Jandusoft have already developed and published some really fun indie horror titles, like the Horror Tales saga and Evil inside so they know how to set the tone and their survival horror experience Scholar’s Mate has just received its console release after being available on Steam since October last year.
Upon waking up from a hazy dream you find yourself locked in a room. There is a mysterious note on the wall telling you where the key is, great I thought, we are one step closer to figuring out what is going on. I then spent the next 40 minutes wandering around the 2 floors of this asylum trying to figure out what to do next. I’m usually pretty good at solving puzzles but Scholar’s Mate had me stumped on more than one occasion and the way Scholar’s Mate is designed you have to solve your current puzzle before you can move on. After opening a few lockers and finding some keys I had started to make some progress. Sure the atmosphere of the asylum is creepy but it’s not enough to call it a horror.
As I left the bathroom feeling pretty chuffed with myself having solved another puzzle out bursts a knife wielding figure, with nothing to fight him with you must run and hide. The is where Scholar’s Mate ramps up the pressure. From now on you don’t just have to solve puzzles you also have to avoid “Eddie” while doing them. This does add some urgency but also brings frustration when your exploring is cut short by an unwelcome guest. Luckily Eddie isn’t to bright and follows a set path around the asylum giving you time to scratch that rock hard brain of yours.
The audio in Scholar’s Mate is incredible and you are encouraged to wear headphones, and it’s well worth it. Being an old building all the doors are creaky and you footsteps can be heard echoing down the hallway. One false move will bring Eddie rushing over to investigate and this can lead to instant death if you are not concentrating. The auto save is not very reliable and with no manual save you can be sent back a puzzle or two which is beyond annoying. Unfortunately there are no audio distractions to send Eddie off in the other direction while you search, it’s just run and hide.
The lighting is very dim which allows Scholar’s Mate to not have the most beautiful graphics but that almost adds to the charm. There are 3 difficulty settings that give Eddie advanced sight and hearing, if you are going for the platinum or the 100% you will have to play it on Scholar’s Mate difficulty but thankfully it’s quite easy to hide from Eddie if he spots you.
Scholar’s Mate is between 2 and 3 hours long depending on how smart you are. It took me a little longer than that even with a little help, but for $15 to $18 AUD depending on your platform its well worth a try. Even if it’s just to prove you are smarter than me.
Thanks to Jandusoft for the review code
Scholar’s Mate was reviewed on Xbox Series X and is also available on Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4 & 5, PC, Xbox One and Xbox Series S/X
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