Claire is a 2D horror indie adventure game produced by Hailstorm Games that explores a basic but also unique pixelated world with a range of elements for players to discover. Originally released in 2014 for Windows Claire was extended to PlayStation 4, PS Vita and Xbox One with an extended edition which featured the same core gameplay albeit a number of notable enhancements.
Your adventure in Claire is one where you feel alone, lost and hunted by the world and those within the world that is overcome with darkness and shadow. Despite the threats Claire has two important tools she can call upon to assist her ultimate quest to finder her comatose mother in the darkness. These two tools are her trusty flashlight to help pierce the veil of shadow as you explore and her dog who helps Claire to conquer her fears and continue through the adventure even when the darkness is endless before her.
While your quest is a personal one to find your mother this is not the only lost NPC you will encounter which turns Claire into the hero of many that are encountered along the way. Starting from a bedroom players will step out into the broader game world of Claire with your German shepherd Anubis closely following players across various game locations that hide their own story elements and puzzles.
These puzzles are central to your progress as Claire and pair with an evolving hospital that slowly becomes covered in blood as a central horror element. Second to this evolving environment is the dark creatures that now populate the hospital halls are are generally intended to be avoided or have the environment used against them. Similarly the puzzles you face have an environmental theme with players activating both obvious and hidden switches.
All the while players will be progressing towards their objective of finding their mother and learning more about the other poor souls that find themselves lost in the transformed hospital game location. Saving these other lost souls is part of your adventure though and with each rescue you’ll learn more about who Claire is and how she has found herself in your current state. These are optional with players not having to save everyone they encounter although this will impact which of the multiple game endings you will experience.
Other notable mechanics of Claire for players to consider include a panic mechanic that increases the environment around you based on your accumulated panic from things you have witnessed. To help clear panic induced fear players can use items from the environment which also encourages players to seek out every available item from the corners of the dark hospital setting. For those that want to extend their adventure further these items can also be carried after to a New Game+ mode where you’ll face increased difficulty.
Summary:
- Explore a dark atmosphere as you attempt to find your mother in the darkness.
- Encounter other lost visitors as you consider saving them or not which will impact your ultimate game ending.
- A full horror adventure with a number of environmental puzzles to solve.
- Counter the panic mechanic that turns your experiences into an increasingly darker setting.
- Originally for Windows with an extended edition for PlayStation and Xbox consoles.
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Review Platform: PC
