P.T. – Final Sequence
Between the release of Metal Gear Solid: Ground Zeroes and P.T. — the playable teaser that introduced us to Silent Hills — Hideo Kojima knows a thing or two about crafting bitesized titles that are remarkable experiences in their own right. And it was the latter that proved to be Kojima’s own Pandora’s Box, forcing players down the same hallway over and over in a seemingly endless loop to understand the unspeakable tragedy that unfolded before your very arrival.
As a playable teaser, it’s fantastic. But as a standalone horror game, it’s simply on another level. Expertly paced and wonderfully realized, Kojima’s slice of unmitigated terror tells the story of one man’s spiralling decent into insanity, exemplified through the corridor paradox — imagine the Penrose steps, only decorated in blood and scrawled writing. And with each passing journey through that ominous door, the Pandora’s Box unveils a new layer of harrowing chaos.
P.T. is by no means a long game, but without the correct walkthrough to guide you on your journey, players could find themselves lost in the dimly-lit hallway in perpetuity. Thankfully, the Internet managed to solve the puzzle before long — despite Kojima claiming it would take months to figure out — by following the cryptic clues.
Waiting for the clock to strike midnight, hearing the baby laugh three times, walk ten steps in any direction before freezing until the phone rings…sounds simple, right? Well, it proved to be anything but. But after stalking the corridors for hours on end, I did manage to unlock the final puzzle — more through luck than skill, but no matter — that unveiled the trailer for Silent Hills.
Many dismiss P.T. as nothing more than a smart, well-produced marketing ploy, and there’s no question that it is. But it proved to be much, much more than that, as it’s an intelligent horror experience that will likely keep you up long into the early hours of the morning.
