Gynophobia is a horror based first person shooter created with unity game engine that as guessed covers the titular phobia.
Despite the fact that this game does cover gynophobia. I think that it is a poor title for the game for many reasons. The main reason for this being that this game isn’t strictly about gynophobia. A perfect demonstration of this is on the main menu where a spider roams the screen. In this game you aren’t purely struggling with gynophobia. In the stages in game you have to go up against zombies, spiders and a black widow hybrid/chimera. I feel that this game should have stuck to gynophobia, or alternatively got a different name.
With regards to the game itself the plot of gynophobia really is poor. Purely due to the fact that the game doesn’t really have any thought out story. As the story in this game is nonsense at best.
I understand that the protagonist has gynophobia and arachnophobia. But why does the game start off with no back story to the origin of the fear. The backstory could have even covered as a tutorial for the game. In game you also have little clue as to what is going on and why you are in a flat. In game you have to find out what to do with no hints on what you should do in order to move on in the game.
The gameplay for this is also atrocious since the game itself is a hodgepodge of concept ideas. The game design often makes no sense in the context of the game. Take the start of the game it starts off in someone’s flat. However, you are unjustly trapped inside the flat. As expected your objective is to figure out what to do next before entering the games other levels. This is done in a way as seen in Silent Hill 4. However, unlike Silent Hill 4, there is no real sense of a functioning story and structure of the game.
Aesthetically the game itself isn’t particularly pleasing. The game has graphics comparable to a mid 2000’s game. However the game is a pick and mix in its art style. Take the flat you’re in for example. The modern aesthetic is present in its design. However, throughout the flat there are plenty of historical paintings strewn on the walls. The paintings are even in what I presume is a teenagers bedroom. It also looks out of place in the said bedroom. Since the same room has posters for games on the opposite side of the room. This is before the mix of level settings which have no artistic cohesion.
The game level structure is strange, uninspiring and often makes no sense. As previously stated you have to find out what to do in the flat in order to get to the next level. But in game after you do tasks to proceed. The game gives you a level to play on. The first level is set in a computer game that the main character is playing on. This sections starts off in sewers fighting through hordes of zombies. After you manage to escape the sewers you find yourself in a city centre. The city centre has hordes of zombies that chase you. Whilst you are trying to find parts to repair a van in order to escape.
But after you have completed the level you need to drink a potion that makes you go to sleep where you have a dream. In the characters dream, you find yourself in a cave which is full of spiders and zombies. In this dream you have no idea why you’re in the cave. However, the task you have in the cave is to destroy spider eggs. Before taking on the final boss, this being a black widow hybrid/chimera. After doing so you wake up from this dream. As a result of the dream you lose your phobias because you’re not frightened by the black tarantula roaming around the flat. The game then ends on you opening a door to a young lady who rings the flat bell for you, which you can open with no problem.
Frankly I would avoid this game like the plague. Firstly it is a cheap game that is really unsure of what game it actually wants to be. Secondly it feels like a partially complete school project rather than a game.
