BrokenLore: FOLLOW is a prequel to Serafini Productions’ UNFOLLOW, a series that explores the dark side of social media and the psychological damage it can inflict. Rather than focusing solely on online interactions, FOLLOW digs into the personal trauma that can affect someone’s life before they ever log onto a screen.
BrokenLore: FOLLOW is a psychological horror experience centered around Anne, a young woman haunted by a traumatic childhood and relentless demons that plague her every thought.
The game tackles some very real and uncomfortable subjects. You must relive Anne’s childhood memories. Themes of bullying, eating disorders, self-worth, and emotional abuse are explored in a way that feels personal. At school, Anne is mocked and isolated. At home, things are no better. Her mother is controlling and cruel, frequently making fun of Anne’s weight and preventing her from spending time with her friends.
This type of emotional abuse takes its toll on Anne, and her memories of her mother have morphed into an unrecognizable monstrous force that stalks you throughout the game. It’s a clever way of visualizing how childhood trauma can change in our minds, long after the events themselves have passed.
Themes of Trauma
The story is split into chapters, each revolving around a traumatic memory from Anne’s childhood. You must explore different areas of Anne’s memories to try to uncover clues that help piece together Anne’s story and confront them.
While I enjoyed the storytelling, I was a little confused at times with some of the puzzles and progression. At times, I found myself aimlessly wandering around, clicking light switches, opening cupboards, and interacting with objects without fully understanding what I was supposed to be doing. More than once, I accidentally solved a puzzle without even realizing I was doing one.
I’m honestly not sure whether this is an example of clever storytelling or slightly unclear game design. Some players may enjoy the feeling of discovery, while others may become frustrated by the lack of direction.
Fortunately, the game’s relatively short length stops these moments from becoming traumatic themselves.
Where FOLLOW truly excels is its atmosphere
Serafini Productions has got the setting on point. Dimly lit, claustrophobic hallways, eerie gardens, mazes, and backyard swimming pools all become unsettling when seen through Anne’s fractured memories.
There are a few traditional jump scares, but what really makes BrokenLore: FOLLOW creepy is the audio.
Constant humming and buzzing, loud bangs, and whispering create a sense of unease that doesn’t let you rest. The soundscape keeps you feeling uncomfortable even during moments when nothing is happening. As someone who plays horror games with headphones on and the lights off, I found myself constantly on edge.
There was one part where a whisper starts, don’t go, don’t go. Then gets louder and faster the closer you get until it’s just a wall of noise, then it abruptly stops, leaving you sitting in silence. It’s moments like this that demonstrate how effective sound design can be without relying on cheap jump scares.
The voice acting at first felt a little emotionless. But when you think about it, you are reliving memories in your own head, sure, they are messed up and morphed into horror stories, but Anne doesn’t seem scared, more annoyed, and wanting to put them behind her.
Thankfully, there is a little light in the dark.
When things are at their worst, a little doll wearing a colorful raincoat will appear to tell you facts about ancient civilizations. It sounds strange, but these scenes provide a welcome contrast to the rest of the horrors. Each raincoat is a different colour of the rainbow and holds meaning, explained through scribblings on the wall. Like Purple, a colour born from the union of warm red and cool blue, is a symbol of creativity.
I think these moments are meant to be Anne’s coping mechanism. When the trauma becomes overwhelming, her mind retreats into somewhere colourful, educational, and comforting. It’s a small detail, but one that adds another layer to the game’s psychological themes.
Performance.
BrokenLore: FOLLOW was played on the Xbox Series X and ran well overall. There were a couple of blurring issues when there was a lot happening on the screen, but that doesn’t happen often. Some of the text vs what things actually are is wrong, but I think that’s probably a translation issue more than anything.
Verdict
BrokenLore: FOLLOW comes in at just under 90 minutes, making it an experience that can be done in one sitting. Normally, a short run time might leave me wanting more, but in this case, it works to the game’s advantage.
Not because it’s a bad game, the opposite in fact. FOLLOW is emotionally exhausting in the best possible way. The unrelenting psychological torment would likely lose its impact if it went on any longer.
While the puzzles were a bit too easy, the game’s strengths lie in its storytelling and audio design.
BrokenLore: FOLLOW left me wanting to explore more of Serafini Productions’ work. If this is any indication of what the rest of the BrokenLore series has to offer, then it’s definitely worth keeping an eye on.
The Gamer Social Club was given a copy of this game for review.
BrokenLore: FOLLOW was reviewed on an Xbox Series X
BrokenLore: FOLLOW is out now on PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X/S, and PC (via Steam)
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