Stuck in the Present is the latest game from Dusk Wave Arts, and it is a pleasant surprise. The game is a side-scrolling visual novel, accurately classified as horror, but it defies further easy pigeonholing. Initially, I expected a political commentary, as the story touches on the challenges of being a migrant. A few minutes in, though, the fantastic music suggested a ‘cosy creepy’ experience. However, that cosiness can vanish quickly, revealing Stuck in the Present to be a proper psychological horror.
A Psychological Horror Journey
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The story revolves around two young people, Faye and Rich. Faye has a phobia of dark and enclosed spaces, so Rich supports her by taking the underground train with her every day, hoping to build her confidence. This daily journey, however, triggers flashbacks, and we begin to untangle the roots of Faye’s fear of dark tunnels.
From this point, the game steers into unnerving territory. It becomes either a psychological horror, in which the protagonists lose their grip on reality, or a supernatural horror, where strange things genuinely happen to the pair. The ambiguity is part of its strength, keeping you on edge as you delve deeper into Faye’s past and present predicament.
An Interactive Visual Novel
I would describe Stuck in the Present as an interactive visual novel rather than a platform game. While it is side-scrolling and you do have to run occasionally, the experience is driven by its fantastic narrative. Unlike many static visual novels where you click through scenes, this game empowers you to make choices. These decisions are not as frequent as in a sandbox RPG, but they are significant and should be considered carefully.
There are also secrets to discover through exploration. You can choose to go off the beaten track, albeit only a little, and interact with the environment if you are perceptive. It’s up to you as the player to notice when you have an opportunity to inspect something more closely, which adds a rewarding layer of engagement to the gameplay.
Overall Impression
Stuck in the Present is a relatively short game; you could likely speedrun it in an hour or two, but it has good replayability, and most will take longer on their first playthrough.
I do have some mild criticism. At one point, I got stuck on a puzzle involving a ‘girl with the marbles’. As the game is brand new, there were no walkthroughs or guides available online. The solution required persistence and positioning my character in a specific way to prevent the story from progressing without me. A minor tweak to the user experience could perhaps make this section less frustrating because I had to quit out of an infinite train ride, which felt weird. However, this is the first release, and it’s a small irritation that could be addressed in a future update.
Despite this, Stuck in the Present is indisputably a triumph for Dusk Wave Arts. If this is the direction the studio is heading, I am very excited and impressed. Their previous games, such as Barheim, have been good, but this is a level above. As a short and intense playthrough, it’s a sensible title to try if you want to experiment with a new genre.
Recommended.
Tip: Consider this for your Halloween Twitch stream.
Quick Links
- Steam: Stuck in the Present.
