A Cinema of Screams
I honestly didn’t know what to expect when I booted up the demo of Massacre at The Mirage for the first time. I had never even heard about until I came across it while scrolling through the ‘Horror’ tag on Steam, in search of a bite-sized spooky game to pass the time. But after spending some time with it, I can say the demo delivered genuine scares, immersing me in a creepy, 1980s-style slasher experience that kept me on edge from start to finish. The atmosphere was thick with tension, the jump scares were well-timed, and the unsettling ambiance of The Mirage Theatre made it a memorable and thrilling playthrough.
The demo begins with one of The Mirage’s employees – a young woman named Nika – arriving for her shift on Halloween evening. Eric, the owner of The Mirage, has a knack for screening horror classics and Nika is tasked with testing out the reel before customers arrive for the screening – but not before taking out the trash around the theater. This simple task allows us to explore The Mirage, a charming and traditional 1980s-style theater that features blood-red walls adorned with cheeky, fictitious retro movie posters, and tight, claustrophobic corridors. Navigating The Mirage is a masterful way to build tension because you know something terrible is going to happen – it’s only a matter of when.
Serving Up Terror
After hauling the trash outside and being startled by a mild jump-scare courtesy a foul-mouthed hobo, the game then transitions into a simulation where you switch between Ben, the ticket booth operator, and Nika, who runs the concessions stand. I found myself enjoying the straightforward gameplay, admiring each of the movie-goers Halloween outfits and fulfilling orders of candy, popcorn, and soda. One thing I noticed after playing the demo multiple times (because I enjoyed it that much) was that customers’ appearances and costumes changed with each play through. In one run-through a guy showed dressed as Scorpion from Mortal Kombat and in another run I noticed young man wearing a frog outfit. It was a fun little detail and it made me wonder what sort of zany outfits I would encounter during each playthrough, and even the final version.
Taking orders is pretty straightforward as the items are nicely written up on a chalkboard next to the register. Don’t expect any sort of pressure to get out an order quickly in fear of a line forming. The patrons of The Mirage are patience bunch and will happily wait for you to gather all each and every one of their sugary treats. The game lulls you into a false sense of security, making you feel like you’re just working a normal shift at a movie theater. After all, the game isn’t trying to emulate the tension found in games like Happy’s Humble Burger Farm, and that’s because the real pressure is not going to come from your customers. For a moment I asked myself, ‘oh, is this the game, cause this is kind of nice.’ And then the horror creeps in.
After selling tickets and fulfilling orders, a man dressed as a jester, reminiscent of Art from Terrifier, rolls by in a truck and stares you down. ‘Well, that was fucking weird’, Ben remarks as the trucks eventually drives off. The jester reappears a few moments latter, this time trying to purchase a ticket with a balloon animal. After a good laugh and insisting that it will be $7 for a ticket (damn, I miss the 80s), the jester snatches the balloon animal and tosses what appears to be a raw, bloody piece of meat on the counter and walks away. It’s at this point where the game
perspective shifts to the hobo and we are greeted with our first brutal kill of the evening. The vibe is undeniably 80s slasher cheesy goodness, complete with dramatic camera angles and all.
From Concessions to Carnage
Overall, Massacre at The Mirage is a thrilling and immersive experience that captures the essence of 1980s slasher films. With its detailed environment, engaging gameplay, and perfectly timed scares, this demo has left me eagerly anticipating the full release. If you’re a fan of horror games and love the retro aesthetic, I highly recommend giving the demo a try. Stay tuned as we plan to interview the team behind this zany idea to uncover its origins and what we can expect from the final game. In the meantime, wishlist Massacre at The Mirage for more visibility and check out the demo for a taste of the terror to come.
Wishlist Massacre at The Mirage: https://store.steampowered.com/app/2794610/Massacre_At_The_Mirage/
