Initial release date: October 2024
Platforms: PlayStation 5, Microsoft Windows, Xbox Series X and Series S
Genres: Indie game, Adventure game, Puzzle, Action game, Adventure
Developers: Eneida Games SA, Cat-astrophe Games
Publishers: Eneida Games SA, Untold Tales
Series: Don’t Be Afraid
You’ll be hard pressed to find a horror title that handles riddles as well as Don’t Be Afraid 2. While it can be unsettling at times, there are some extremely well-organized rooms with different methods to discover keys, scour documents, and locate missing things that lead you from one area to the next. While it requires a meticulous approach to setting the tone and creating terror, you can never rest since you never know what will happen next.
Keeping your cool while trying to solve multilayer riddles is something you must get used to. Don’t Be Afraid 2 challenges you to escape various rooms in a house by finding answers everywhere. You play David, a youngster who was tortured by two psychopaths for participating in their cruel games and is now attempting to live a life haunted by those horrible memories. He sees his therapist, takes his medication, and tries to forget. Unfortunately, the horror is not over.
While you’re often enveloped in darkness, the visuals are stunning. Each scary doll and blood splatter fills you with fear. Rooms are densely packed with various household objects as well as disturbing paraphernalia, and while you try to figure out what is going on, you must also use your brain to solve multiple environmental and symbolic puzzles, hunt down safe codes, locate key items, and get the hell out of there.
Sometimes you’ll have trouble finding the appropriate clue or missing component of the puzzle. I repeatedly missed that one essential paper that had a clue that started off a chain reaction that led to the door being unlocked. Every room should be completely investigated, including every drawer, under every painting, scanning every document, and looking behind nightstands and dark corners. I was surprised by how the developers created tension with such a slow approach to terror.
Even when you believe you’re safe, there are ways to destroy all of your hard work by failing to complete simple chores. This was my most frustrating experience, but I only made the error once. You must keep your torch charged by finding and inserting batteries when they are nearly dead, or you will be plunged into darkness. If this happens, you will be attacked by an unknown entity and taken back to the beginning, which means that every puzzle you have solved will be reset and you will have to start over.
While it is extremely aggravating, there are signals that your torch is running low, such as when the light begins to flicker and decrease. You can be assaulted in several methods, but paying attention to each chamber and knowing what needs to be done will help you avoid death. Don’t Be Afraid 2 rewards hard work, but it can also punish you if you lose focus. Once you’ve worked your way through the many rooms and solved these beautifully created puzzles, there’s a big sense of accomplishment, especially as you approach the exit.
Don’t Be Afraid 2 presents you with a massive task that will reward all of your hard work. The riddles are cleverly structured, with practically everything in the chamber serving as a route of escape. After a slow start, you begin to find your groove and it becomes less of a burden to search every room with a fine-tooth comb, with some beautiful sights despite spending a lot of time in gloomy and filthy environments. If you’re looking for a unique horror title that tells a genuinely uncomfortable story, this is the one for you.
Review Overview
Gameplay: 83%
Controls: 80%
Aesthetics: 88%
Content: 81%
Accessibility: 76%
Value: 82%
Overall: 82%
A DARK AND INTENSE THRILL RIDE!
Summary:
“Don’t Be Afraid 2” transports players to a strange realm of psychological horror, testing the limits of terror with frightening atmosphere and riveting narrative twists. The gameplay strikes a mix between puzzle-solving and nerve-racking stealth moments, keeping the suspense high without overwhelming players. Controls are simple, yet some interactions may feel slow in critical moments. The visuals are hauntingly realistic, immersing players in surroundings rich with frightening textures and shadows that heighten the suspense. For horror fans, “Don’t Be Afraid 2” is a gripping, spine-tingling experience that doesn’t shy away from addressing dark subjects.