Conscript

When it comes to survival horror games in the indie scene there’s not a lot of them to talk about. Not to say they aren’t worth delving into. There’s been some great indie survival horror games as of recently! Crow Country has to be my favorite amongst survival horror indie titles. A somehow cozy experience that is tightly designed, well paced, has a world that isn’t a chore to run around in, and interesting narrative twists. Signalis by many is considered  to be the best amongst all its contemporaries. With great world building if you’re willing to take the time to read into it, story about the lengths you’ll go to for love, and lovecraftian horror that rivals greats like Bloodborne. Amnesia: The Bunker reinvented not just Amnesia but what survival horror can be. Blending in immersive-sim elements to create a horrifying experience driven by emergent gameplay, working against the clock, and can be played numerous times thanks to usage of procedural generation. I didn’t mention Tormented Souls, Hollowbody, and Lost in Vivo mainly because I haven’t played them. The three I’ve mentioned are probably the biggest survival horror titles in the indie scene, but last year we received another standout entry aside from the aforementioned Crow Country.

Conscript, a World War 1 survival horror game aiming to recapture the feeling and look of older survival horror titles mainly Resident Evil. Despite it having been in development before these two entries it’s basically what happens when you take the gameplay perspective of Signalis, and combine it with the World War 1 aesthetic of Amnesia: The Bunker. You get a game that despite wearing its influences on its sleeve is doing enough to stand out from the rest of the crowd. I can remember the playtest promotion for Conscript a few years ago when it was still a Kickstarter funded project. The game set high stakes for itself and people were amazed by the very little of it available to play. The game quickly gained the funding it needed and as development went on it grew more ambitious. At the time it was the first of its kind, but I don’t think anyone expected the surprise releases and success of two of the games I just mentioned, Amnesia: The Bunker and Signalis. One did the aesthetic and the other the perspective. Both set the bar high on how these kinds of games should be made, and I wouldn’t doubt if some skepticism arose as Conscript then slowly approached release. How would a game running for something specific to then be outrun by two surprise releases stack up? Would it still stand out for doing what it originally aimed for, or be criticized for what it doesn’t manage to do. Thankfully it was the first .

Conscript released and despite not having as massive an impact as the other two titles it was still considered a great game by its players. A brutally difficult indie survival horror game which used the horrors of war to make the audience feel unsettled rather than a big scary monster or imagery beyond your comprehension. It’s a game focused on how to break the player mentally rather than through scares. It’s an anti-war story supported by hopelessness and dread. What I believe are necessary aspects if you’re trying to tell stories similar to that of Conscript, or I wouldn’t doubt is one of the game’s biggest inspirations. Not another video game, but a movie. Have any of you readers seen All Quiet on The Western Front? There’s two film adaptations for it, and most likely Conscript took inspiration from the first adaptation. I’ve seen the recent 2022 adaptation, and in my opinion it’s a masterpiece. My second favorite war film behind 1917 as it does exactly what Conscript does to showcase the horrors of war. Being trapped in a hopeless setting knowing if you try to escape it you’ll be hung for treason. Forced to fight a bloody battle for countless days with no idea how you’ll go out. Knowing damn well the people on top who are fueling this war only see you as disposable pawns. Sacrifices to inch towards a goal.

That’s the feeling I got when I originally learned about Conscript. It felt like a combination of my two favorite war films, 1917 and All Quiet on The Western Front. A game with an oppressive atmosphere following a single man journey through no-man’s land. I kept Conscript on my radar, because I knew it had the potential to be a modern survival horror classic. Finally got around to playing the game and I can confirm that I was right, sorta. Conscript in terms of what it’s trying to do and say is a knock out of the park. With a strong aesthetic, look, and pretty well presented story that make recommending this game to people a bit easier. In terms of gameplay though I feel my thoughts are all over the place. On one hand it’s a confidently made survival horror title with all the elements that make these games fun and challenging to play. On the other hand the game can get really annoying due to certain design choices and being too unforgiving at times. I played this game on a PlayStation 5, and when I looked at the percent rate on how far a majority of players got, only 65% of them finished the first chapter. Cut to the second chapter and rate of players that managed to get through it was 25%. Just 15% of players beat the game.

Let me make it very clear right now that I do recommend Conscript if you’re a fan of survival horror games and want another good one. This is another good one, a very good one at times. I pray that this game doesn’t become forgotten in the next five years, because it manages to say & tell is powerful. However, I’m not lying when I say certain portions could be tweaked. This is a game that either clicks with you or will have you rage quitting by the midway point. Why is this? How can Conscript be both great and frustrating at the same time? Well let’s talk about it. Join me as I attempt to explain to you why Conscript is an outstanding albeit a bit flawed and frustraiting World War 1 horror game.

