Fanboys Anonymous

Fear of the dark is something everyone has experienced at least once before. The implied danger associated with being unable to see can be particularly frightening, and without visual stimulation, our fears can manifest with less distraction.

In Somethin’ Else’s new iOS horror game Papa Sangre II, you have no choice but to face the dark and the creatures it conceals. Guided by the voice of Lord of the Rings and Game of Thrones star Sean Bean, you must journey through a pitch-black underworld and collect fragments of memories in hopes of returning to the land of the living.

The game doesn’t have graphics—at least not in the traditional sense. Once you begin, you are instructed to put on headphones, informed that you’re dead (sorry!), and presented with this screen:

Get used to seeing this.

The message to use headphones is not just friendly advice—you need them to find your way through the game. Papa Sangre II uses a binaural audio engine to project sounds in three dimensions around you. As Bean educates you on how to navigate the realm of the dead, you hear the crunch of his feet on gravel and his voice fade out of one ear and into the other as he paces back and forth around you. If you close your eyes (as is suggested) the effect is truly convincing.

On the default control setting, you are encouraged to stand and physically turn to face the direction you wish to move in, while the iDevice accelerometer translates this into your bearing in game. This can be changed to a more conventional swipe-to-turn option, but the default setting is far more immersive. You move forward by alternating taps on each of the foot icons at the bottom of the screen. Tap faster to run, but go too fast and you risk tripping and attracting unwanted attention.

Bean's voice acting is superb throughout.

Everything in Papa Sangre II has an associated sound effect. Some of them are rather pleasant. As you approach a creek, you hear the gurgle of running water and the splash underneath your feet as you wade through. Some of them are not. The buzz of insects fills your head as they swarm around you, and in a particularly impressive sequence, the roar of a burning building had me certain that I could feel the heat of fire on my face and the burn of smoke in my lungs.

Papa Sangre II is not a conventional game. To get the most out of it, you must accept the fact that when your girlfriend walks into your room and you’re wearing nothing but headphones and pajama pants as you spin slowly in a circle with your eyes closed, you’re going to look a little bit silly (I sure did). If you can stomach the peculiarity of it all, you will find an engaging horror experience that is unlike anything else available on the market.


Papa Sangre II is available now on the App Store for a discounted launch price of $3.99. It will return to its full price of $5.99 at the end of the week. For more on Papa Sangre II, be sure to keep your eye on Fanboys Anonymous and watch for my full written review.

So what do you guys think of quirky game mechanics and design like this? Is it too bizarre for your taste or a breath of fresh air? Let me know in the comments below!