The Backrooms 1998 sounds like a grubby little bar that helped boost the careers of Soundgarden, Nirvana, and Pearl Jam. It could also be a grotty little jazz mag supplier run by Sweaty Dave, who wears an ill-fitting PVC suit under his hoody. It’s neither. Instead, it’s a first-person horror from Feardemic.
Hats tipped towards the publisher as they’ve backed a good selection of indies on the Switch – many of which have been reviewed over the years. Their latest, however, isn’t one that will feature on the showreel. It starts well though.
Beginning with the two ‘g’s above – grubby and grotty – the intro is an FMV of someone skateboarding. Man, the graphics on Tony Hawk have improved. After a few flickery filters and nods towards Chilla’s Art, the gaming bit kicks in and it’s a case of wandering the titular backrooms of The Backrooms 1998 on the Switch. Marvellous.
The vibes were initially good. While being drip-fed a tutorial on how to peer around a corner, crouch, and use a spray can to draw cocks on the wall (you will, I guarantee), there’s an ominous threat that someone – something – is watching your every move. Well, it’s pretty literal, as graffiti on the walls tells you. That’s not what’s creepy here though, it’s the sound.
Though the evil in The Backrooms 1998 says it can see you, it’s blind, meaning you must navigate and escape this hellish nightmare of repeated corridors and cheap textures without making much noise. As is typical of a game in this genre, hiding in a locker or under a table gives some breathing space, and up until that point, it’s relatively jumpy – predictable, but somewhat entertaining.
Unfortunately, the thing that’s chasing you appears far too early and it looks like B-roll from a game developer’s first exposure to PlayStation One polygons. The thought is there, but it’s a bit naff, and once you encounter it, it takes away all the tension. With the tension removed, it’s a case of hunting for keys, backtracking down paths already seen, and calling out every so often, “Guys? Guys? This isn’t funny! Alice in Chains are about to play and Sweaty Dave’s down here chasing me with his todger out”. Believe it or not, that’s not as fun as it sounds.
