The Suicide of Rachel Foster – PS4 Review

September 16, 2020 Alyssa White

The gaming industry is starting to broach the topics of mental health more often now, which is extremely important and a step in the right direction. I was immediately intrigued by One-O-One Games‘ The Suicide of Rachel Foster and the fact that the game is brave enough to highlight some very serious issues that are occurring in the world today. I don’t think these were addressed as well as they could have been, but it’s still worthy of applause. If you’re fascinated in playing games that are on the heavier side mentally, this might be a game you’d want to check out.

Haunting Memories

The Suicide of Rachel Foster opens on a screen bearing a trigger warning for suicide and sexual abuse/grooming. Following this warning, you step into the shoes of a woman named Nicole. Her father has just passed away and she’s inherited the hotel her family owned. She’s tasked with traveling there to prepare it for sale, but she also goes to learn more about why her father had an affair with a sixteen year old girl, the titular Rachel Foster. Nicole is haunted by this fact, along with Rachel’s death by suicide.

The gameplay is simple and revolves around exploring the hotel to fulfill objectives and interacting with objects to potentially unearth clues about what happened between Rachel and her father. You also come into contact with a FEMA worker named Irving who instructs you about where to find food, restore heating, etc. You’re able to select different, timed dialogue options while you’re talking to Irving, allowing you to craft Nicole into a sarcastic, understanding, or angry person. I loved these aspects, and felt immersed in the world. I felt compelled to keep playing and to unearth every facet of the story I could. The photorealistic graphics, subtle scares, and tense atmosphere only added to and enhanced my fascination.

A Few Repairs Are Needed

The story is heavy and it’s incredible to see a game address these matters, but the way the darker aspects are handled made them almost feel like they were glamorized. One of the two endings is extremely disturbing, but makes it feel like a good way out, when it really shouldn’t. The fact that the affair between Rachel and Nicole’s father is deemed as “love” at some points also rubbed me the wrong way. It didn’t feel like they were completely denouncing this morally hideous act. I wish that they had had a stronger hand with crafting the narrative around these topics.

The Final Goodbye

The Suicide of Rachel Foster is a game that provokes deep thought and is an original entry in the world of video games, but it doesn’t always nail the messages it’s portraying. The graphics are gorgeous, the setting is perfectly eerie, and the rapport between Nicole and Irving is refreshing. This would be an essential game to play if only the story had handled its plot points with more care. Be cautious and know your limits and triggers before diving in.

To hear me talk more about The Suicide of Rachel Foster, be sure to listen to Episode 312 of The Gaming Outsider Podcast around the 57:09 time stamp.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9qi3cy9Lbpg

This review is based on a PS4 copy of The Suicide of Rachel Foster provided by Evolve PR for coverage purposes. It is also available on Xbox One and Windows PC.