Weeping Doll

Just like publisher Oasis Games’ Pixel Gear before it, Weeping Doll is a dull VR experience with very little to offer anyone, even people that have had a PS VR for two weeks. Its promising premise is wasted on delivery, its mechanics are simple to the point of redundancy, and its presentation leaves a lot to be desired. If you’re in the mood to be chilled by VR this Halloween, there are plenty of better options out there.

Weeping Doll is also a very short game with the story being able to be completed in under an hour. Weeping Doll is offered at a low price of $13.49, but I feel like this game should have been released a tech demo. Going into Weeping Doll I was hoping to experience a horror game in the glory that is VR. Sadly, Weeping Doll didn’t deliver much of anything, except a simple puzzle solving game that feels undercooked.

Everything in Weeping Doll just seems pandering to the horror crowd for a quick buck, but it’s not even terrifying; the only thing scary is how disappointingly mediocre this experience is. Ultimately I was disappointed, and even the most interested players should think twice before giving Weeping Doll any time.

Even with exploring every nook and cranny of the house, plus unlocking every trophy it has to offer (no platinum, by the way), Weeping Doll still clocks in at well south of an hour long. Honestly though, maybe brevity is the game’s greatest feature.

The confusing set pieces, empty story, and rough dialogue will distract you from enjoying the experience. Unfortunately, Weeping Doll does better at scaring you away than it does at pulling you in. Some might find it a bit unsettling and atmospheric, but that won’t make it any better to play, necessarily.

All in all Weeping Doll is a very short but admittedly fairly enjoyable experience that is unfortunately all-too reminiscent of a lot of VR fare out there at the moment. By that I mean it’s overpriced for how long it lasts and there isn’t enough substance there to make it a memorable experience, but if you’re in a bind after some light puzzle-solving with some horror overtones then you might be able to extract a bit of joy out of Weeping Doll.

Instead of providing a frightening journey, players are greeted with mind-numbing puzzles which only serve to block progression when a player forgets to check certain items. After working through a few frustrating moments, there’s a sudden conclusion to the story and nothing else. This game seems practically like a demo rather than a product available for purchase on the PS Store. Horror-curious PSVR owners will unfortunately need to keep waiting for their next dose of terror.

At one point in the game had me chase a little girl, and when I got to the room she was hiding in, I was greeted with picture’s of the game’s staff and their names on the wall, along with a trophy saying I had completed the game. The game doesn’t end, so much as just stops when it feels like it. I’ve decided that if the developers get to stop their game then I get to just stop my review.

Weeping Doll is poorly acted, which clashes with the atmosphere, has 'baby's first puzzles' and is "completed" in less than 30 minutes. A working control scheme that won't cause motion sickness and below average visuals are the only saving graces. The story is told clumsily, mostly through narration, and there is no lose state, so there never is any real tension. No tears will be shed for Weeping Doll.

Weeping Doll's one of those games where you can see the intentions of the developer, but the end product just isn't very good. The muddled mismatch of time periods could be forgiven if the writing wasn't so woeful and the voice acting so unintentionally amusing. There's the nugget of a good idea here, but like an action figure with its appendages in the wrong places, it's been sloppily assembled.

The sad thing about Weeping Doll is that the concept could have generated some excellen VR games. Taking tales from across Asia and adapting them in to spooky VR experiences, a virtual reality version of Ringu, for example, would be brilliant. However, the execution for Weeping Doll is poor, from the laughable dialogue to the puzzles which can be solved in a matter of seconds.

With the promise of far better PSVR horror titles on the horizon, not to mention the superior Here They Lie being available right now, the only thing that will be weeping will be you if you buy this subpar, scare-free effort.

Weeping Doll est pétri de bonnes intentions avec son ambiance délicieusement pesante, son scénario de base intéressant et ses énigmes "à la Resident Evil", mais malheureusement, ces bonnes idées ne peuvent pas s'épanouir, enfermées dans un titre qui manque d'ambition et d'envergure. Elles finissent par étouffer au bout de 40 minutes, le temps qu'il faut pour terminer le jeu.

Om det inte vore för Perfect Woman hade Weeping Dolls stått sig som det sämsta spelet jag har haft missnöjet att få recensera i år. Det lyckas inte med något som det försöker göra, annat än att förhindra illamående. Berättelsen, som är rent nonsens, griper aldrig tag, pusseldesignen är bristande i både kvantitet och kvalitet, atmosfären är snudd på icke-existerande och det lyckas aldrig vara så mycket som lite obehagligt.