Cayne (2017)

 In 2015 the Brotherhood Games released Stasis, a crowdfunded point & click adventure game, which in my opinion turned out as one of the best recent adventure titles around as well as being an atmospheric tour de force of biomechanical horror. Every scene and moment of the game was dripping with atmosphere, which made it a noteworthy addition to the once dominating game genre.

Now, a couple of years after Stasis, the Brotherhood Games has released a free DLC prequel, Cayne to Stasis. The horror continues.

Imagine being pregnant and waking up strapped to a table with a hulking figure walking around the room. There's a computer voice, talking about how the fetal extraction procedure is ready to be commenced. That's where the game starts, on that table.  You need to get up and run, escape if you can and perhaps even figure out why you are where you are.

As such Cayne lasts about 4 hours, a bit less if you are a seasoned adventure game player. It's tightly constructed, again a creepily atmospheric display of corrupted science and insanity. It is, as far the plot goes, a pretty typical horror story, but as it is with stories like this, the atmosphere it has makes most of it. Without an atmosphere, these stories wouldn't work, but as it was with Stasis, Cayne is dripping off it.

What also works for me is the main character, Hadley. As I stated, she's pregnant, almost ready to give birth. She's not only racing time against the research facility she's locked up in, she's racing time against getting out before she gives birth. This angle brings in another level of emotional attachment, as she's not only a young woman in distress, she's mother to be in distress. Everything that happens to her, happens to the baby as well.

With Cayne, the Brotherhood Games proves again, that they are a team to look for in the future. They have a talent and a will to craft games that despite having familiar settings in them, work on some unique level and manage to bring something new games, not only to the adventure genre but to what kind of stories are told through the medium.

Cayne is a game I can very much recommend. And even if you end up not liking it, it's free. All you can lose is a couple of hours of your time. It should be available soon through Steam. Other platforms are still pending.