Assalamualaikum and hello to everyone! I'm Wan Mohd Amsyar, a digital game student from Sultan Idris Education University (UPSI). I'm writing here to share my review of the game Araya.
Before we started, let me share with you the background of Araya's video game
Araya is a first-person psychological horror game developed and published by MAD Virtual Reality Studio. The game takes place in an abandoned haunted Thai hospital, where players take on the role of three different characters as they discover the dark secrets surrounding the hospital
The story of Araya revolves around the investigation into the mysterious death of a young woman named Araya. Combining supernatural horror with psychological suspense, it immerses players in a chilling atmosphere.
GAME REVIEW
I will review this game using five constructs of usability, which is efficiency, affect, controllability, helpfulness and learnability.
Araya offers a relatively efficient gameplay experience.
The controls are generally responsive, allowing players to navigate the game
world and interact with objects without significant delays. The game's pacing
keeps players engaged, with a good balance between exploration, puzzle-solving,
and storytelling. However, at times, certain puzzles or objectives might
require more guidance or clearer instructions to enhance efficiency. Araya excels in creating a compelling affective experience. The game's graphics are visually stunning, with detailed environments that immerse players in a chilling atmosphere. The sound design, including eerie background music and well-executed sound effects, enhances the suspense and tension. The narrative-driven storytelling effectively builds up suspense and engages players emotionally, making them invested in the outcome of the game.
Overall, Araya provides solid controllability. The controls are generally intuitive, allowing players to navigate the environments smoothly. The first-person perspective enhances immersion, and the basic actions such as walking, interacting with objects, and examining the surroundings are straightforward. However, there might be occasional moments where finer control or more precise movements could improve the overall controllability.
Araya offers moderate helpfulness in terms of providing assistance and guidance to players. The game does provide hints and contextual prompts when needed, guiding players towards their objectives. However, in certain instances, the hints might be too subtle, leading to moments of confusion or frustration. A more robust tutorial system or clearer in-game instructions could enhance the overall helpfulness and improve the player experience.Araya presents a reasonably good level of learnability. The game introduces its mechanics and puzzles gradually, allowing players to learn and adapt as they progress. The core gameplay concepts are relatively straightforward, enabling players to grasp them without much difficulty. However, some puzzles might benefit from more explicit instructions or additional clues to enhance the learnability and prevent potential moments of confusion or trial-and-error.
Overall, Araya offers an engaging and atmospheric horror experience. Its strengths lie in its affective impact, with stunning visuals, sound design, and immersive storytelling. While the game generally provides efficient gameplay and solid controllability, some areas, such as clearer instructions and more explicit hints, could be improved to enhance the overall usability and user experience. Araya's learnability is decent, but certain puzzles would benefit from additional guidance. With these refinements, Araya has the potential to offer an even more enjoyable and user-friendly gameplay experience.
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