When Fantasy And Reality Meet

Recently, VILE: Exhumed has gained significant attention due to its removal from Steam, which many have attributed to the game's violent content. I didn't get to play VILE: Exhumed while it was available on Steam, so I visited the official website for more information. After downloading it, I checked the notes, and it said:

"[VILE: Exhumed] was banned not for its use of gore in storytelling, or its sensitive themes, it was wrongfully banned for 'sexual content with depictions of real people.''"

I found myself increasingly intrigued. Will this be the most disturbing experience I have ever encountered in a game, or, as is often the case, is it merely an exaggerated response?

Behind the Screen

You are told from the beginning that there are no saves in the game. You are given no backstory whatsoever. You start on a computer screen that asks you for a four-digit PIN. After entering the PIN, you can access various websites, programs, and files if you successfully figure out their login and password information. Are you the person who owns the computer? Are you a stranger who is invading someone else's privacy? As you explore the computer, you begin to uncover disturbing information about the kinks and sexual pleasures that the owner engages in, leading you to question whether this is more than just a fantasy for them.

The main objective of the gameplay is to browse a computer. There is a short mini-game you can play, but overall this is a puzzle game where you need to do some detective work to figure out how to access each area to uncover more information. I love putting together clues and finding hidden meaning behind things. I wouldn't describe any of the challenges as difficult, but for a solid 20 minutes, I couldn't figure out one puzzle, and when it finally clicked, I felt foolish.

I might be showing my age here, but I loved the layout of the computer system. It is using a made-up operating system, programs, and websites, but it has that late 90's feel to it. I got a surge of nostalgia, especially when I heard the sound of the modem connecting. Even the pages load slowly, reminding me of how long it used to take to download an image.

Digital Decay

I can say that the content contains some gore and uses real-life models to portray the violence. However, it isn't anything incredibly unacceptable. In fact, I can confidently say that I have encountered games that are much worse. It could be argued that since they are using real-life models and the subject matter is about violence towards women, stalking, and gore porn, it is a touchy subject. However, it is stated at the start that these topics will be in it, and like I said before, the content isn't anything I would say crossed lines.

I know it may seem odd to say, but I liked how uneasy it made me feel. I knew that as new information unfolded, the subject matter would become increasingly disturbing. When I watch movies featuring zombies or aliens killing people, I consider them scary, but I know that such events are fictional and do not happen in real life. When you see behind the eyes of how someone like this thinks, feels, and lusts after people, it is something that lingers in your mind.

The Price of Artistic Freedom

This is a solo project by developer Cara Cadaver, who also goes by 'Final Girl Games.' I can see a lot of 90s B horror or found footage influences. It also has strong similarities to Perfect Blue, a late 1990s anime that explores similar themes of obsession and the stalking of a celebrity.

As of right now, the game is no longer available on Steam, but you can download it for free thanks to Cara and DreadXP's desire to make it free. This was because they believed in the message of the game and were against the censorship of it. Additionally, 50% of all donations from the game go to Red Door Family Shelter, a Toronto-based charity that helps families, refugees, and women escaping violence. I enjoyed VILE: Exhumed and recommend it to anyone who is into retro psychological analog horror.