I missed the boat with Daymare: 1998 in its original release but I finally found myself playing it this last year. What started as a fan remake of the great Resident Evil 2 soon evolved into its own original creation and set out to deliver an old-school survival horror experience. Though made from a very small team, developers Invader Studios succeeded in some aspects but fell wildly short in others. So it’s interesting to see Invader go back to the drawing board and carve out a more unique identity with Daymare: 1994 Sandcastle.
Did they succeed in Round 2? The results may surprise you.
Daymare: 1994 Sandcastle follows H.A.D.E.S. operative Dahlia Reyes. Set before the first game’s events, Sandcastle follows her and her squad as they take part in “Operation Sandcastle,” which takes them into the depths of Area 51. An event only referenced in the first game, Sandcastle gives players the chance to experience this critical event in Daymare lore firsthand and gain more context in the world that Invader have crafted. This along with its science fiction inspired Area 51 setting hooked me instantly as its a tone and setting scarcely explored in horror games.
First things first, Sandcastle makes its first improvement by focusing on a single playable character. In the first Daymare, the story flew wildly all over the place by jumping around between characters and setting but Sandcastle has time to focus on Reyes and flesh out her personality and story. By the end of the game I found myself a big fan of her background as a scientist-turned-soldier. This has caused the story to be told slightly better than the first game with more personal and emotional stakes, though the writing lets down some of the more emotional beats; especially when some of the animation is lacking in the game’s cutscenes.
Gameplay is a mixed bag. Sandcastle delivers on survival exploration most obviously inspired by the Resident Evil series. Exploration involves backtracking and solving puzzles to progress through the mysterious base. Unfortunately exploration never really resonated with me as it’s a tad bland and feels linear in most parts. Sure there’s ways to create shortcuts to backtrack to previous areas but most of the time it boils down to: “Enter a new area. Briefly explore. Solve a puzzle. Move on. Repeat.” Sandcastle attempts to shake up the monotony by equipping players with the new D.I.D. scanner, a device similar in concept to the scanners from games such as Metroid Prime or Resident Evil: Revelations. Though the scanner adds more to lore and environmental storytelling, it never brings anything substantial to exploration. I found myself skipping scan points more often than not.
Perhaps my favorite aspect of Sandcastle as a whole is the combat and the introduction of the Frost Grip weapon. Early on in the game, Reyes discovers a key item that allows her to shoot out bolts of ice in either blasts or streams. What’s neat about this item is not only is it used in combat but exploration as well. During combat I could shoot out blasts of ice to completely freeze an enemy and shatter them with a satisfying animation. The Frost Grip quickly becomes a tool of crowd control that leans more into an action movie feel. The Frost Grip is also used during exploration, allowing Reyes to stop fire or white hot pipes to progress through the environment. It’s such a cool item that I seriously hope Invader brings it back for potential future installments.
I’ll say this. Daymare: 1994 Sandcastle is a sizable improvement over the original game, but it’s not without its faults. Though the story is more fascinating and combat is fun as hell with the Frost Grip, the exploration and technical shortcomings such as the facial animations hold it back. The biggest cardinal sin, however, is this: I don’t think Daymare: 1994 Sandcastle is very scary. Never once did I have a feeling of dread come over me or feel like I was fighting an uphill battle of survival. Instead of a life-threatening situation, I felt like I was being led through a haunted house maze at a theme park. With Invader saying they have intentions of making a third Daymare, maybe next time they can truly deliver the survival horror experience they hope to achieve.
Daymare: 1994 Sandcastle launched for PC via Steam, PlayStation 5, PlayStation 4, Xbox Series, Xbox One and the Nintendo Switch on August 30th.
Editor’s Note: Review code provided by the publisher.
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