Massacre at the Mirage completes a trilogy of nostalgia-steeped horror video games by my new favorite indie software house, Tainted Pact. Focussing on the retro vibes of the 90s era horror scene, TP have delivered a third game that works in different way to take the player back to their younger years (which, ironically, are their older years).

Three Games, Three Different Approaches

With the unholy trinity of Terror at Oakheart, Suffer the Night and now Massacre at the Mirage; Tainted Pact have managed to bring us three unique titles that serve up their very own brands of old school horror and in their very own ways. Terror at Oakheart brought us a charmingly horrific side-scrolling adventure title; Suffer the Night, a text-based-adventure-cum-FPS and now Massacre at the Mirage treats horror fans to a twisted job simulator. Together, the bundle offers a variety of different ways to absorb the retro-horror splendor.

Massacre at the Mirage Gameplay

Massacre at the Mirage is a job simulator with a horror theme. Working at a theater, you need to undertake the usual roles of a theater worker; such as serving food, running movie reels through the projector and selling tickets at the box office. While this sounds like the mundane day in the life of a low-salary worker, the Mirage hides a host of sinister secrets.

Enter the token horror killer clown of yesteryear into the mix and an honest day’s work quickly turns into a deadly game of cat and mouse. Can you balance selling popcorn, soda and tickets while trying to escape the nefarious clutches of Crazy CoCo?

Playing from the perspectives of both staff and patron, gives you more sides to the story of the Mirage. Delve further into the darker corners of the theater to uncover the deadly truths and put a stop to the relentless killer.

Popcorn, Anyone?

While Massacre at the Mirage does have a story to follow, a lot of the game is spent in the food court dishing out popcorn, soda, pretzels, ice cream, chocolate and even pizza. For those like myself that enjoy the restaurant simulator cell phone games, this could be a standalone selling point. However, Tainted Pack drown the game in a gravy of both horror and nostalgia that will make an attractive package for most lovers of the horror genre.

An Atmospheric Delight

As you navigate through the dimly lit corridors and out-of-the-way depths of the Mirage Theater, a creeping sense of foreboding is never far off. Massacre at the Mirage does a stellar job of setting the scene alight with a deeply atmospheric experience. Objects move unaided, whispers echo from the darkest corners and all this is topped off with the cherry atop the cake – the short movies that play on the main screen periodically.

Specifications

Minimum

• Requires a 64-bit processor and operating system
• OS: Microsoft Windows 10
• Processor: Intel Core 2 Duo 1.8GHz / AMD Athlon X2 64 2.4GHz
• Memory: 4 GB RAM
• Graphics: Nvidia GeForce GTX 760 or higher
• Storage: 9 GB available space

Recommended

• Requires a 64-bit processor and operating system
• OS: Microsoft Windows 10
• Processor: Intel(R) Core(TM) i5-9600K CPU @ 3.70GHz
• Memory: 16 GB RAM
• Graphics: Nvidia GeForce GTX 1070 or higher
• Storage: 9 GB available space

Summary

While Massacre at the Mirage is a fantastic standalone title, I would definitely recommend buying the trio of games to allow yourself to experience the scope of the franchise. The three compliment each other perfectly by offering three different ways to enjoy the horror genre.

If you’re someone that likes to try before you buy, all three games offer a short demo to give you a good idea of what to expect.