Kicking back in a sleepy English town with no one around and nothing to do sounds like a terrible way to spend your time. That's exactly what Everybody's Gone to the Rapture asks you to do. For gamers expecting a little more action from their post-apocalyptic shenanigans, the PlayStation 4 release from Brit developers The Chinese Room - the guys behind the equally dreamy Dear Esther - can be kind of boring.
Rapture is a walking simulator, telling a story through flashbacks that weave into your exploration of a leafy Shropshire village. In terms of gameplay, it doesn't offer much: you walk around, look at things, open and close doors, explore buildings, push buttons and listen to creepy messages on phones. In the game's best moments you can manipulate light patterns to access story strands that play out as conversations between the dearly departed. But that's about it. There are many forest paths to meander aimlessly down.
Only one button on your controller actually does anything. There are no zombies.
But simplicity is Rapture's biggest asset. Yes, this is another post-apocalyptic game in which humanity has been wiped out by an unexplained phenomenon. And yes, your job is to find out what the hell has happened to everyone. There is an overwhelming sense of foreboding. But that's where the comparisons with other apocalypse-themed games ends. In a year that's loaded with zombie titles - from the brute force of Dying Light to The Walking Dead's cartoon gore - Everybody's Gone to the Rapture stands apart. There are no bodies, little blood, and few action scenes. But you'll become addicted to this apocalypse in other ways. The game looks amazing, with detailed graphics that mix perfectly with a spooky soundtrack.
