Unholy, developed by Duality Games, finally makes its debut on PlayStation 5 after its initial PC release in 2023. The game blends horror, puzzle-solving, and stealth mechanics to create a tense, unsettling experience, with a narrative that delves into dark themes of loss and survival. The story revolves around a mother searching for her missing child, a premise that effectively draws players into a bleak, dual-world setting. One world reflects a post-Soviet, brutalist reality, while the other is a twisted, grotesque society ruled by a merciless priest caste. The contrast between these two worlds forms the heart of Unholy’s atmosphere, which is both visually striking and unnerving.
One of Unholy’s standout features is its dual-world exploration – somewhat akin to Bloober’s The Medium. Players must navigate both the oppressive realism of the protagonist’s everyday world and the grotesque, nightmarish realm that runs parallel to it. This dynamic adds depth to the gameplay, as players must use different strategies depending on the world they’re in. The unsettling vibe is amplified by the game’s dark and surreal art direction, which enhances the atmosphere with disturbing visuals that make an impact on you. However, some transitions between the two worlds feel a bit disjointed at times, occasionally breaking the immersion instead of heightening it.
Gameplay is an interesting mix of exploration, puzzle-solving, and stealth, with the occasional bursts of action. The puzzles in Unholy are generally well-crafted, though not overly challenging, and often require creative uses of your surroundings and abilities. The unique emotion-based mechanic adds a layer of strategy, where players can use anger, fear, sadness, and desire to interact with the environment or manipulate enemies. This mechanic stands out as one of the more innovative features of the game, offering variety and helping players approach situations in different ways. However, the implementation of these emotions feels underdeveloped in some areas, and there are times when the mechanics could have been pushed further to enhance the overall gameplay experience.
The use of masks is another intriguing element. Every character in the Unholy world wears one, and they play a crucial role in the gameplay. Crafting and wearing different masks allows you to unlock new abilities or infiltrate enemy ranks, which provides a sense of progression. The ability to customize masks adds a small tactical layer to how you approach each encounter, but although it adds to the game’s thematic depth, the mask-building mechanics could have used more refinement.
On the technical side, Unholy runs smoothly on the PlayStation 5, though some visual inconsistencies are noticeable. The environments are atmospheric and grim, yet there are moments where texture details or lighting feel a bit lacking for current-gen expectations. That said, the game’s eerie sound design compensates for any graphical shortcomings, with its ambient noise and subtle music effectively creating a constant sense of dread. The voice acting, however, lacks the emotional depth that the narrative sometimes demands, which can make certain scenes feel flat.
The narrative itself, while compelling at first, also doesn’t always maintain the momentum needed to keep players fully engaged throughout its short runtime. The initial mystery of the child’s disappearance sets a strong emotional tone, but the pacing slows as the game progresses, leading to moments where the plot feels stretched or repetitive. For those looking for a rich, story-driven experience, the payoff here may not be as satisfying as expected.
Overall, Unholy offers a dark and atmospheric horror experience that blends exploration and puzzle-solving with stealth elements. While the game’s unique setting and art direction make it worth exploring for fans of the genre, some mechanics feel underutilized. At the same time, with some polish still needed in areas like narrative pacing and emotional depth, it may not leave a lasting impression, ultimately not delivering on its promise despite a great start.
Score: 6.0/10
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