Recall: Empty Wishes is a narrative horror title from Puff Hook Studio. This is their first fully-fledged effort and, whilst it hasn’t quite resonated with me, there is an interesting story here and attempt to tell that story in an absorbing way. Unfortunately, it’s a very linear experience with simplistic gameplay.
The story centres around the disappearance of Tommy Lin, a bright student whose vanishing act appears very out of character. As his sister Yonny, you are tasked with uncovering the mystery whilst digging up more family strife along the way. The game does this by focusing around dreams and memories that Yonny can access due to a toy phone receiver.
By focusing on the past, you get a lot of context for how the family has ended up in this situation. It’s emotionally charged with some cultural aspects being very specific to Asia. It’s interesting to learn about the family, their friends and watching it unravel is effective. Whilst it proclaims itself as a psychological thriller, I don’t find a lot of suspense from it.
I did find the ending effective. The glances into the home life and backstory of the family really helps flesh them out. Having school life also shown in parallel shows how tricky it’s been to navigate adolescence whilst the obvious domestic trauma is manifested well. Martha’s story shows this particularly with her clearly struggling with grief. It led to a poignant ending which, whilst not entirely happy, does offer a ray of hope and a possible turn of fortune.
Gameplay is very simplistic. Time is mostly spent exploring rooms, picking up key items and solving the occasional puzzle. Points are interest are easily highlighted, either to allow further investigation or strike up a conversation. The inventory is never cluttered and each section appears to focus on one singular objective. The puzzles are incredibly easy. Solutions are typically nearby or pointed out in obvious ways.
As such, it’s a game with very little stress. Whilst it does try to sneak into horror territory, it doesn’t have the adversity or pressure to really evoke it. Late on, there is a stealth section that also fails to bring in a sense of dread. It’s easy to navigate around and can also be waited out. I’ve no idea what the failure state looks like because I was never caught. On the plus side, these moments don’t drag on or damage the pacing.
Using the receiver allows for some switching between memories. The Hallway of Empty Wishes provides a hub area that you ultimately progress through. Make no mistake, it’s a very linear game but it’s a nice means to show your progression through the story. Telephone booths offer you the means to switch between these glimpses of the past. In the closing stages, this is used to find puzzle solutions, although it never feels too complex.
The presentation reminds me a lot of The Coma and Detention. Both feature stories from this part of the world with protagonists of school age. All of them take on a 2D perspective. Aesthetically, Recall: Empty Wishes is aiming for a more pixelated look but it’s clear that in setting, they’ve taken big inspiration from these titles. Naturally, that invites a lot of direct comparisons and I don’t think that’s always for the better. The dream aspect allows for some surrealism and occult elements. It never truly breaks into the abstract, maintaining locations across both realities.
The scenes can be quite detailed and easy enough to understand as you move through them. There’s a good use of colour, although the later environments show a fair amount of decay and darkness. The settings do provide a bit of variety with things becoming more twisted as the game reaches its conclusion. I do find the pixel art to be a little worn out, sadly. The bi heads set against a fairly grim backdrop can be off-putting.
The featured character portraits are more expressive than the stylised pixel art. It’s quite a stark contrast, although I don’t mind it. It adds emotion to characters that otherwise feel fairly static. The soundtrack is very sombre and piano-led. It’s sparsely littered throughout the game, making things, on the whole feel quiet.
Recall: Empty Wishes is a game you’d probably be better off doing in a single session. At most, it’s a four hour game and I felt like I got what I needed from a solitary playthrough. For any trophies that are missed, you can replay previous chapters. There are multiple endings so a quick revisit can be worth it.
There’s a good story within Recall: Empty Wishes, although it’s told in a way that feels too familiar now. It’s a game very close to its inspiration and that can make it hard to recommend. The gameplay is very simplistic with very little strife to block your path. The visuals are varied but the big-headed character sprites can be jarring when set against a realistic backdrop. It’s well-paced but it’s just not something that’s going to linger with me.
+ Decently detailed pixel art.
+ Solidly paced.
+ Dialling into other memories is a nice idea that can be well executed.
- Despite the darker tone, it has very little threat or suspense.
- Invites some very immediate comparisons to two better games.
- Sound is sparingly used, leading to a game with a lack of atmosphere.