The Coma 2B: Catacomb Review
Release Date: October 25, 2024
Developer: DVORA Studio
Platforms: PC (Reviewed), Xbox Series X|S, Xbox One, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Nintendo Switch
Price: $14.99
It's hard to believe when a game comes out, no matter how successful, niche, or "indie" it may be, that it could one day turn into a franchise when it feels like a one-off. Sometimes after finishing a title, you'll say something along the lines of "Wow, that was great" and leave it at that, not expecting a follow-up as it felt feature-complete with a story that was well-rounded and conclusive. When The Coma initially released in 2015 as The Coma: Cutting Class before it would become available globally as The Coma: Recut, Devespresso (now DVORA) immediately stood out as a reputable studio as The Coma provided an incredible atmosphere, unique art style, and an unforgettable ride of horror that was done in such a clever fashion it would stick with the player well after finishing the game. Years later, it would surprisingly (though happily) spawn sequels in the form of The Coma: Vicious Sisters and now The Coma 2B: Catacomb, while getting remasters, bundles, and physical versions along the way alongside other titles in-between such as Scarlet Hood and the Wicked Wood and Vambrace: Cold Soul—both equally exceptional titles that further showcase the growth and artistry of DVORA's in-house talent.
The Coma 2B: Catacomb provides a very familiar experience for those that have played its predecessors, but it works to its benefit and doesn't take away from the experience at all as The Coma is tuned well and captivating enough that you feel compelled to want to go back into that world, very much living up to the saying of "don’t fix what's not broken".
As 2B will be taking place between The Coma 1 and The Coma 2, players will once more be taking the role of Youngho Choi from the debut title. Having escaped from the clutches of the haunted Sehwa High, he resumes his life and attends school like normal, meeting up with and talking to friends and teachers just like in everyday life, but as you go through the week taking tests and going through the standard routines of breaks, activities after school, and going home for day, you start to notice as things become a bit skewed as days pass by. The days begin to feel endless, and, oddly, a sense of déjà vu begins to creep over Youngho and the player, as they notice little tidbits that seem to have already occurred or are becoming distorted. Once the realization sinks in that the days and testing begin to feel endless because of a loop, that's when things unfold and you're brought back into the nightmare of the Coma, once again trying to survive and make sense of what's real and what's not as the vicious power of the aura that infects this mirrored universe begins to leak into the real.
From here on out, the player will go through familiar environments and once again become accustomed to the mechanics and functions of the game, noticing a trend of collecting money for vending machines and bartering to obtain items that will keep Youngho alive, finding collectibles that are both essential and non-essential to the progression of the game as well as completion of quests, and running and hiding from all the dangers that lurk from the surrounding shadows. Movement feels well and the environments are extremely well designed - if not more detailed - this time around so areas of safety, interest, and danger should be immediately recognizable. Throughout all of this, traps are set once again in a variety of places, though admittedly they feel a bit more excessive this time around, though this could just be me misremembering things from the prior installments. However, though it's excessive, there's still a chance of survival with the use of running, flashlights, dodging, and items to keep Youngho alive, but a big part of what makes The Coma so great to me in general is its atmosphere, and though the tension is at an all-time high because of the traps and consistently being on high-alert, it can sometimes take away from the enjoyment as the tension eventually builds into frustration, which can lead to simply not wanting to invest as much time through each play session.
To be fair, it's a fine line trying to find where to make games challenging in a way that's still compelling, and it's even more so difficult in my opinion to find a way to do this within the horror genre, as the genre itself (especially Survival Horror) is already meant to instill fear from more often than not being unable to defend yourself to begin with. This is where the difficulty spikes set in throughout the series, and it's been a constant struggle for The Coma that is still looking to find that recipe that balances it out. The Coma may seem approachable on the surface, but it really is more so for horror enthusiasts that understand and are seasoned with few checkpoints and location-based saving. Those that are more casual expecting frequent autosaving and immediate restarts are in for a world of pain as Youngho goes through the brutal world being attacked and hunted by creatures of all kinds, all while he's aiming to uncover and solve what it is that's happening and how to stop it so it doesn't happen again and at a grander scale.
Taking the horror through a side-scrolling perspective rather than an over-the-shoulder third-person or first-person perspective, The Coma remains unique in this regard but still does its best to mitigate any issues that may come with the limited perspective. Jump scares are timed well and tasteful, but a lot of the time these can come with scripted moments in which you're meant to take damage, and though it feels like there are more areas in which to find and buy items that help you throughout, it can sometimes feel like a cheap shot to intentionally cripple the player to induce a difficulty spike rather than tension. These are similar to past entries, so poison, bleeding, and the like will remain in play here and have an effect on Youngho's survival and performance. Abusing the sprint system will bring Youngho out of breath and cause him to walk slower than normal, and the stamina recharge is abysmal. Of course, there are items to immediately replenish this, but with so many chase sequences and areas in which it seems like the world is watching you, sometimes hiding feels like it's out of the question. It's a difficult thing to extrapolate since this is a system that should be in place, but it has felt so inconsistent throughout the series with some areas feeling like it's utilized well with others feeling miserable.
The game runs like a charm, however. The Coma 2B: Catacomb on both PC and Steam Deck run flawlessly, and even when things can get fairly hectic between the sequences of debris, effects, animations, running from area to area (which load), everything feels fluid and seldom sees a hiccup. The fluidity makes for a horror experience that feels tight and responsive, even when things don't seem to be going your way either by difficulty or trial-and-error. It also looks absolutely sharp and vivid on LCD and OLED screens, really bringing out a color palette that is complementary to every location and moment despite the tenebrous environments and somber tones.
It is unfortunate though fair to say that The Coma 2B: Catacomb is the weakest of the bunch, though it's far from bad by any means. In fact, it's quite enjoyable just as they all have been, but when compared to the longevity and genuine entertainment the other two Coma's have provided, 2B felt like more of a filler, though the lore is hugely appreciated as the story is great and you want to know about the characters and mystery of the world, as previously stated. It doesn't have that grip that the other two have, and I'm not sure if it's because of the puzzles feeling a bit obtuse (though the ideas are good here), or if it's because the pacing seems all over the place, or maybe even because of the random difficulty spikes (though this has been consistent across all of them, though it's especially egregious here), but The Coma 2B overall doesn't stick the landing like Recut and Vicious Sisters before it. Once again, it's worth mentioning that just because it's the weakest of the bunch doesn't mean that it still doesn't hold its own - it most definitely does - and it's accessible to those that haven't played the other two as well (though obviously there's more to appreciate here for those that have).
Though The Coma 2B: Catacomb doesn't live up to the ferocity of its past entries, I'm still extremely happy that it exists and that DVORA is so committed to the franchise. It's crazy to think that now The Coma will be almost ten years old, and they have done a fantastic job at keeping it unique and a stand-out within both the Indie scene and horror genre, as no one has come close to replicating what they've done with The Coma that makes it so formidable. With other indie horror titles like Detention, Corpse Party, and DreadOut in similar settings eventually finding their cult following and expanding into films and the like, I would love to eventually see the same thing happen with The Coma as there's a lot of lore here that is fun to uncover with a cast you (mostly) care about and want to go along with.
PROS:
DVORA's art is once again unparalleled and a feast for the eyes
The atmosphere and approach to horror is just as consistent as its predecessors, holding a strong grip on the player
CONS:
Puzzles can sometimes feel obtuse
The weakest of all The Coma titles, but still worth playing through
Our deepest gratitude to Headup and Nordic Stone for providing us a copy of The Coma 2B: Catacomb for the purposes of this review!