The Mortuary Assistant

“Some gamers enjoy experiences that gamify mundane work activities. The fun is how accurately it can capture the experience of the profession. The Mortuary Assistant: Definitive Edition not only cheapens the effort put into making cadavers presentable for funerals, but it also turns into a major hassle with Paimon constantly pestering Rebecca, thinking it’s amusing to remind her of her past heroin use. This could have worked if more thought had been put into the embalming process and if the presentation had been more polished.”

“Despite the graphical shortcomings and the game ultimately becoming as predictable as a regular 9-5, The Mortuary Assistant offers a lot of fun. The story does plunge into a typical horror trope, but it is executed brilliantly. The randomly generated spooks are where the game shines, as you never know where the next scare is coming from. But like any job, the longer you spend inside the mortuary, the more the novelty wears off. In the space of 10 hours, I went from someone scared to pick up the controller to a jaded employee swearing at the various spirits as they’d moved my embalming stuff around the room for the 100th time.”

“The Mortuary Assistant is the perfect game for horror fans. It's a short game that gets straight to the point. It's been a long time since I've felt such discomfort, tension, and fear with a video game.”

“Mortuary Assistant may not give off a great first impression visually, but the aesthetics and horror elements shine. They take a series of mundane tasks and overlay a series of jumpscares and a mood that really feels extremely well executed, even if the control on consoles doesn’t quite impress. Rebecca's past colors a lot of the game’s best scares, and her desire to reveal the truth of River Fields makes for a compelling narrative highlighted by a strong performance of its lead. It’s janky, and extremely clunky, but it is a shining example of horror done right.”

“The Mortuary Assistant is a very well-crafted horror game. The gameplay is surprisingly addictive and its use of sound and randomized scares make it a nerve-wracking experience to play. A few confusing tutorials and clunky story moments aside, this is a horror game that does a lot of things right.”

“Honestly, sometimes I don't understand how certain productions, not even very successful, can become huge hits on PC. That's what I thought while playing The Mortuary Assistant: Definitive Edition, which, despite offering peculiar gameplay, didn't feel as explosive as its PC fame suggests. Beyond a gameplay loop that quickly exhausts its tricks, the sense of terror diminishes once you realize you're never in real danger. The fragmented experience also dilutes the interesting story, requiring patience to repeat the same tasks.”

“Providing some high quality scares and morbidly curious gameplay, The Mortuary Assistant is a good horror game held back by an undercooked port to consoles that can create more frustration than fun.”

“While it’s absolutely the same startling “What was that?” experience as on PC, cumbersome controls hold it back”

“Not since P.T. has PlayStation seen such an effective single location horror experience. With its simple setup, looping story, and inventive scares, Mortuary Assistant is borderline essential for genre fans.”

“The Mortuary Assistant finally reaches home consoles, offering up a unique and tense work-horror scenario. Unfortunately, the controls implemented in this port hold back the console version a great deal. Inputs don't respond the way they should, and navigating menus proves cumbersome on practically all fronts. It's a game horror fans should check out, but maybe not on console.”

“The Mortuary Assistant's console re-release is the perfect excuse to dive into what's genuinely one of the scariest horror games in recent years.”

“The Mortuary Assistant: Definitive Edition delivers an amazing experience from Start to finish that due to its design, offers a high reply value. That being said some technical issues may hinder your experience but all and all, it's still a great horror game nonetheless.”

“The Mortuary Assistant: Definitive Edition is everything I want from a horror game. It makes you feel uncomfortable and never allows you to relax, all while giving you plenty to do and learn along the way.”

“The Mortuary Assistant is a horror title with an interesting and original concept that, given also the programming done by a single person, deserves a chance by fans of the genre. Unfortunately, the price to pay is a tangible repetitiveness of the actions and a less than excellent art section.”

“Despite a clumsy jump to console, The Mortuary Assistant remains an incredibly effective horror game.”

“The Mortuary Assistant forces people to come face-to-face with the fear of mortality, as well as the real possibility of demonic possession.”

“The Mortuary Assistant may have some technical issues, but the gameplay is solid, scary, and perfect for horror fans.”

“The Mortuary Assistant is a great game that can only be made better down the line with patches and quality of life fixes. Interruptive but brief bugs did not deter from the wondrous and horrific experience to be had. Deep, bone-chilling moments are aplenty, offering some of the biggest spooks I've experienced in a game ever. Narrative moments provide haunting and memorable imagery, making The Mortuary Assistant a must-play horror experience this year. So get dissecting, investigating, and hunting.”