Cubick: Nathael

Barcelona, and Spain more generally, has a thriving horror scene, but we were mostly avoiding them on this trip. However, we made an exception for Nathael – I’m not going to miss the chance to play a TERPECA-winning game.

I never did work out who the Nathael of the title was, but this is a classic horror setup, full on, a dark and ominous house full of frights. As with many Spanish games, plan for a cold start, straight into the game with no introduction or briefing.

How scary a game is is deeply subjective, and also depends to a considerable degree on how players choose to respond to the experience. But Nathael skilfully builds atmosphere, finds ways to keep you off balance, and manages to instil a sense of dread for what might be lurking down that corridor. However, although they were executed to a high standard, for me the scares were the less interesting part of the game. What I really liked about it were, firstly, the macabre and original task sequences, so much more inventive and memorable than simply finding some padlock codes. And these are punctuated by increasingly impressive set pieces, all set in an exquisitely creepy environment. Technical tricks starting from audio and lighting but extending far beyond keep you disoriented and startled, and at points verge on the genuinely supernatural.

A feature common to both games that we played at Cubick was that our host very frequently chipped in with comments and suggestions. However, that wasn’t the dreaded ‘over-hinting’ – the interaction is in-character and part of the game, done in a way that added to the atmosphere instead of interrupting it. It was only after the game ended that I realised just how much our host must have been doing to operate the game – it would have taken some truly virtuoso multitasking.

Two minor drawbacks for me: one loud audio effect continued to the point where it was damaging immersion instead of contributing to it (though no doubt we could have solved that step faster); and one puzzle near the end was language-specific, such that without any Spanish speakers in our group I don’t think we could have got past it without the host more or less telling us the answer outright.

Horror games aren’t for everyone, and this is unmistakably a fear experience. But it’s also superbly delivered, distinctive in ways that for spoiler reasons I’ve barely alluded to here. It may shred your nerves, but if that doesn’t completely put you off, it’ll be worth it.