Often we remember moments in games or how we felt during them. Where were you when you finally defeated the Cleric Beast in Bloodborne? How many hours did it take you? How did you feel at the end of Act 1 in The Last of Us Part 2? What was your reaction when you first saw Elden Ring’s map expand to show off the true size of The Lands Between? What about Immortality’s haunting secret? That’s the moment, out of everything this year, that stands out from the rest, and solidifies it as my Game of the Year.
I’m not here to spoil Immortality, but what I will say is that I will never forget the moment I discovered the hidden layer sitting beneath the FMV’s veil. The beauty of that moment is that it is different for everyone since it can be found in a number of clips you scrub through. But mine felt particularly shocking since it fell into one pivotal scene, full of emotion and intensity.
If I’m honest, Sam Barlow’s latest masterpiece is truly unlike anything I’ve played this year. It’s a game that left me unsettled, so much so that I find myself looking over my shoulder to make sure something else isn’t in the room with me. And it’s amazing that this is all achieved through three films, filmed by missing person Marissa Marcel, all of which have revelations hidden within individual frames.
The secrets you stumble upon initially are unsettling but slowly develop into an underlying narrative that ties into Marissa’s journey and leaves you with the feeling that you have seen something you weren’t ever supposed to see.
That underlying secret changes the way you think about the world, the secrets all of us have, and whether we truly know those around us. While I found myself engrossed in Marissa’s world, I discovered those thoughts and feelings bled into my own. And the scariest bit about all of this? We can’t be sure that the reality in Immortality is the reality we also face because we just haven’t seen it yet. And for a game to be able to do that – to change your preconceived notions about the world – is pretty special indeed.
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Immortality is one of the most unconventional games of 2022, and for that reason alone it is my Game of the Year 2022. Everything it does is unlike anything else I’ve seen before. It is a truly terrifying piece of interactive entertainment that has – to this day – left me with chills.