DISTRAINT: Deluxe Edition Review

There are some jobs out there which in hindsight are not the kind of jobs you consider doing when you’re young. For example, it would be particularly rare for a kid to say they want to grow up and be a bailiff. I remember taking a careers test and it said i would be best suited to a Custom Officers role, i was only twelve at the time and did not know what that was. Who takes the job within a company that actively seizes control of other peoples homes and belongings? What kind of choices do you have to make and what kind of person do you have to become to succeed in that line of work? Well, DISTRAINT: Deluxe Edition makes you think about such things.

DISTRAINT: Deluxe Edition is a 2D, psychological horror adventure, sort of in the similar vein to Claire but less about survival. You play a man called Price who, as part of his employment, seizes an old woman’s apartment. After seizing the apartment of Miss Goodwin, Price begins to question whether it was the right call: Is it worth doing these tasks that will improve your career at the possible detriment of your humanity? That’s the plot of DISTRAINT: Deluxe Edition, you go through the emotions of Price as he deals with the choices he made. DISTRAINT: Deluxe Edition is played through a side scrolling perspective and follows the tried and tested puzzling that requires you to find certain items to proceed.

DISTRAINT: Deluxe Edition isn’t going for jump scares, but a more psychological approach with the way blood drips on your screen at certain moments and the random unsettling noises that fill each scenario. Price starts suffering mentally and this is what you are presented with. You will interchange within scenes as you slide in and out of hallucinations as you progress. As you make your way through DISTRAINT: Deluxe Edition you end up having to distraint 3 properties. Distraint or distress is the seizure of someone’s property in order to obtain payment of money owed, especially rent, so it’s never a positive outcome but if you someone owes you money what do you do?

There is some puzzling in DISTRAINT: Deluxe Edition, it’s nothing complicated and mostly deals with finding items for characters or finding items to use somewhere to further the story. There are a couple of more innovative puzzles such as utilising something at a drug addicts property that requires you move quickly before the timer runs out. DISTRAINT: Deluxe Edition is a short game, maybe a couple of hours max depending on your skill level. Bear in mind you never hold more than 3 items at any one time, so there’s a lot less trial and error needed to move the plot along. There’s a giant elephant who appears randomly which you need to run away from, if you do get caught you will have to reload a saved game. The ending will be quite surprising and it’s important to understand that DISTRAINT: Deluxe Edition’s plot is not a pleasant one nor does it ever show signs that the mood will improve. Unfortunately for DISTRAINT: Deluxe Edition, once completed there’s no reason to replay it besides uncovering a few extra lines of dialogue.

DISTRAINT: Deluxe Edition is a short game about a generally negative subject, but it’s skilfully told and the foreboding atmosphere is executed with aplomb. DISTRAINT: Deluxe Edition is an entertaining game dealing with unpleasant emotions but showcases it in a very informative and involving way.

If you’re a fan of horror adventures or plots involving real world problems then DISTRAINT: Deluxe Edition is a title you will find very interesting and will get you thinking about its subject long after you’ve finished it.

REVIEW CODE: A complimentary Playstation 4 code was provided to Bonus Stage for this review. Please send all review code enquiries to press@4gn.co.uk.