Very cool HL2 mod.

[MinisterofDOOM]

Korsakovia. It is named for Korsakoff syndrome, a condition that causes loss of real memory and invention of false memories to replace them. Korsakoff sufferers believe those invented memories are real.

The game was developed by Chineseroom, a group of experimental game developers who tend to make less than traditional games. Their first project was another HL2 mod called "Dear Esther" which has no real gameplay...you simply explore and experience, and the game is an interesting look inside the human mind. To say more would ruin it, so I won't.

Back to Korsakovia, it's a more traditional game in that there is combat, interaction, and simple puzzle solving. But the game is still more about experience. You experience what I can only assume (having not yet completed the mod, as I keep getting stuck) are the visions of a Korsakoff sufferer. You watch as his psychiatrist attempts to talk to him, and see how that "true" reality is viewed as an intrusion into his invented reality. The game is quite creepy, with well-employed sound effects and some cool eerie monsters as well as some just-not-quite-right level design that throws off your senses.

Unfortunately the game lacks professional polish, with the game often leaving the player completely directionless and at a loss as to where they took a wrong turn, often going in circles for long periods of time before discovering the little thing they missed. The game also employs an atmospheric effect that causes the flashlight to flicker and die periodically. While neat and immersive at first, later on it just becomes irritating.

Still, despite it's lack of polish, the game's insanity and creepiness make it well worth playing.