Review: The Bridge Curse - Road to Salvation (PlayStation 4/5, Xbox & Switch) - Defunct Games

Defunct Games reviews The Bridge Curse: Road to Salvation, available now on PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X and Switch. Previously available on PC.
As a story, mystery and cinematic experience, The Bridge Curse: Road to Salvation is surprisingly effective. This is a horror game that came to impress. Although it occasionally gets bogged down by annoying stealth sections and some of the puzzles are a bit on the simple side, there are enough real scares to make you overlook the game’s weaker elements. The Bridge Curse is a well-told ghost story that uses its school setting well and has a number of genuine scares sprinkled throughout. What more could you want?
NOTE: Defunct Games received a digital code from the developer/publisher of this game for review purposes. For more information about the Defunct Games review policy visit www.defunctgames.com
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#TheBridgeCurse #Horror #Ghost

[@PenguinDT]

QOTD; Ever since I discovered Lovecraft and the concept of Cosmic Horror, I've been hooked. The idea that the cosmos is observed and/or ruled by beings so beyond our understanding that a tiniest glimpse of them can drive you mad is mesmerizing.
But it's not just Cthulhu Mythos; one of my fave horror titles from recent years was Apsulov, that approached the Nordic mythology from a 'cosmic horror' perspective.

[@v.m.9198]

Mother Buddha from Incantation is a recent horror monster I'd never want to tangle with. She's the rare combination of scary creature and even worse curse. She gives Sadako and Kayako a run for their money

[@Zirus_Blackheart]

What more could we want? VR!
After playing VR horror, flat horror just has zero impact on me now..... which sux, but VR horror is next level so i'm happy to lose the previous mediums impact for the massive gains i feel in VR :-)

[@paynoattentionplease]

I agree w/ much of what you said, except I hated the stealth parts far more than you did. The stealth / stalking was as a horrible experience. You move at an "ok" speed when running, but if you run, the ghost will hear you easily. If you walk, you don't make too much noise but if the ghost is near you're still in trouble. The ghost's vision is also REALLY good when you're walking. If you crouch, the ghost's vision is much less and you make no noise, but you move SO INSANELY SLOW you give up and just try to figure out the pattern to avoid the ghost w/o having to crawl. A lot of the sequences the ghost is placed directly in your path so it's a "play and die until you figure the right sequence" and that's never fun.
If they wanted this game to be actually good, they would've made the stealth more fun. Solution - The ghost should have a patrolling speed and a chase speed (1.75x the patrol speed). Player should walk at 1.5x patrolling speed. Running while standing should go 2x faster than ghost patrol speed. "Running" while crawling should go 1.25x PATROL speed, crawling alone goes 0.75x patrol speed. You should have a stamina meter that drains when you "run". If you use up > half your stamina you should breathe loudly until it refills. The ghost should have two sound cues. One where it's suspicious (where it will patrol speed walk to where it's suspicious), one where it goes into chase mode. The ghost gets suspicious if it doesn't see you but you make a not loud noise near enough. It also gets suspicious if you're fairly far away but in it's sight. The ghost goes into chase mode if you make a loud noise or if you're in its sight and relatively near. The ghost will open hiding places if it hears you (cuz you're breathing hard) or if you're within a certain sight range when you hop in. Crouching halves the visual distance where the ghost gets suspicious / goes into chase mode. Getting into crouch and getting out of crouch takes 1 full second.
That would make the stealth sections far more interesting and actually fun. I really disliked the chase sections because of how clunky it felt and how "bulls**t" they felt.

[@DefunctGames]

Well said. I would also suggest that these games allow players a chance to get away when they are caught. As you point out, a lot of these stealth missions are trial and error because you're really just looking for the right path. They could lessen that if they gave the player one or two outs before immediately jumping to the "game over" screen. Perhaps you have to hammer the button or perform a quick-time event. Something that gets you back up and able to run away. That would still be scary and tense, but do away with the frustration.

[@paynoattentionplease]

@@DefunctGames also dying so often takes away the scare of being caught. I stopped finding the ghost scary after getting killed like 50x.
Too bad cuz the game has a decent story and atmosphere. I almost quit the game at the first chase sequence. It was annoying AF.

[@HybridAngelZero]

I feel like this is another game along the vein of Sweet Home and Munmy Demastered where it'll probably far outlive the movie it ties into in the public consciousness.
And the scariest monster? That's obviously Whitney's Miltank from Pokemon Gold and Silver. It's probably one of the most brutal skill checks in the series, simply because it screams "Hey buddy, you can't just plow through everything with your starter!"

[@DefunctGames]

I'll admit, it does make me want to watch the movie. I know the reviews are bad, but I'm curious how different it is from the game. I mean, did they just recreate classrooms from the game? Are my favorite moments actually from the movie? I think it's on Netflix, so maybe I'll check it out.

[@wilrivera2668]

... I was hoping the question was going to be "what is your favorite horror game?" I had "clocktower 3" ready :) the boss combat was a bit weird but on the whole I really dug the game.

[@DefunctGames]

I thought about it, but I'm pretty sure I asked that in a recent video. Didn't want to be too redundant.

[@priorwitness]

I just got done playing thru Alien Isolation again and so "The Alien", the perfect organism, is fresh in my memory and will be my top spot for the best or scariest monster. I don't like clowns either so "It" would be a close second

[@DefunctGames]

Alien vs. Pennywise is a match-up I would pay to see.

[@priorwitness]

@@DefunctGames dear God don't wish that into the ether lol 😆 ... that would be awesome though

[@JenMistress]

Does look like an interesting on, but don't these people know, you are not supposed to split up in a Horror Movie. That's how you end up dead. 😉 As for the question, I'll say Real Life is the Scariest Monster. 😉😂🤣 OK, couldn't resist that, but seriously, well, Freddy Krueger, watching the original A Nightmare On Elm Street on mum and dad's old VHS was the last movie to really scary me, so think I'll say that.

[@shannonbayley3684]

You sound like the love child of Falcon (Gameranx) & Bill Cosby my friend.