Nowadays, it’s hard to tell the difference between a game and a movie. Popular streaming platforms are flirting with interactive thrillers and thanks to the high-end consoles of today, it’s easy to mimic an interactive movie. Erica on PlayStation 4 handles things a bit differently. This isn’t a game, it’s a movie with gaming elements, resembling interactive thrillers such as the Bandersnatch episode in the Black Mirror franchise.
Enter Erica
Erica was first revealed to the world during Paris Games Week 2017, where I was lucky enough to see it in action behind closed doors. Months after the initial reveal, the game went dark completely until it got a surprise release a couple of weeks ago. When I first booted up the game, I was happy to see that the team kept the promise they made back at Paris Games Week, Erica isn’t your typical interactive thriller, it’s a high-end video production with gameplay elements to get you immersed in the thrilling story.
You play as Erica Mason, portrayed by Holly Earl, who is known for her roles in countless Britain series. As in many other interactive thrillers, Erica had a hard youth. Witnessing the death of her father at a young age, standing face to face with his killer certainly left its mark on the young girl. Things went completely wrong when an ex-colleague of her father got murdered the same way, years later. In order to keep her sanity, the police ordered her to move to the Delphi House, a safe haven for women with mental disorders, and the exact place her father used to work. From that moment on, the life of Erica will never be the same again. Depending on the people you meet and the choices you make, you’ll guide Erica to a new faith but be prepared for the unexpected.
Interact with the world around you
At its core, Erica is an interactive thriller pur sang, meaning you’ll often watch the scenes unfold instead of constantly interacting with the environment. There are a lot of off-hands segments but thanks to the stellar performance, those never get boring. Holly Earl really manages to portray her role, while other characters sadly don’t always reach those same heights. It’s a bit of a shame not all actors are as good as Holy Earl, since it can take you out of the immersion a bit, but globally, this is by far one of the better performed interactive thrillers on PlayStation 4. That being said, there are scenes where you can leave your mark as a player.
Using the DualShock 4 touchpad or your cellphone thanks to PlayLink, you can interact with the world around you. Don’t expect big things from this. Selecting the answers you want to give, unlocking doors, inspecting items … These are rather basic things to do but it does the trick. The game doesn’t want you to learn complex controls, it wants you to invest in the story and find out the truth by connecting the right dots. What’s most fun about it is that you are free to pick what you want. As a good interactive thriller, the outcome is never the same and the story adapts to the player, depending on the decisions that were made. It’s nothing extremely innovating but Erica handles the genre pretty well, offering a thrilling story and controls that work perfectly, most of the time.
Conclusion:
Erica is currently out on PlayStation 4 and for its lower price, it’s certainly worth giving a try if you like interactive thrillers. As said in the review, don’t expect a lot of actual gameplay here but if you’re looking for a thrilling story with some stellar performances, this is one of the best currently on the market.