Story

The year is 1916 and the French army is struggling to hold in the Battle of Verdun. Thousands of lives have been lost and the death count goes higher by each day. The soldiers are not allowed to flee from battle otherwise it would be considered high treason. They aren’t allowed to draw back or to claim it was a loss. They are to stay there and fight. Die for the nation they live under. Die for the nation they serve under. Just numbers, resources for which higher ups in fancy offices can use as sacrifices. Appeasements to the god of war. Hoping that maybe by a small percent chance they can win this one. There is no god on the battlefield. No hope as far as the eye can see. Just death, destruction, and the question of why now of all times? Why be alive during the worst time in history? Why now? You follow one of numerous young men to fight in the Battle of Verdun, Andre. Serving alongside his older brother Pierre promising they would both come home to their single mother safely. They’re in the middle of what we call No-Man’s Land. Hell of earth.

Nothing but gunshots, screams, and explosions can be heard in the distance. The medical tents are full of insured combatants, and yet they’re being sent back out again into the fray. Andre is worried for his brother’s well being and when he goes to look for him he finds his brother injured heavily from the battle. Andre is given orders to fight with the next wave and tells his brother he will be back shortly. The fight is harsh and doesn’t go the way the commanders expected. Blood spilling everywhere and German soldiers overrunning the trenches. There is no other choice but the one they were told to avoid. They have to retreat. Andre luckily returns and rushes to where he laid his brother. Only to find his brother gone and a note saying injured soldiers have been reallocated. Worried his brother may have been taken by German forces, Andre ventures out on his own to find him. Only to be twatted in the face by a German mace and pulled to safety by a masked figure. Good thing the masked man was of the French, but Andre is now further away from his goal and stressing beyond belief. The objective is clear. Find Andre and pray that he is still alive. All the while fighting with what’s left of the French in a battle for nothingness.

Gameplay

If you’ve played a survival horror game before then you know what to expect of Conscript, but if you haven’t which I’m surprised by then allow me to give you the basics. In Conscript you’ll be navigating a multitude of areas. Pathways that loop back and all around with no idea what you’ll run into while venturing about. Always come armed for what’ll come. Get your guns ready, keep them loaded, and always be on the lookout for resources and more ammunition because supplies are sparse and you’re in the middle of a war. Ammo is constantly being used up and there's not enough to go around. Main resources you’ll loot are ammo and health kits, but occasionally you will pick up resources. Gunpowder, fabric, chemical fluid, etc. These resources can be used to craft the supplies you need, and examining resources gives you a description of what they can be made. More bullets, bandages, and other supplies you don’t come across naturally during your entire playthrough. Be wary that you can’t carry everything as your inventory space is limited. That’s why it’s good to make trips back to safe rooms where there’s an item box. A place for you to store items for later. Inventory space can be expanded through upgrades.

As you explore the trenches you’ll pick up cigarettes. This is your main currency and they can be used to purchase supplies from what is essentially the merchant. The gas mask fellow I brought up earlier. He carries crafting supplies, new weapons, and all sorts of equipment. You can even sell supplies you don’t need so you can gain cigarettes for resources you actually want. You can also spend gun parts on him. Another currency you come across as they’re used to strengthen the tools you have to fight back. Carefully consider what you want to upgrade as some guns will be used more than others and you can’t respec weapon upgrades. The number one items you want to be on the lookout for are puzzle items or keys. What you need to open certain doors and access areas there’s no other way to get to. Some keys can open multiple doors, and when you open all the doors a specific key can open it’s disposed of. Don’t know how Andre can keep note of what doors he can and cannot open within the game world without knowing, but who cares. I like this, it’s convenient and frees up inventory space. Explore, solve puzzles, and survive.

You will come across enemies while exploring and you have two choices. Run or fight. This is a survivalist driven game and not every battle needs to be fought. At times you can sneak by. Stay out of enemy sight, use hiding spots to vanish, and stab certain enemies in the back for one hit kills using the knife you obtain early on. If you are forced into a fight then prepare. There are two kinds of weapons in this game. Melee weapons which require you to charge an attack and swing, or guns which are what you expect. Guns are usually the better option as long range and high damage is great. However, they can be finicky to use with some guns requiring you to cock them before you can fire again. Melee weapons use stamina, and when stamina is depleted your character moves slower and has to wait a certain amount of time to swing again. Stamina is also used for running and dodge rolling. Melee weapons have durability, and break down the more you attack with them. Everything is a resource in Conscript where you consider what you can or cannot handle. Survive the trenches, do as you're told, and maybe you’ll make it out of this one.

