Unseen
Jen's Review
Unseen is another one of those hidden gems that deserves a little more attention.
At the time I played it, the game had been out for more than nine months and still had fewer than 100 reviews. Usually, that doesn't inspire a lot of confidence, but every now and then you stumble across a game that quietly flies under the radar—and I think Unseen fits into that category.
In Unseen, you play as John, a forensic photographer who, after an exhausting shift, is forced to spend the night away from home. What starts out as a place to get some much-needed rest quickly turns into something far more unsettling.
Now, I do want to set expectations. This isn't a game that's going to compete with horror giants like Visage, MADiSON, or Ramona. Those games are in a league of their own. But that doesn't mean Unseen isn't worth your time.
I had a genuinely good time with it.
The atmosphere does a solid job of creating tension, there are a few memorable scares throughout, and the story kept me interested enough to see it through to the end. It may not reinvent the horror genre, but it accomplishes exactly what it sets out to do.
The game also doesn't overstay its welcome. My playthrough came in at a little over an hour, which felt like the perfect length. It tells its story, delivers a few good scares, and wraps things up before it starts to drag.
Overall, Unseen lands comfortably in that middle ground for me. It's not the best horror game I've ever played, but it's certainly far from the worst. It's a well-priced indie horror experience that's entertaining, creepy enough to keep you engaged, and absolutely worth checking out if you're looking for a solid game to fill an evening.
It may never become one of the genre's biggest names, but it's definitely not headed for the trash pile either.
Kayla's Review
In Unseen, you play as John, a photographer...a forensic photographer specifically, who is staying the night away from home after work. John believes the getaway will be the perfect opportunity to relax and catch up on much needed sleep, but that's not exactly what he gets here.
Now... Unseen isn't exactly a game I'd write home about. But don't underestimate it, either.
This one sat on my Steam wishlist for over four months. (My wishlist is basically where games go to wait patiently while I continue doom-scrolling Steam for more games I'll also probably forget about for a while.) It didn't have a ton of reviews at the time, some of the ones it did have weren't exactly glowing, and honestly, the trailer didn't give away much. The screenshots weren't particularly convincing either.
Still, something about it kept me interested enough to eventually give it a shot and I'm glad I did.
What surprised me most was just how well the developer built tension. The environment and sound design do almost all of the heavy lifting here, and they do it incredibly well. I spent the entire game feeling like something horrible was about to happen every couple of seconds. Not because the game constantly throws jump scares at you, because it really doesn't...but because it convinces your brain that it could at any moment.
That's honestly one of my favorite kinds of horror. The fear comes from anticipation instead of constant cheap scares, and Unseen understands that balance surprisingly well. Every space had me questioning whether I actually wanted to keep going, and every little sound had me second guessing what was around the corner.
It's been a little while since I played this one, but if I'm remembering correctly, I didn't run into any technical issues. No crashes, no bugs, and overall the gameplay felt smooth from beginning to end.
The story itself is fairly simple, but I don't really think it needed to be anything more. This isn't a game that's trying to deliver some massive, emotional narrative. It's trying to create an unsettling experience for an hour and a half or so, and I think it succeeds.
I finished it in roughly an hour and a half, and that's with me having fun with chat on stream. It's a short, straightforward indie horror, and honestly, I think that works in its favor. Had it stretched itself into a three or four hour game, I don't think it would've had the same impact.
Sometimes less really is more. At the end of the day, Unseen isn't going to be a 10/10 masterpiece that I'll be recommending every chance I get. But...
If you're looking for a budget-friendly indie horror game that absolutely nails atmospheric tension, it's well worth checking out. The graphics are solid, the sound design does a fantastic job keeping you on edge, the gameplay is smooth, the jump scares are used sparingly but effectively, and it's a quick experience that was honestly a good time.
It's been long enough since I played it that writing this review kind of makes me want to go back and play it again. I remember really enjoying it, I just wish I remembered more of the little details. Maybe that's my sign that it's time for another playthrough.
Either way, I'd definitely recommend giving this one a shot.
