As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases
I recently decided to grab this interesting little horror title, because it was less than $2 and thought it would be fun. Well, what I got was not exactly what I thought it would be. Let’s go ahead and get into this Wire Lips review.
Story
“Leta’s life changed in one short moment when fate lead her to a mysterious artifact. Leta went for a walk in the mountains near her hometown with her friend Lina. They were taking photos of nature when they stumbled upon an old music box. Lina decided to take the strange item home: nobody needs it anyway, right?
Soon she went missing leaving behind only a photo and the ominous music box. Leta has to uncover the horrifying mysteries of the ancient artifact…”
Source: Steam
A lot of the story is left to the player to interpret what they think is happening. I can’t say I really share in the theories that people have posted elsewhere. Some of them make sense, but I struggled to keep up with the two and a half playthroughs it took to get the platinum trophy. A lot of what we learn is at the very end of the game when someone is going over a crime report. There’s some gang capturing young girls and who knows what exactly they do to them.
Personally, I really would have preferred if there had been documents laying about or something indicating parts of the story throughout the chapters. Some people claim that the game is almost like a dream, and Leta has already been kidnapped, so we’re playing as her as she’s escaping her reality. Basically, it’s full of symbolism.
I don’t believe that, but maybe I also take the game at face value. However, after games like The Suicide of Rachel Foster, which blended psychological horror and storytelling in a very deep and amazing way, well, it left a lot to be desired.
Gameplay
You’ll be exploring the apartment, and another location, doing very minimal puzzle solving a couple times. It’s very simple and easy going, for the most part. There were a couple times I did feel slightly stuck, but it didn’t last very long. The biggest gist is just finding the right objects to interact with or room to venture into.
Music
The music in this game is alright, but it’s nothing that is memorable to me. Actually, parts of the game have no music whatsoever, which does help build up some atmosphere.
Graphics
To be honest, this isn’t a game you should play for graphics. It’s very mediocre, rivaling that of what you’d see in a late PS2 or early PS3 game. However, it is an indie title so it can be overlooked and I’ve always believed while graphics are important, they don’t necessarily make or break a game.
Controls
These are pretty simple. You walk everywhere with the left analog stick, and interact with objects using the X button. During puzzles you’ll also use the right analog stick to turn objects a certain direction. You cannot run nor toggle the flashlight off or on. The right analog stick controls the camera. The options button acts as a pause, but it’s basically a quick menu for camera sensitivity and sound.
Replayability
Honestly, after a playthrough or two, this isn’t something to revisit. Maybe, just maybe, 5-10 years later when you forgot all of it, but I would call even that a stretch.
Score
Story: 5/10
Gameplay: 6/10
Music: 5/10
Graphics: 6/10
Controls: 6/10
Replayability: 2/10
Overall:
Final Words
Although the score might be right in the middle, I’ll at least say that the game isn’t bad for the price, and it’s worth at least playing once. That’s better than what I said for Frightence, so it has that going for it. The graphics and art style grew on me, but the gameplay becomes a bit boring after playing it as much as I did.
If you have $2-3 to blow and want an okay horror game to play that won’t last but an hour, then maybe consider this one.
Leave a Reply