videogameblog

Got this for my birthday from ezelf (thanks ezelf) and really enjoyed it!! I played the demo during the february NextFest on steam and had fun, but I kind of forgot about it after that. Skin Deep is the first game in a while that provided unfiltered enjoyment the entire time I was playing, and my only real complaint is that it isn't longer.

'Immersive Sim' is such an umbrella term that i'm hesitant to say i'm a fan of the genre. I've played alot that just haven't clicked with me at all and so few that actually have. For an immersive sim to be enjoyable to me, i think it needs to communicate its exploitable systems in an easy to understand manner. Experimentation is a core pillar of the genre, but if i don't understand the function of what's at my disposal on a base level then it stops being experimentation and just feels underdeveloped. Skin Deep is able to avoid this by attaching basic instructions to virtually every object that you can pick up. Some things are obvious, like soap and banana peels are slippery, but basic descriptions like 'flammable' on laundry detergent provide a good direction on how that object can be utilised. Every environmental facet felt exploitable; soap dispensers become makeshift firebombs and windows become entryways to space.

Skin Deep seperates itself from the typical immersive sim structure by omitting any form of levelling or perks entirely. I feel like immersive sims are always bogged down by obligatory skill assignment screens and perks that force you into playing a certain way, which has always felt a little antithetical? I especially didn't like it in Prey (2018) because of how many different mechanics I was locked out of. Skin Deep streamlines the entire gameplay experience into one, much simpler, but much more malleable structure. You enter every level with nothing on you, no skills improved since last time and no 20% health increase. Gameplay is still able to stay fresh because the typical system is inverted; the enemies you face are constantly upgrading. They'll begin locking off vents, doing regular check-ins over radio and getting 20% health increases. You're forced to adapt - to change your playstyle and accomodate for the obstacles put in front of you. The systems in play are so dynamic that each new alteration feels like a puzzle. Earlier levels have high volumes of boxes of pepper around, which can easily stun enemies. As you get into the later levels, easy stuns like pepper become rarer and rarer. I eventually got to a point where I was sneaking into a room, placing a radio next to a sink, turning on the radio to lure over an enemy. Then I'd sneak up behind them, press the soap dispenser to create a flammable cloud and quickly run out of the room before throwing a lighter inside and closing the door, creating an instant-kill explosion. Theres nothing in-game that explains or encourages this style of play, it was one I developed on my own.

The story is also very silly and fun, the visuals are unique and charming and the cats are all very kind to you. this is what video games are supposed to be and i would like 60 - 75 more of these please