There’s really never been a better time to be a fan of traditional survival horror games. Though tank controls at one point in time were critically maligned as a technologically-impaired remnant of the past, it’s been incredible to see not only that, but all the staples of the subgenre come alive once more in the modern day: fixed camera angles, limited opportunities to save, purposeful level design, the works. While there are already plenty of games like Crow Country or Alisa that successfully ape classics like Silent Hill and Resident Evil, the games that build further upon an already strong foundation may be of interest to longtime veterans. of the subgenre. Case in point, the game being featured here today.
SSR Wives: The Murder of My Winter Crush (or just SSR Wives), developed and self-published by Hen Studios, promises not only an authentic survival horror experience, but one that throws plenty of interesting twists into the mix as well. Borrowing heavily from both survival horror games and visual novels, it promises both an engaging gameplay experience and a compelling narrative to carry your frightening journey to a satisfying conclusion. But what can we glean from the game’s demo during Steam Next Fest? Quite a bit, actually.
Survive, Thrive, Find Love
While specific story details are still a little vague, you can thankfully get a better idea of what’s going on by scrolling through the game’s page on Steam. SSR Wives takes place in The Town That Time Forgot, following not one particular journey, but instead a colorful cast of characters. Each is plagued by their own inner fears and personal traumas, and like magic, The Town That Time Forgot seems to reflect their turmoil like a carnival funhouse mirror. As each one attempts to make it through their strange predicaments, they’ll come face to face with some tough choices that prompt a few dire questions. Can they overcome the forces that keep them there? Can they form attachments with the other kindred spirits in their presence? Or will they ultimately succumb to the monstrous terrors that take shape in their twisted world?
I was admittedly surprised to see not one, not two, but three playable characters in this demo, presumably with their own associated story beats in the full game. Here, though, you’re left to navigate the strange remnants of an apartment building twisted into something else entirely. The dilapidated hallways connect to rooms full of twisted wires, religious iconography, rusted furniture, and even disconnected scenes of nature, bizarrely. It all felt appropriately nightmarish. The creatures roaming the halls felt less creative, admittedly, but they’re effective enough. Giant rats and bugs made up the majority of the foes in the building, along with some stiff bullseye targets lining the walls outside.
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Combat admittedly surprised me. Borrowing more from Resident Evil than Silent Hill, you’re locked in place as you ready your weapon, being able to raise and lower your weapon as needed. Most threats in the building barely even reach your knees, so leaning down to hit things was more than essential. What’s interesting, though, is that you can actually inflict some locational damage based on where your attack actually lands. Head shots in particular are something you’ll want to really land consistently, as the damage increase from those will be crucial in quickly clearing out enemies.
The weapons themselves felt great to use, too, mostly. I managed to find a basic pocket knife and a much more effective baseball bat before ultimately finding a handgun, complete with laser-based aiming a la Resident Evil 4. It’s a little hard to see what you’re aiming at if the camera angle doesn’t align with what you need to shoot, but that didn’t really happen at any crucial moments.
There are some puzzles here, too, though I can’t really say too much without outright spoiling all the solutions. I did enjoy the interactivity involved with some of the game’s environmental objects, however. Sure, there are the typical locked doors that need keys and other similar obstacles, but I also managed to find a cold pizza slice that really needed some tender loving care. Putting it into a microwave turned it into a hot pizza slice, presumably improving its effectiveness. It’s a really small thing. But it’s something that really stuck out to me.
I legitimately enjoyed the score, too. Composed by Koraii, it evoked the same kind of somber, mysterious ambiance of Akira Yamaoka with some strange, nostalgic sense of longing. If that doesn’t make sense, you can certainly check out some tracks for yourself on Koraii’s official Newgrounds page. The main title theme and “My Own Winter” are some notable, rock-heavy standouts.
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But out of all the demos I’ve tried during Steam Next Fest, this one was certainly the most buggy. A single crash upon opening the map screen one too many times led to the map being temporarily unavailable upon reloading the game, which was odd. Saving the game had previously broken numerous weapon animations, with a temporary fix by the developer forcing you to unequip your weapon before saving to prevent this from happening. Mashing the action button, a particular sequence involving a vent and a key led to me grabbing the key before the opening animation finished, leading to a grand reveal of absolutely nothing. One last thing I noticed was the ability to seemingly enter a first-person mode at any point, even when I’m crossing between loading zones or navigating a main menu. The UI elements for the mode pop up, at least.
Should You Play SSR Wives: The Murder of My Winter Crush?
Though the number of bugs in SSR Wives did put a damper on my first overall impressions, everything else more than made up for it. I adore this game’s presentation, the combat and puzzles were what I wanted from a game like this, and the allure of multiple playable characters would probably keep me coming back for one playthrough after another. You can even change the graphics to more closely mimic either the PlayStation or PlayStation 2, or just get rid of any visual filters entirely. There’s clearly a lot of effort put into everything here.
Is it even a little too ambitious? Maybe. But for what it’s worth, there’s enough here to convince me that the game will ultimately be worth the wait. There’s still plenty of room for improvement, and Hen Studios has been nothing if not receptive to most critiques and requests for bug fixes throughout the demo’s launch. I’ll certainly be keeping an eye on SSR Wives for the near future, as I’m sure it’ll certainly be an interesting thing to experience regardless of its ultimate quality.
Be sure to check out SSR Wives: The Murder of My Winter Crush on Steam.
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