Claire: Extended Cut

Release Date: August 30, 2016

Adventure, survival horror, horror, 2D, indie games, side-scroll, singleplayer

6.5

OpenCritic

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An extended edition of Claire - a survival horror game released in 2014. In comparison to the original release, the new edition brings mainly improved audiovisuals. Once again, the development works were carried out by Hailstorm Games. The game still offers a two-dimensional environment and pixel-art graphics. However, the creators managed to implement both 3D objects and depth of field effects.

Plot
Mechanics
Technical aspects

Claire: Extended Cut for PS4, PSV and XONE is a two-dimensional survival horror patterned on the most popular titles from the genre. The game was developed by Hailstorm - an independent, American team comprised of several gamemakers. Claire was inspired by Japanese franchises, such as Silent Hill or Clockwork, or 2011's Lone Survivor. Claire: Extended Cut is an improved and modified edition of the original, 2014's PC release.

Plot

Teenage Claire is the protagonist here. She is haunted by nightmares caused by stress and tensions her life has been filled with. Claire has learning problems which appeared as an effect of her mother being terribly sick, as well as memories of an unhappy childhood. In one moment, the protagonist wakes up inside an abandoned school soaked in darkness and patrolled by mysterious monsters. A dog called Anubis is Claire's only loyal companion, and with whom the protagonist struggles to find a way out. During her journey, Claire experiences bizarre events, but also faces demons of her past. Claire: Extended Cut offers many endings dependant on the player's decisions and characters saved along the way.

Mechanics

In terms of gameplay, Claire: Extended Cut for PS4, PSV and XONE resembles Lone Survivor. The player traverses two-dimensional locations, taking care of their equipment and power sources (a lighter and a flashlight) – these allow to scare-off or distract monsters. However, the player is not encouraged to fight the monsters encountered here. Claire, who is not capable of performing an effective counter-attack, must rely instead on hideouts and different items. The fear bar is a significant element of the game, because the protagonist can die when it reaches maximum. The game offers several difficulty levels, as well as the New Game Plus mode, which allows to start another playthrough with the equipment gathered last time.

Technical aspects

Claire: Extended Cut for PS4, PSV and XONE offers both high-quality audio and visuals (pixel-art). The game world was livened up by animations and lighting play, which contributes to the atmosphere of the in-game locations that on the other hand, are full of detail. Extended Cut brings a modified graphics engine, introducing three-dimensional objects and depth effects into the game - consequently, Claire seems to resemble typical 2.5D titles frequently when playing.

Last updated on September 13, 2016

Videos and Screens

[1:06] Claire: Extended Cut trailer

6.5

OpenCritic Rating

Game is Recomended by 28% of Critics. There are 9 Critic Reviews.

OpenCritic

TechRaptor: 7.5 / 10 by Samuel Guglielmo

If you're willing to look past some flaws, Claire mixes wonderful atmosphere with great writing to create a 2D indie horror game that I found scarier than many major efforts.

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COGconnected: 74 / 100 by Alex Everatt

When an enemy is lurking around, the music and effects ramp up intensely

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Hey Poor Player: 3 / 5 by Mike Vito

Claire: Extended Cut is a hard game to recommend unless you’re willing to open literally hundreds of doors to get to the meat of the story. The reason that it’s a hard recommendation is because the story here is good, but everything surrounding it just doesn’t seem polished enough. With an inventory system that doesn’t work well with the game’s layout and a map that constantly needs to be check to understand where you’re going, Claire: Extended Cut is a haunted house that some horror fans likely won’t mind walking through, but many others would be better off skipping.

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