Thoughts

Despite what I said during the intro, I believe Conscript is a game most hardcore survival horror fans will enjoy. The game for the most part is well made, exactly what you’d expect from what it advertises itself to be, and does what the best entries in this genre do. Be a work of art. Horror is not my favorite genre despite one of my all time favorite games, Bloodborne, technically being a horror game. However, I will admit it’s one of the most artistic genres out there for the numerous ways people have conveyed stories and messages using the medium. It is artistic horror which stands out not shock value horror or horror that is just there for scars and nothing else. There’s a reason why people still talk about the older Silent Hill games today despite poorly aged jank. I thoroughly believe Conscript is a work of art. Worth recommending for what it tries to say alone and due to no other game doing what it has done. I can recommend this game. That being said, I have a lot of issues with it. Conscript may be a passionate piece, but it doesn’t mean the game is immune to criticism. There’s a reason why less than twenty five percent of players have managed to beat the game. A reason why this game has a very positive score on Steam rather than all the overwhelming praise its rivals like Signalis and Crow Country sit with.

Which is surprising to see, because you’d think a game aimed for a specific audience would have a higher clear count. Plus the game has really good accessibility options. It may be cruel, but at least the developers had the decency to incorporate lower difficulty settings for those who just go in for the story and aesthetic alone. I was one of the few people who tried playing this on normal mode at first, labeled Soldier difficulty. Only to struggle ⅓ of the way in and restart the game to have an easier time. This does bring one of my many issues with the game, but not as major as some of the other points I’ll bring up. To change the difficulty setting in Conscript you have to start a new game. I can understand why they did this. Conscript gives the player a grade at the end for how efficiently they got through. How many saves they made or how long it took them to achieve one of the many endings. They want players to dedicate themselves to the difficulty they chose, because to change it midway through the game would drastically affect the grade they’d receive. It would kinda be like cheating. Imagine you were in a race, but halfway through you got tired and called a cab to drive you to the end. I respect the devs rewarding dedication, but as someone who doesn’t really care for end playthrough grading I wish they allowed you to switch difficulties midway in sacrificing the grade they’d get. I was four hours in, realized I could not change the difficulty, and had to redo all my progress to get back to the point I was currently at.

Conscript is punishing. It is one of the most brutally difficult survival horror games I’ve touched, and the first hours alone made me realize why it has such a low clear rate. Resources are scarce, enemies hit hard, the cramped trenches and tunnels mean you don’t have a lot of fighting space, and there are times when the game assumes you were prepared. This expectation you brought the right item to the right spot, or that there’s a mandatory combat section. I can see this being fun for those who are hardcore survival horror enthusiasts, and I’m not saying Conscript should be fun. I had an argument awhile back where not every video game needs to be fun, because if so it limits how a developer or artist can express themselves. Conscript wants me dreadful, and the developers achieved this goal. Creating an experience that can be a chore to play at times. It fits the story of the game very well which we’ll touch upon shortly, but at times the annoyances can be separated from the artistic vision and seen as hamperances. Stuff that makes you wonder if the game needed to be this way. The annoyances for me aren’t just the combat. I think the combat is servicables striking a balance between smooth but not too smooth.

Guns may be finicky to use, but their sound design is great and you can really feel the bullets as they pierce through enemy armor. Wasn’t a fan of melee weapons, but they force you to realize the charge time of a swing and where to position yourself as enemies swarm towards you. Enemy variety is plentiful enough to keep you on your toes and consider how to best handle a specific kind of foe. Stealth is an option. It’s a weird take on stealth, but it works and you can make the most out of it if you know how to. It’s functional combat and mechanics, but my problems come from the other aspects. The surrounding components of Conscript that make it a survival horror game rather than a top down military shooter. Most of it traces back to two factors: the inventory space and the amount of backtracking. Part of the reason why I restarted the game on the lowest difficulty is because of the amount of inventory space the player has. They start off with ten or so slots and upgrade it over time, but you quickly realize this inventory space fills up quite quickly and slot upgrades are the cost of a new gun. Combine this with puzzle items or keys that can take up one whole slot each and you get a game that expects you to know when you have the space for something you need when you don’t. As it’s a survival horror game and most likely you’ve been looting every resource you’ve been coming across. This hurts the design.

