Daymare: 1994 Sandcastle

The original Daymare 1998 was notable as much for its development origins as its actual gameplay – starting life as it did as a fan-made Resident Evil 2 remake. While never quite escaping from the shadow of this context it turned out to be an enjoyable slice of survival horror that showed some genuine potential. I was therefore excited to try out Invader Studio’s prequel title and was pretty impressed with the demo content I tried out earlier this year.

We’re on the cusp of the weekend once again, and as is usual for this time of year, there’s a fresh batch of big games that are releasing. From Mortal Kombat 1 and The Crew Motorfest to Trombone Champ on Switch, Super Bomberman R 2 and Dune: Spice Wars, there’s a little bit of something for everyone, it feels like.

It’s been an awfully hot week in the UK, the kind of week that means that VR headsets remain resolutely in the box. So it’s a good thing that the massive games out this week have been of the non-VR kind.

This week’s Famitsu review scores are in.

Daymare: 1994 Sandcastle is a third-person story-driven survival horror game prequel to the critically acclaimed Daymare: 1998.Step into the shoes of special agent Dalila Reyes, a former government spy now in the service of a unit called H.A.D.E.S. (Hexacore Advanced Division forDaymare: 1994 Sandcastle is a third-person story-driven survival horror game prequel to the critically acclaimed Daymare: 1998.Step into the shoes of special agent Dalila Reyes, a former government spy now in the service of a unit called H.A.D.E.S. (Hexacore Advanced Division for Extraction and Search), and get ready to enter the most advanced experimental research center in the United States of America.

Appropriately for third-person shooters featuring icky electric zombies, Invader's Daymare series has crept up on me. The second game, Daymare: 1994 Sandcastle, launches today. It casts you as Dalila Reyes, a special agent of Hexacore Advanced Division for Extraction and Search, aka H.A.D.E.S., and - wait a minute, I know this vibe! That annoying acronym? The washed-out, cadaver-on-concrete set dressing? The gimmicky ice-gun and scanner mode puzzles? The not-so-subtle undertones of Monolith and Midway? Characters with big glowy gadgets on their backs, so you can track them through poorly-lit warehouses?