Okay, let’s get this clear. I am not a fan of Doctor Who by any stretch of the word. I’m not completely out of the loop, though. I watched the run of the 10th Doctor which was led by David Tennant (Can you guess why?). So, I was thinking I would be completely out of my element when I got to review Doctor Who: The Lonely Assassins.
However, it seems like the stars aligned to give me some common ground so that I could comfortably review the game! For starters, the game is centered around the Weeping Angels (which were part of one of my favorite episodes of that season). Secondly, the game is developed by Kaigan Games, the folks who made SIMULACRA.
So yeah, right off the bat you know how this works if you’ve read my previous reviews. This is going to be a found phone thriller game. We’re going to comb through someone’s phone and find out where they disappeared to. Of course, since this is related to Doctor Who, we’re also going to get some fantastical encounters.
Let’s not waste any time. This is my review of Doctor Who: The Lonely Assassins.
Missing in Action
So, the story begins with you (the player) finding a phone and turning it on. It is soon revealed that this phone belongs to Lawrence Nightingale. You know, the guy who was able to trap the Weeping Angels back in the “Blink” episode alongside Sally Sparrow. Unfortunately, this means that he’s gone missing and as such, it’s up to you to find out what happened to him.
You’re not alone in this quest. In fact, you’ll receive help from UNIT operative Petronella Osgood. She’s going to help you restore the phone’s apps and messages while you comb through the data and gather clues. Each new discovery gives us more context about everything that’s going on through SMS exchanges.
If you’re a new player in the field, I don’t think you should worry. The game treats the player character as someone who doesn’t even know who the Doctor is. You’ll learn everything you need to know as you unravel the mystery of Lawrence’s disappearance. Of course, there are also some nods to Doctor Who history that diehard fans will pick up on.
I mean, for crying out loud. You can literally find out what Lawrence, Sally, and his friend Mo have been up to for the last 14 years since the episode aired. It’s actually really fun to sit through. Unfortunately, this also can be a detractor on the overall experience since you won’t always know what’s happening.
Finally Learning Their Lesson
Okay, so. This is the part everyone I talked to about this game was curious about. Does this game have a good sense of horror compared to SIMULACRA and SIMULACRA 2? Let’s start off by saying that Kaigan Games have learned their lesson after the last 2 games. Yes, the game has jumpscares. However, that doesn’t mean it’s all bad because this time each and every jumpscare is pretty much justified and isn’t spammed in places where it’s not needed.
I’m glad that the guys learned how to make effective horror instead of just having to rely on the same tired formula for jumpscares that held back previous titles. We learn that the Weeping Angels (which are terrifying creatures on their own) can now manifest digitally. If that wasn’t scary enough, we even get to fight one ourselves at the middle point of the story.
However, just as you regain control of the phone and manage to drive the threat away. The angel stops in the middle of its disintegration in the main screen of the phone. As such, you are not even sure if the Weeping Angel will pop up again. Every time you return to the home screen, you are constantly seeing a partially disintegrated angel that may or may not come back to life and attack you.
THAT is good horror that constantly messes with your head instead of giving you one quick rush. It’s the kind of horror that could only be achieved through this format. I’m happy to tell any horror enthusiast that they’ll be pleased with the way this game is constructed.
Still, A Long Way To Go
This review is shorter than my other reviews because Doctor Who: The Lonely Assassins is effectively around 2-3 hours long. I can’t go into too many details without spoiling the experience. However, as of right now I can say that Kaigan Games has managed to work with the Doctor Who mythos pretty well.
I thought that they would flub the experience somehow. However, they pleasantly surprised me with a thrilling experience that had some incredibly high production values (though to be fair, that could be attributed to BBC’s budget). The voice acting (and acting in general) was keeping me immersed at every turn. So, that’s something worth commending. Really, good job Kaigan Games!
Unfortunately, the snags that are in this game are pretty much noticeable. This game is great for Doctor Who fans but I don’t think it’ll be great for non-Doctor fans because of how many references they’ll miss. Do I think it’s a good entry point? Well, it got me curious about the 13th Doctor, so I’ll leave that up to you to decide.
The puzzles are somewhat easy if you have a pen and paper to write notes on. Of course, the length of the game is short and since the game purely focuses on the story beats, there isn’t much substance to some chats or e-mails. But, honestly, who cares? The game is still fun on its own and I think its price is fairly cheap. So, get it!
What did you think about our Doctor Who: The Lonely Assassins review? Are you going to get this game on Steam or Google Play Store? Which Doctor is your favorite? Tell us your thoughts in the comments section below. Allons-y!
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