I remember reviewing Signalis two or so years ago and despite giving the game high praise one of the design choices that soured with me overtime was its restrictive inventory space. It not only affected how much you could bring and loot, but it also affected the puzzle design. Leading to lots of backtracking between safe rooms to store items, and narrowing down the tools I could bring. Conscript isn’t as bad because at least you can upgrade inventory space, and when you use a key on all the doors you need it for you to dispose of it. The game notifies you that you did everything you could, which is a bit immersion breaking as I don’t know how a WW1 soldier keeps track of all the doors but it is convenient.  This doesn’t make the inventory size great. Just like Signalis the developers may or may not have forgotten the tools survival horror players will carry on them at all times. One or two guns, ammunition for those guns, healing items, a melee weapon, a flashlight to navigate dark areas, and in the case of Conscript a gas mask to push through toxins. More than half your inventory space has been used leaving little room for any of the extra supplies you may stumble upon or those mandatory items needed to progres.

Bringing me onto the level design and backtracking. Conscript is a very detailed game. It aims for the look and feel of an original PlayStation title, and it shines in this compartment. Making the most out of the liminal details and pixels it has at its disposal. It’s a very nice looking game, but in an attempt to aim for a realistic retro recreation of the setting it sacrificed a few parts. The level design ranges from great to annoying, and this is another problem I have with the game. You are going to backtrack a lot in Conscript and it’s not the good kind of backtracking. It’s nice to open up pathways that loop back to earlier areas. A great sense of progression, but when I got to run up and down the same corridor again. With not much changing aside from new enemies spawning when you progress the story a little only for it to be enemy again once you kill them it becomes noticeable. Repetition transforms into botherance, and combining this with the limiting inventory space it leads to even more backtracking. This is the exact same problem I had with Signalis recreated again. Not to sound mean, but I’m surprised the developer didn’t play the games their rivals were making and wondering if they should avoid the same issues.

The game has six chapters which doesn’t sound like a lot, but around the last two it starts to drag out a bit. My run of Conscript took eight or nine hours to beat on one of the lower difficulties, twelve if you include the three hours on the first playthrough I gave up on. Twelve is the average amount of time for most players to beat this game without a guide, and honestly that just seems a bit too long. If they were to cut down the runtime by two to three hours then maybe Conscript wouldn’t feel as dragged out as it was. However, I do feel some of the annoyances are justified. Wavering us back into the part where we discuss how Conscript is a work of art. The story may be a bit simple and light in terms of presentation, but it is a very good story as it reminded me of my two most favorite war films, the 2022 adaption of All Quiet on The Western Front and 1917. The bigger inspiration being the first of the two, but I do want to explain why Conscript kind of reminded me of 1917. A film I have a lot of appreciation for and not just how it cinematically presents itself. Conscript is a game about having hope in a hopeless setting. Clinging onto the small essences of humanity a person has left when they have to sacrifice it to survive.

Andre’s journey is long, his goal constantly gets pushed back further, and both him and the high commanders throw him into life threatening danger. Everyone around Andre is either miserable or shell shocked from what is happening. Not just your French allies, but also German soldiers. As you play the game you come across German soldiers who are either too disturbed to keep on fighting, or struggle to maintain their wounds after you deal a lethal blow. You have the choice to kill them, and leaving them alive actually does nothing. Showing they’re just like you. Another person forced to fight a war they don’t want to be in. Wanting to go home to their families and friends. They’re people with thoughts and a past behind them, and you’re just killing them. All to reach your own personal goal, and this isn’t to say Andre is a bad person. What he’s doing is both justified and not justified at the same time, and this is what makes a good anti-war story in my opinion. Showing the true realities of war rather than make it another story where you follow a gun toting hero doing nothing wrong and placed on a pedestal for all he had just done. The worst kind of war story.

This is why Conscript reminds me a lot of both 1917 and All Quiet on The Western Front. They showcase the harsh realities of war. Whether that be through surrounding soldiers, atmosphere, or how everything is presented. It is a dense setting, but the 1917 comparison for me comes from Andre’s journey. Moving forward if it means losing his life. Hoping things will get better when most likely they won’t. Aiming towards this grand goal for it to get pulled away each step. There are a total of four endings in this game, and each one is powerful. I won’t spoil what happens, but I will say despite it not being what players hoped it’s a good conclusion. The annoyances are worth going through just to see how the game ends and what it tries to say. It is a great depiction of what World War 1 is and that’s why Conscript is such a work of art to me. I do recommend this game despite its shortcomings, and the different endings gives you a few reasons to play this game several times. In the end I am going to have to give Conscript an 8.5/10 for being pretty good.

8.5/10, Pretty Good