Detention Critic Reviews

Detention is more Silent Hill than the many Silent Hill clones on the market.

Detention isn't for everyone. It's not an easy snack to gobble up. It will haunt you for some time and creep into your dreams. I recommend the game for those who enjoy deep and troubled stories and want to experience them in some other manner than just keep walking and pressing X when prompted. I can't stress enough how mature the story and its dramaturgy is, considering these guys have never done any published games or storytelling before. Detention meets all the unwritten laws of Asian tragedies and I could easily picture it as a movie by the likes of Ang Lee, the world renowned Taiwanese director. That's the highest compliment I can imagine giving to this game.

This game is a true little gem from Taiwan. Its unobtrusive horror atmosphere and unique storytelling will make you remember this game forever.

Detention is a marvel of sight, sound, gameplay and storytelling; a highly atmospheric horror adventure that manages to accomplish more in its short playtime than some games twice its length.

Detention is an astonishingly well-put together game that understands how brooding horror is more effective than mere jump-scares.

Quotation forthcoming.

This Taiwanese indie title is so much more than just another horror game. It takes on ambitious themes in a rich point and click adventure.The creepy artwork and soundtrack will feel divine and beautiful once you reach the end of the game.

Detention is a great horror game, with a mature story and some interesting gameplay mechanics. It's a shame the experience loses some of its impact during the final part, but it is indeed a game we recommend to those looking for a survival horror.

Detention 返校 is a gorgeous representation of human nature. It has both horrors of mankind and the paranormal worlds. It grasps you by your ultimate weakness, your mind, and lets you escape this nightmare through the controlled character, Fang.

Detention preserves the historical memory of Taiwan, showing the bloody roots of a country oppressed by the martial law for over 38 years. It is a unique and precious survival horror that knows how to tell an important, crucial and painful story that belongs to us all.

A psychological horror game with a great atmosphere, an impressive story and clever puzzle. Is a great adventure that especially enjoy it if you love oriental terror.

Red Candle Games delivers horror as poignant as it is piercing, showcasing for the international game community the horrors of authoritarian communism. Although Detention has several points which can be improved, the whole is greater than the sum of its parts; players will walk away – or run, screaming – with a fresh, thoughtful gaming experience.

An intelligent, thought-provoking, and extremely creepy adventure, that proves that survival horror can be more than just shooting zombies.

Despite a disappointing final act, this chilling horror story set in 1960s Taiwan burrows its way into your skull and, brilliantly, makes you anticipate the worst around every corner.

I’m almost completely immune to horror games – they just don’t scare me. From time to time an exception from this rule happens and Detention is one of those exceptions. First half of the game expertly blends heavy, unsettling atmosphere with occasional jump scares and it’s a shame that the second half can’t keep up. If you enjoy being scared and don’t mind an excessively convoluted story with a moderately satisfying ending, give Detention a try.

A game unlike any horror film you've seen before.

Detention is an especially engaging and well-made thriller, one that builds the sense of isolation and fear through its sombre design and oppressive themes it explores rather than relying on cheap scares.

Detention has something important to say, but using a game as a medium seems inappropriate in this instance. While the subject matter is definitely worth discussing and I'd personally love to see more of this in games moving forward, the way in which it's been executed here left me groaning by the end of the three hours. Predictable in terms of story and unimaginative in terms of game design, Detention doesn't work as a game.

Despite a heavy dollop of Silent Hill, it’s a horror game unlike anything else I’ve played thanks to the smart use it makes of its historical setting. If you’re interested in thoughtful, fearsome games, don’t let this one slip by.