The Suicide of Rachel Foster Review

In 1983 Nicole Wilson’s life was forever changed when it was uncovered that her dad, Leonard, had an affair with Nicole’s 16 year old classmate Rachel Foster. Not only was there an affair, but Rachel, discovering that she was 9 weeks pregnant, committed suicide, which sent shockwaves through the small community in Lewis and Clark County, Montana. Nicole and her mother, Claire, packed their stuff and vowed to never return. Fast forward 10 years and you, Nicole, are back at the Timberline Hotel, your home for most of your childhood. Your father has passed and has left everything to you. You have decided to do a once over at the hotel and then sell it, but a bizarre snow storm hits just as you arrive, and you find yourself trapped in the hotel, and in the memories of the past, this is how the game, The Suicide of Rachel Foster, begins.

I think it’s pretty clear, but this game is going to take place in the hotel. As the game advances more of it will become available, and you are going to find that not everything that happened 10 years ago really happened that way. This game definitely falls into the category of walking simulator, however I really do hate that category because there’s more to this game than simply walking around and opening doors. You’re going to be tasked with uncovering the past, that means you’re going to be finding news articles, items, and more that will help advance the game. I will also admit that there were times where I got lost in the hotel because I decided that I wanted to explore a little more.

The game is broken into days, and each day will uncover more of the story. You won’t technically be alone during your time in the hotel. You will have a voice at the other end of a radio phone named Irving. His voice will help you keep your sanity when things get a little too bleak. He’ll also be there to give you hints on what you should try to do next at scripted times during your day.

You’re going to be playing this from a first person perspective, and I have to say that the game looks good from that perspective. The hotel definitely shows that it has been around for a while. You can definitely see that the developers made certain areas more “lived in” than others, you can also see that the hotel is in disrepair which fits in nicely with the story. There are tons of rooms, and of course not all of the rooms can be opened, but I was surprised by the amount of the hotel that ends up being open to you throughout the game. You’ll have access, by the end of the game, from the top to the bowels of the hotel.

This is definitely not a game for everyone, and it does deal with the serious issue of suicide, which is a topic that many might not want to interact with. This isn’t a high action hack and slash game, so if you’re looking for that type of gameplay, you’re not going to find it here, but if you are looking for a story that has its twists and turns, and some of those twists are pretty big, you’re going to enjoy this game. I know I personally enjoyed the game when the credits rolled at the end.