Dollhouse: Behind the Broken Mirror Review – Resident Evil at Home

Horror narratives, whether in movies, TV shows, books, or video games, are usually most effective when they concentrate on a few key ideas to construct their stories. Top-tier productions often delve deeply into these themes, employing recurring symbols that always link back to the main storyline. For instance, “Silent Hill 2” examines guilt, while even a series as comical as “Resident Evil” incorporates family themes in its more recent installments. The primary theme of “Dollhouse: Behind the Broken Mirror” centers around facing the repercussions of one’s ancestors’ sins.

Dollhouse: Beyond the Shattered Glass” immerses you into the life of renowned singer Eliza de Moor. The narrative primarily focuses on Eliza delving into her past to regain her identity. The plot is straightforward; during a concert, Eliza unexpectedly faints. Upon awakening, she discovers that she has lost all recollection of her past and is under the care of Dr. Stern, who claims a close relationship with the de Moor family. In the initial stages of the game, Eliza and Dr. Stern agree to try an innovative treatment, which he assures will be unusually eerie.

“The horror is ramped up very quickly once you actually reach Ravenhill”

In the charming town of Ravenhill, known for its once-thriving doll-making industry, the story “Dollhouse: Behind the Broken Mirror” unfolds. As you venture closer to the de Moor family mansion, ominously referred to as the Dollhouse by locals, the tension escalates rapidly. Notably, there are no characters to interact with during your exploration of Ravenhill. Instead, the narrative is mostly conveyed through intense hallucinations or scattered notes found throughout the town and the Dollhouse. Surprisingly, Dr. Stern, who should be accompanying you on this journey, keeps his distance to ensure the “therapy” is effective.

As a captivated admirer, I’d say that Dollhouse: Behind the Broken Mirror skillfully crafts an engaging ambiance. Being solitary, the feeling of loneliness is palpable yet somehow comforting. Remarkably, even though Ravenhill appears deserted, the game manages to instill a glimmer of optimism that there could be salvation waiting just around the bend. The clever application of lighting, with hanging lanterns and candles, consistently leaves you with the notion that “perhaps this house is secure and I’ll find someone to communicate with.

Via Ravenhill, the game unfolds an engaging tale about the demise of a small town. The narrative is mostly conveyed through environmental storytelling, such as observing some houses in chaos while others remain surprisingly neat, which gives you a good sense of the events that transpired when the dolls eventually rebelled against their creators. In the end, your task becomes defeating these rebellious dolls.

In the game Dollhouse: Behind the Broken Mirror, much of the gameplay resembles that found in Resident Evil 7. Primarily, you’ll be traversing intricate settings while carefully searching for hints and objects to help you progress. During your journey, you’ll encounter challenging riddles that need to be deciphered, such as determining the correct order in which to shoot certain statues. Occasionally, you’ll need to rely on your weapon’s destructive capabilities to fend off homicidal dolls attempting to attack you.

This puzzle setup isn’t exceptionally intricate. You won’t encounter mind-boggling riddles that lead you on a lengthy search for solutions. Instead, most of the puzzles are quite clear and self-contained within specific locations. For instance, if you come across a lock needing a combination of numbers, you likely won’t have to travel far to find the clue providing the answer. The example I gave earlier with the statue shooting also stays within the same small area.

“Through Ravenhill, the game is able to tell an interesting story of the downfall of a small town”

Beyond battling mindless foes using scant resources, you’ll encounter puzzles that are cryptic yet simple, along with a rudimentary crafting system to help you gather more ammunition. The artificial intelligence of the enemies is such that fighting against dolls feels reminiscent of playing the Resident Evil HD Remake, complete with modern controls allowing for easy movement around enemies without engaging them directly. The health and inventory systems’ interfaces seem as if they could have originated from early drafts of a Resident Evil game.

In the game Dollhouse: Behind the Broken Mirror, combats are not frequent, but when they occur, the game seems less enjoyable due to them. The combat feels awkward because of repetitive enemies and a painfully slow movement speed, and the abundant ammo obtained from early stages reduces the tension that one would typically experience in a horror game centered around combat. The suspense created by the eerie environments and narrative gets destroyed as soon as combat is initiated, making the overall game experience weaker. It could have been stronger if it had either omitted the combat system or significantly improved it.

In the thriller “Dollhouse: Behind the Broken Mirror”, mirrors play a crucial role in introducing surprising developments. At various points, you’ll encounter mirrors that allow entry into alternate versions of the surrounding area. These variations can range from glimpses of the past to more dreamlike experiences. The mirrors serve as a means of progression, frequently signifying important narrative milestones. Regrettably, these mirrors are merely occasional events and do not offer additional exploratory paths or deeper insights into the plot. Instead, they generally adhere to a linear storyline without deviations.

The eerie settings and narrative in the game gradually create a tense atmosphere, but that atmosphere is often destroyed as soon as you’re required to enter combat.

The visual appeal of the game, Dollhouse: Behind the Broken Mirror, seems to falter significantly. Although I strongly believe that a game’s artistic direction matters more than its raw graphical detail for looking good,

The game’s dense ambiance primarily owes its realistic landing to the strategic application of lighting and the intrinsic eeriness of dolls modeled after humans. The lighting, in particular, is doing most of the work, significantly contributing to the creation of any dread that might stem from unexpectedly rounding a corner.

As a gamer diving into “Dollhouse: Behind the Broken Mirror”, I must confess my expectations were higher. The narrative intrigue and chilling doll figures, while captivating, feel underutilized, serving more as decorative elements than integral parts of the gameplay. Despite some spooky moments, courtesy of the game’s impressive lighting, the repetitive nature of its clumsy combat system, ill-conceived adversaries, and painfully slow movement speed transform the gaming experience into something quite tedious.

This game was reviewed on PC.

2025-03-28 21:11

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