The game’s title, subject matter, and that early splash screen are highly misleading. While it’s easy to assume what the game’s focus is going to be at the outset, the truth is that The Suicide of Rachel Foster is more of a mystery thriller than anything. And with those, you can’t exactly judge a book by its cover. But, as a mystery, it’s a damn good one, set in a memorable, well-designed location and filled with entertaining dialogue and enjoyable details. ![]() The game’s story begins with the player character, Nicole Wilson, reading a letter from her deceased mother that was delivered once her estranged father, Leonard, passed away. The opening switches back-and-forth between reading the letter to a top-down view of Nicole carrying a black umbrella and walking through a crowd of mourners at the funeral. “Oh, sure, I’m driving to a secluded location DURING A BLIZZARD, but what could possibly go wrong?” It’s a stark, memorable beginning that sets a somber tone. Leonard has left Nicole the Timberline Hotel and her mother wishes her to sell it and then give the proceeds to the family of Rachel Foster. Rachel committed suicide at 16 after it was discovered that she and Leonard, who was 49 at the time, were having an affair. Nicole and her mother left immediately and cut off all contact. Nicole then travels to the Timberline in order to meet with an attorney and inspect the place prior to selling.Īfter only a few minutes there, however, a heavy blizzard sets in and Nicole, who wants nothing to do with the place or with memories of her father, becomes trapped there for five days. The only company she has comes courtesy of her modified childhood phone that she uses as a two-way radio to communicate with a FEMA representative named Irving who wants to make sure she survives without issue. I thoroughly enjoyed the story in The Suicide of Rachel Foster. Nicole and Irving are both well-voiced and their banter is quite good as well. Nicole is a bit of an extremely sarcastic ass at times, but in a believably likable sort of way, while Irving is kind, patient and a bit at-odds in regards to how he should communicate with her. I like this room because it’s got a diorama of the hotel in it.Īs the days go by, Nicole naturally finds that some things don’t quite add up pertaining to how the events surrounding Rachel came to pass and she decides to try and figure it out. Isn’t that fun? You don’t think that’s fun? FINE. What follows is an interesting, if sometimes perfunctory, mystery thriller with a solid hook and a plot that did a great job of holding my attention for the entirety of the game’s brief 3.5-hour runtime. ![]() Some of the plot points are fairly easy to guess early on and the ending wasn’t everything I’d hoped for, but The Suicide of Rachel Foster is still compelling as a purely narrative experience. You can even choose many of Nicole’s responses to Irving, often to humorous results. Overlooking the hotelĪside from the story and characters, the most obvious star of the game is the Timberline Hotel itself. It’s rendered in its entirety and always you too walk around most of its areas. It can take a bit of time to get a feel for the building. But it isn’t expansive enough for you to have much trouble with navigation. I will say, though, that it seems a bit small. ![]() It has only two floors and enough capacity for seemingly just a few dozen people, which is weird considering how remote the place is and how extensive some of its facilities are. The hotel is well-designed, though, with a large amount of character and a nice sense of place about it.
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