QCF: Everybody's Gone To The Rapture

s the scene fades in, you stumble out into the tranquil beauty of the Yaughton countryside in Shropshire, England—investigating the irony of an environment that’s devoid of all human life, and yet breaming with the vibrancy of nature itself is the only thing that keep the unsettling tone from escalating into anything that.

This is the landscape of The Chinese Room’s latest adventure game, Everybody’s Gone To The Rapture, a disorienting mystery behind the disappearance of an entire village, and the grisly clues that have been left behind—it’s an experience that will leave you thinking, and somewhat shaken.

From the people behind the atmospheric voyage of Dear Esther, the independent studio places a different spin on the apocalypse concept that no other title has slowed down enough to explore in great detail—the human condition.

The narrative of venture goes to great length to enforce the frailty and fear that’s inherent within all of human morality. Being a cipher that travels through the aftermath of the events that comprise the plot of silent doomsday, players will progressively dive into the themes that have tested mankind’s spirit, like the enduring fear of isolation, and the unknown—and then there’s the combination of those two fates; a thought that becomes more terrifying the longer you process it.

But a narrative is nothing without the characters who carry it; fortunately, the cast of characters encountered are wonderfully written and balanced to drive the drama surrounding the supernatural conflict that’s at the middle of it all, without compromising any vital exposition for it in the process.

Headlining the ensemble of personalities encountered within the title are Dr. Katherine Collins, and Dr Stephen Appleton Boyles; two scientists who share a troubled, but deep romantic interest with one another, and serve as the catalyst to the phenomenon behind the quote unquote “rapture.”

As you languidly travel through the empty streets, and homes of the remote valley, players will come into contact with numerous points of interest in the form of spheres of light, phones, or radios; each containing a flashback between characters, or a monologue that subtly helps elucidate some detail as to what took place here prior to your arrival. The real hook to these moments however, are the bits of background that focus on the character development and portrayal of the Katherine and Stephen, and who they are as both people, and lovers.

The dynamic that’s gradually exposed between these two alone is capable of making the experience the a more memorable one in contrast to all of the other occurrences and people involved—a couple who adore the best that each of them have to offer, while simultaneously struggling to accept the worst within one another.

The relationship that the doctor’s share is one that’s grounded with hardships that’re relatable, an endeavor that covers the susceptibility to give into baser urges, or confront fears of personal insecurities, or an inferiority complex that’s manifested from social anxiety—it’s all here, and it gives the fiction a sense of life.

Another theme I found interesting was the contrast between humanity’s bonds to both religious faith, and scientific progress, and how the two come to conflict with one another. The elements behind the supernatural desolation that’s claiming these people is constantly being interpreted by them as either a divine judgement, or natural selection, and the writing that depicts faltering convictions of these characters adds to some of the most enthralling moments that the title has to offer.

The storytelling isn’t without its shortcomings though, as the sub-plots that’re built around portraying the characters in supporting cast and their individual roles to the overall story, is just not the interesting in comparison, which leads to one of the biggest drawbacks to Everybody’s Gone To The Rapture to gradually sink in; it’s sluggish pace.

Even after The Chinese Room patched the ability to briskly move at swift pace, the cadence of movement can still be obnoxiously slow at times, especially during certain locales of the game, and the lack of intrigue to their respective arcs of story that they contain within the overall plot. Granted, while the laidback tempo to the game’s direction is an intended design that will force players to stop and absorb as much of the environment as they can during exploration; a sizable lot of the fiction comes off like arbitrary filler.

Which leads to the length of the title—it’s a bit too long in the tooth, and it isn’t long before all of these apologues begin to drag on, and the drive to reach the big conclusion to it all is driven by the wrong kind of desire.

In spite of the avant-garde approach to unfolding the game’s climax, Everybody’s Gone to The Rapture is a story that’s rife with all of the imperfections, and frailties that define what the human condition is, in subtle, yet impactful fashion.

Be it the struggle to find meaning in religion or science, or the depths of romantic connections, and what they truly mean in an existence that’s tragically fleeting, The Chinese Room doesn’t pull any punches—it’s just too bad that the calm goes on a bit too long before you’ll ever be hit with the storm.

None the less, the price of admission is worth the ride, pick this up, and experience this endearing story of adversity, and introspection of what people are, and what they’re capable of.