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Greyhill Incident – Abducted Edition is the perfect example of 90s conspiracy theories. During this decade, the talk of aliens and their unruly acts was writhe. Consequently, barely a day went by where you wouldn’t hear a story about an alleged sighting. Moreover, the TV was filled with sci-fi extravaganzas and Hollywood cashed in on the latest craze. However, does this interesting but often absurd theme resonate with modern gamers?
Developed by Aaron Roller and published by Perpetual-Europe, this is a sci-fi adventure title. What’s more, there are some stealth mechanics, story-driven objectives, and plenty of puzzles to solve. Accordingly, it attempts to squeeze plenty of action into its relatively short playtime. Moreover, its sinister environment and deliberate lighting enhance its horror credentials as well.
Greyhill Incident – Abducted Edition demands that you put on your tin foil hat!
Conspiracy theorists make me chuckle. No matter what you say, they believe their research is correct. Subsequently, they can’t see the wood for the trees. Thankfully, Greyhill Incident – Abducted Edition captures this idea in every layer of its gameplay. Additionally, it utilises the classic alien clichés while attempting to add depth and emotion to an otherwise sterile and straightforward agenda.
You play the part of Ryan Baker. This ex-professional baseball player has moved to the titular village of Greyhill to live peacefully with his son and their dog. However, Greyhill is no ordinary place! This tiny backwards community fears the government and the police. Moreover, they believe that secrets are being buried and that no one will believe them. Reports of missing animals, strange lights, and little “Grey Men” are all too familiar in this small village. Therefore, it is time to stand up for what you believe in.
The abduction was a step too far.
The action starts painfully slowly. With the usual reports of strange sightings, Ryan must help the locals with their problems. However, this was a big mistake. Upon helping the local nutcase, Ryan makes his way home. As he turns and makes it to the boundary fence, a stunning piece of cinematic kicks in. This brilliant scene sets you on your course and proves the potential that Greyhill Incident – Abducted Edition has.
Once the main body of the action begins, you focus on a hideous game of cat and mouse. Accordingly, you must explore the small but dank village while hiding from the “Greys”. With closets, cars, and beds to hide in or under, those pesky aliens won’t know what’s hit them. However, if you happen to get too close to your space-loving enemies, you have a baseball bat or revolver to take them down. More on that later.
Alongside the pesky aliens, you’ll endure a tough time exploring the village. Unfortunately, the developer hasn’t incorporated a map and the quests are vague, to say the least. On top of this, there is no marker system and finding your way can be tricky, especially when you are hiding from your alien foes.
Back to the weaponry.
In theory, being an ex-baseball player and having a baseball bat should be a match made in heaven. Yet, Ryan appears to have let his health slip, as he has the stamina of a 90-year-old man who has smoked 100 cigarettes a day. This was undeniably frustrating as both the combat and the running mechanic are intrinsically linked. Consequently, if you fail to floor each alien, you won’t have the stamina to out-sprint them.
Thankfully, the gun is somewhat more productive and useful. However, you have limited ammo and so it is a catch-22. Do you kill the beast in front of you, or run for your life? What’s more, every shot and flash of your wind up torch attracts more “Greys”. Therefore, you want to be as stealthy as humanly possible.
The quests are a poisoned chalice.
The short playtime is punctuated by some exciting quests and enjoyable moments. Moreover, when Greyhill Incident – Abducted Edition gets things right, it is a genuinely scary experience. But the lack of guidance and no map taint the gameplay throughout! Furthermore, the simple and repetitive gameplay loop should have been more in-depth and challenging.
I enjoyed the rudimentary puzzles, the odd sense of neighbourhood love, and the desire to explore each house to gather ammunition. Additionally, the fear of stumbling across an alien was torturous and uncomfortable. However, I cannot ignore the lack of focus for each story-driven mechanic. An adventure game requires a driving force that sadly was missing in Greyhill Incident – Abducted Edition. As such, you are often frustrated while begging for each segment to end.
Greyhill Incident – Abducted Edition is genuinely scary.
I have my complaints, but I adored the eerie setting and the brilliant jump scares. Wandering through overgrown cornfields or sneaking through houses got my heart racing. Moreover, seeing the alien beasts up close was a skin-tingling experience. The decision to plump for a first-person perspective was the right choice. This viewpoint enhances the spooky nature of the action while leaning into its horror roots. Alongside this, the use of a wind up flashlight was genius. The low lighting combined with the flicker of your torch made searching every location a gut-wrenching experience.
The audio does a great job of generating fear and suspense. Best played using headphones, you can hear every minor detail the developer has incorporated into the action. Whether it was the sound of the wind, the eerie noise from each alien, or the cracking of the corn, it was phenomenal. Alongside this, I cherished the acting even if it was occasionally “hammy”. The OTT nature worked well with the ostentatious plot and the excellent 90s madness.
Bloody UI!
I despised the UI! Moreover, the “combat” elements with each alien were not great at all. Effectively, if you ran into a “Grey”, you had to spam the bumper button and then run for your life. This was a little rudimentary for my liking and it could have been much more advanced to improve the action. However, the UI is unforgivable. Instead of mapping each item to a unique input, the developer chose the d-pad to move between items. This was horribly basic and was understandably disappointing.
Greyhill Incident – Abducted Edition is unfortunately very short. Even if you account for the lack of guidance and handholding, you can finish this in a matter of hours. Furthermore, other than completionists, there is little reason to return. Sadly, once you’ve played through the body of the game, you will enjoy no new surprises. Subsequently, this impacts both replay value and longevity.
Greyhill Incident – Abducted Edition is a mixed bag.
I loved the trip down memory lane as the absurd story and crazy people of Greyhill capture the 90s vibes perfectly. However, I can’t ignore the poor UI, the understated combat, and the lack of guidance. However, the atmosphere is incredible and there are genuinely scary moments. Furthermore, I enjoyed the acting, and the soundscape is brilliant, especially when wearing headphones. Accordingly, despite its issues, I recommend that you buy it here! Can you overcome the alien invasion? Grab your bat and a revolver and save the locals from the “Greys”.
