Unhinged is the latest entry from Oxenfree dev Night School. While never reaching those highs, it is still a fun interactive movie and a glimpse into what Netflix Games is planning.
It’s a stormy night. Most people have evacuated from your area. And why wouldn’t they? It’s a Hurricane Category 5 out there. But you would rather not leave your apartment. Something holds you close to it. The memories, the polaroids on the wall, that personal touch. Oops, the lights went out. Your bestie Claire calls you from the building out front. You can breathe easy now, if for a moment. After searching outside your apartment to search for help to no avail, Claire says she sees someone inside your apartment. And Unhinged is off to the races.
Night School Studio is a developer that I would consider needs no introduction, but it probably does. Creators of the sci-fi masterworks Oxenfree and its sequel, they were bought by Netflix in 2021. Because it has been a while since Oxenfree 2 released in 2023, they have now revealed their hand. Unhinged is not so much a video game as it is an interactive experience. Honing in on some strengths of the studio while severely leaving others to dry, I find it mostly a gimmick. Whether this gamble will pay out, only time will tell, but I can see people enjoying its cool 30-minute runtime doing something out of the ordinary.
Are Interactive Movies The Future?
Like other Netflix Games on offer, the first thing you do is pair your phone as a controller. Once the QR code on the screen is scanned, it is as easy a pick-up-and-play experience as it can get. You use your phone as a flashlight, to point at things, and to press a big button in the middle of the screen to act on it. Moving across several curated horror scenarios, it is less point-and-click and more FMV. The one novel thing is how your phone’s screen actually changes to protagonist Ava’s screen.
For those who have played the Oxenfrees, I regret to say that this is not a worthy successor. Mind-blowing sci-fi scenarios, down-to-earth characters, and believable dialogues are not here. In turn, what we get is a stripped-down version of Until Dawn (but just as gory). I repeat, it’s not all bad. But I must say that I expected more. At least when your phone speaker is used for Ava’s friend to chat with you, the famous static seen in those debut titles makes an appearance. And I cannot blame them. For such a short experience, they try to do their best.
Being backed by Netflix means heavy star power behind them. Zoe Kravitz, Sadie Sink, and Troy Baker are the main characters, and as expected, they bring their A game. Zoe in particular sounds like I had never heard her before. Learning about their friendship through their brief dialogues or text messages, there is a glimpse of a lifelong relationship. In the Special Thanks section of the credits, both directors Zach Cregger (Weapons) and David Fincher (Gone Girl) are credited.
Big Ambitions
While their role in the project is not fully certain, certain tense sequences remind of their previous work. Appealing to a larger crowd, there is a standard and story mode to not die at any point during the playthrough. I will say that acting fast under pressure before a timer runs out is the best way to experience Unhinged. And the different choices on-screen entice replayability.
Expectations are the thief of joy. I will be the first to say that I expected more from Night School Studio. Then again, looking at this ambitious debut entry of interactive movies, Netflix Games has revealed its hand. Unhinged is the appetizer. Even if it is not, there is an appeal to a broader audience. Come Halloween, I’m sure this will be a fun game to play with no strings attached.
Unhinged is available to play right now on Netflix.
