DISTRUST Review for PlayStation 4

Stranded in the arctic wasteland after a helicopter crashes en route to a research station, the survivors from the wreck must stay alive long enough to figure out what’s killing their team. Hearing that description might remind anyone of the famous John Carpenter horror film “The Thing,” waiting in suspense for that creature that slowly picks off each and every member of this ill-fated crew.

In the case of Distrust, a game developed by Cheerdealers and published by Badland with “The Thing” as a major influence, survival horror is on full display as you risk death from the forces of nature or the extraterrestrial. Jumping from building to building looking for resources is challenging enough in blizzards, chilling your characters to the bone, but add in the extra dimension of the fourth kind and you’ve got an existential crisis.

Distrust drops you into randomly constructed maps with only a two-person team, asking what if the end of “The Thing” had a sequel. Say no more, Cheerdealers have made that question a reality. As you struggle through six stages of chaos hoping to maintain warmth, stamina, and satiety, you’ll also need to worry about “The Anomalies” that are only mysteriously referenced to in the now dead crew’s notes.

With a limited number of characters that expands as you play and rescue other survivors throughout the map, you’ll need to choose wisely from the varying character stats and traits. Do you need the polar explorer or the engineer? That depends, do you want more utility or survivability? With resources like wood, coal, and oil needed to maintain heat and power in buildings, these are the most important questions. How will you best utilize your secondary character? As a support or another lone wolf that stretches the map at the same time as your other teammate. While these questions were never asked in a movie, the game forces you to contemplate how best to balance the team and take advantage of their talents.

At the same time, you have to keep in mind the condition of each character and the small decisions that accompany your choices. As exhaustion and hunger take their toll, you will need to plan out when best to eat or save food, or whether or not the food is edible. Make that decision and you’re faced with a coin clip kind-of-dilemma. Hell, make any decision and you are faced with that coin flip dilemma. Even digging through salvage to another room or break down containers for resources can result in an unforeseen outcome, without even consulting you.

Harder yet is the decision to sleep. Every time you doze off or attempt to regain some energy, you’ll start to see the twinkling bright lights where none should exist. Linger too long and you’ll attract the extraterrestrial interlopers that have laid claim to this station. Choosing when and how to risk summoning “The Anomalies” is. However, you can’t avoid this imperative as too much exhaustion will result in hushed voices and whispers as your character struggles maintain sanity.

While Distrust offers plenty of challenge through evading anomalies and battling the cold, while attempting to maintain your character’s needs, it still feels like it’s throwing the book at you. While the decision to sleep serves as a necessary function to the narrative of the game, some of the coin flip dilemmas seem to only work against you. As these compound along with injuries to your characters or the lack of (reasonably) available resources, the game can feel a bit overwhelming.

However, if you do manage to battle through those six stages, which I managed (I’m a bit ashamed to admit) in about 8 hours of play, you’ll feel more than accomplished and might contemplate, in the throes of sleep deprivation, braving the Arctic yourself. However, as you fall asleep and wrestle with the voices arguing over the decision, it’s probably best to trust that voice in your head. Or not. It’s a little hard to tell now. Does anyone feel like they’re being watched as they’re sleeping? No? Just me?

Game Rating: 7/10

Check Out the Distrust Trailer:

https://youtu.be/JLFrzuUUptI

Distrust is available for PlayStation 4 (exclusively in digital format), PC, and Mac via Steam.

Ryan Purington

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I am a huge fan of any story driven game, with one of my favorite PS titles being Prince of Persia: Sands of Time. Amazing combat and puzzle solving. My guilty pleasure is definitely FIFA because you can play a quick few game alone or with friends.

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