Retro Replay Review

Gameplay

The Experiment (eXperience112) reinvents the adventure genre by placing you behind a bank of surveillance monitors rather than directly in the shoes of the protagonist. As the unseen operator, you guide Lea Nichols through the labyrinthine corridors of a stranded ship on the Atlantic. You’re limited to a point-and-click interface to manipulate doors, valves, temperature controls, and electrical systems, creating a puzzle-driven experience that demands strategic thinking and careful observation.

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Instead of traditional movement or combat, your tools include advanced camera controls—pan, zoom, rotate—and specialized modes like thermal vision, light intensification, and audio analysis. Each of these functions uncovers new clues, hidden passages, or environmental hazards that you must relay to Lea. There’s no direct control over her actions; instead, you build trust through successful guidance, ensuring she avoids traps, outsmarts enemies, and remains conscious.

The gameplay thrives on pacing and tension. Every decision carries weight: open the wrong valve and flooding could stall progress, flip a switch carelessly and you might expose Lea to dangerous radiation. Because Lea reacts autonomously, your guidance has to be precise and timely. This unique dynamic turns each room into a mini-puzzle, making you feel like a true mission control operator with lives literally in your hands.

Graphics

Graphically, The Experiment presents a gritty, realistic 3D environment that captures the claustrophobia of a malfunctioning ship. The detailed ship corridors, rusted metal textures, flickering lights, and splashes of water all contribute to an immersive, unsettling atmosphere. Subtle visual effects—puddles reflecting overhead lamps, drifting steam, and swaying cables—heighten the sense of being trapped in a sinking vessel.

The standout feature is the multi-angle camera system. You can rotate views around rooms to reveal hidden panels, zoom in to read warning labels, or switch to heat detection to spot overheated pipes. This flexibility adds depth to exploration, turning simple observation into an engaging part of the gameplay loop. The surveillance monitors themselves are rendered with convincing grain and static, reinforcing the sense of peering through real security feeds.

Lighting and shading play crucial roles in fostering suspense. Darkened corridors require you to boost light intensifiers just enough to reveal silhouettes without giving away Lea’s position to lurking threats. Thermal vision highlights heat signatures in glowing hues, making invisible dangers painfully clear. Together, these visual layers make each moment of guidance feel urgent and cinematic, pushing the technical boundaries of an adventure title.

Story

The Experiment weaves its narrative through fragmented flashbacks, intranet documents, emails, and video logs scattered across the ship’s network. You start with no memory of who you are or why you’re aboard, only Lea’s faint voice crackling through your headset. Piece by piece, you uncover hints about a clandestine operation gone wrong, shady corporate agendas, and the personal bonds that tied you to Lea before the disaster.

Lea Nichols isn’t just a passive figure; her reactions and dialogue convey her fears, frustrations, and determination. You learn not only to guide her physically but to gauge her emotional state—opening a locked drawer to let her find a cherished photograph can solidify her trust, while sending her into a dark compartment too soon can make her panic. This evolving rapport adds a layer of character development rarely seen in tech-focused adventures.

Secondary missions unlocked through optional files provide deeper context: who funded the experiment, the ship’s true purpose, and the moral compromises that opened the door to catastrophe. These optional investigations enrich the main plot but never overwhelm, offering dedicated players a chance to delve further into the game’s themes of identity, responsibility, and human connection under duress.

Overall Experience

The Experiment stands out as a daring experiment in itself. By removing direct character control and entrusting you with a surveillance command center, it redefines player agency and turns puzzle-solving into an emotional tug-of-war. Tension builds organically as you juggle technical tasks and Lea’s wellbeing, keeping you invested in every system you manipulate.

While the unconventional perspective may initially feel restrictive, it quickly becomes the game’s greatest strength. The clever use of camera feeds, environmental controls, and trust-based interaction crafts a deeply immersive experience that transcends typical adventure tropes. Technical glitches are few, and most minor interface quirks fade into the background as the narrative urgency ramps up.

Ideal for players seeking a cerebral, story-driven challenge, The Experiment offers a fresh take on remote-control gameplay. It demands patience, observation, and empathy, rewarding those who embrace its slow-burn tension and rich storytelling. For anyone looking to explore the darker corners of human connection under pressure, this game is a voyage worth taking.

Retro Replay Score

7.1/10