Stay With Me Review

I love a good horror now and then, but after a while the tropes become mundane and the spark of dread that helps to keep you in the moment fades away. Although Japanese horror has been spooking genre fans for a while it's hard not to still be affected by the creepiness of an unstoppable horror and I Found You by althi does a great job of making you want to put your iDevice down while you go turn the lights back on.

You and your friends, in what can only be considered a fit of insanity, decide to explore an abandoned hospital because it's supposedly inhabited by a vengeful spirit. It turns out it is and now all of you are not so much fighting to survive as you are running around in an attempt to escape the ghost's attention.

You'll control your character from a top-down perspective in the pitch-black corridors of the hospital, exploring each room in an attempt to find the key needed to unlock the level's door. Obviously things would be a bit boring if it were that simple and several friends need to be saved in the process, giving you clues as to where the key is as well. Various traps can be set to delay the progress of the deadly ghost, but this can also have the negative side-effect of preventing access to an area you need to be in.

The atmosphere is dense and creepy imagery is constantly shoved in your face to remind you of the oppressive atmosphere. At first this is extremely effective, enhancing some of the shocks you'll get from being discovered, but after only a few levels it's hard not to say, 'Oh, it's you' and move on with your quest.

Taken in short bursts, I Found You is a potent horror/survival title, but the challenge quickly wanes once you get over the initial shock. A fun game for horror fans after a spine-tingling experience.