks to be had. While the first episode was light on it, this one more than makes up for it. When you find yourself slowing down to talk to a character, you’ll find your breath again. Although, with a sinister force at work, what you want to text might not be what gets sent.
Meanwhile, you’re discovering more about the Orphanage’s past. For it only being the second episode, the revelations almost feel finale-like. Even the third act of the episode makes you think you’re nearing the end. Of course, there are still at least another three or four episodes to go. The fact Reality Games’ Orphans makes you feel that way though is a testament to the story from Carsten and Kai. For fans of the previous games, don’t worry the author chats are still there.
More than that, there might also be more than just the two writers popping up. If you want to experience the author’s chat then you need to purchase the premium pack. But don’t do what I did and buy the premium pack then decide to get the flat rate pack a day after. The premium pack comes with the flat rate pack too. With this, you get access to everything in the game and unlimited coins to skip the minigames. Doing so means you can invest more time in the story itself and bask in its creepy goodness.
Verdict
The first two episodes of Reality Games’ Orphans leaves you wanting to come back for more. Even if it didn’t, I’ve played enough of their games to know it can only get better. Thankfully, the first two episodes draw you in and force you to care about the characters as if they’re your real friends. If you like horror and you’re looking for a new game, you should try Orphans. Don’t forget the others games by Reality Games such as The Healing or The Sign – Ghost Dimension. In fact, I’d say you’ll appreciate Orphans more if you’ve played the other two, especially the latter.
