Intrusion (Demo) (Roblox)

Finding under-the-radar games on Roblox is pretty hard. The main page offers up the same games every single day, and most are derivative works that all copy off one another. For example, the “one-person-gets-picked-as-bad-guy-and-everyone-else-must-try-to-survive”, which seems to be a staple of the platform.

Somehow, my search took me to “Intrusion”, a demo for a forthcoming full-length game*.

The beginning finds you inside an elevator. You’re making your way to your apartment after an exhausting day at work. Unfortunately, you can’t just lay down and relax - you’ve got some work to do. You’re moving tomorrow, and must pack up your belongings in order to prepare for the move. But things don’t seem right. The lights to the apartment building go out midway through. It’s an easy fix, but still…why did they do that?

I'm a sucker for games with credit sequences.

Day two is moving day. You unpack boxes from a moving truck, and once again go to sleep. But this time, rudely awakened from your slumber. Wait, you’re in the bed of your own apartment building! And there seems to be something on the loose, willing to do whatever it takes to kill you.

I'm going to just get right to it: The demo is frustrating. Every time you die you have to start all over from the beginning. There is no “skip” option for the “boring” scenes before the monster arrives. The developers have stated this will be changed in the full version, but it’s more than a minor inconvenience in the meantime. It’s not like it takes all that long to replay it up to the first monster encounter - probably around 5 minutes. It's just the principle of it. It's redundant, it's boring, and it's highly unnecessary. The developers are aware of it and have changed the system for "A World Below", which is the title of the full game. But the introduction (which is a separate game and the focus of this review) still can't be skipped. Honestly, it’s one of those little things that can alienate would-be players, myself included.

I get that they're trying to prepare you for the game, and set up the story, but come on...there's got to be a better way. It could be as simple as skippable cutscenes. I just don't understand the need for something so frustrating to be a necessary learning mechanic.

I've had the pleasure of stacking every one of these boxes five times now.

This issue is magnified because you will more than likely die at least once. You are given no warning when the first monster attacks. One night, you go to sleep and then suddenly awake in a panic with “Get Out” being the only objective. I frantically paced in the room looking for clues. What was I even escaping? The room, or…before I could even piece it together, I was killed by a monster who had forced its way in. Tips for escaping the creature that killed you are given on the death screen, which is eerily similar to “Doors”, on down to the design. But in order to put those tips to use, you must trudge through the introductory sequence again. And, in my case, continue to die over and over. (For the record, you have to make it to the elevator you started in at the beginning of the game.)

The graphics are actually pretty solid, and that’s with my graphics settings only halfway up. (My laptop is clearly not a gaming computer, and would lag horribly if increased). I would highly doubt it would run well on mobile devices, but I haven’t tested this theory. The atmosphere is also fairly creepy, thanks to its use of “liminal space”. Having a multi-floor apartment building as the main setting is a smart choice, as the lack of other characters gives it that eerie, abandoned vibe. Why is no one else alarmed when the lights go out? Hell, where is everybody?

I guess I’m probably not the most reliable critic to review this game. I still haven’t beaten it, and this is just a short introduction. But at the same time, it’s still enough to understand what the game is going for. I’m actually hugely disappointed in the “Doors”-style approach, which has already been completely overdone. Whatever happened to just having one monster to worry about? Why do you need so many more? More specifically, why does this game need any more? (And, for the record, I love “Doors”.)

In short, I didn’t know what to expect going in. I figured it was just a “creature breaks into your house” kind of game, based on the title and vibe I got. Instead, it seems to be another “avoid multiple monsters” kind of thing, which isn’t what I was looking for. To be fair, it does seem to have a story, and a much more horror-driven atmosphere than “Doors”. But, for me, it's still a little too similar to other Roblox horror titles to really make much of an impact. 

OVERALL: 4.5/10.

*The game has been released, under the name “Intrusion: A World Below”. I tried playing the full game, and like the synopsis warns, I was completely lost. I will update this review as soon as I actually make it through the introduction.

**Apparently, this game is going to be overhauled already, thanks to community feedback. According to the developer, pretty much the whole thing will be changed. I didn’t see specific comments to know what the “issue” was, or to see what direction it’s going to head in. But I’ll be interested in seeing what the future holds.

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