Iron Lung is one of those stupidly simple yet stupidly brilliant games that, in their own small way, feel perfect.
Humanity is adrift in space. There are no longer any planets with natural resources to exploit, and we are sent to explore an alien planet with an ocean made of blood.
At our disposal is a submarine that is absolutely not suited for this purpose. So unsuitable, in fact, that we are welded inside it, and the only porthole is sealed shut because it wouldn’t withstand the pressure.
The only way we can move is by using the coordinates on the onboard computer and matching them with those on our map. The only way to see what’s outside our steel coffin is a camera mounted on the front of the submarine.
Our goal? Navigate the ocean of blood in search of anomalies to photograph and investigate their nature.
That’s it.
That’s the game.
Being unable to see what surrounds us except through the painfully slow and extremely limited camera, the constant and deeply unsettling noises of our iron lung and whatever lurks around it, as well as the fear (not to say certainty) that there is something else out there — something big and dangerous — all work together to create an oppressive atmosphere from the very start.
Even the build-up toward the ending is more than perfect.
Sure… the game is basically pressing four buttons and going back and forth across the map to take pictures, but that’s fine. It’s part of the atmosphere.
If you have €5 and an hour and a half, don’t miss this horror experience. It’s worth it.
Now it’s time to watch the movie.
Posted by Antaniwarrior