I'm a huge horror advocate, because when it is done right, it stands as one of the best genres of cinema, video gaming and fiction. But when done poorly, horror can flop much harder than any other practice because of the ingredients that make it so effective. Horror in video games is made to be scary when the atmosphere, audio, lighting and mechanics blend together in order to make the player tense, fearing to look over their shoulder even when they stop playing.

Decay: The Mare, is a point-and-click 'horror' adventure that tries to play on the truly psychological fears of the human psyche. Whether it does this effectively is a matter of personal preference, but for me, this game simply isn't worth your time. For starters, the first act is set in an abandoned psychiatric hospital which is simply the most original thing ever for a horror game, not clichéd at all. That's forgiveable however, as many amazing Indie developers have created horror games that used the same setting as Decay.

But this game then wastes the setting by killing the atmosphere almost instantly, giving the level repetitive, dull sounds that loop in the background and subsequently takes you away from the creepy design overall. Seriously, music and audio bites are critical in creating horror, and Decay wastes an opportunity by using random 'wind whistling' sounds which could have been replaced by the odd creak or the gentle laughter of other patients to greater effect.

As the game progresses, and I use that word lightly because you're given constant hint tries from the bottom right of the screen which have limited uses but come back after you aimlessly move for less then twenty seconds, you find hints in the form of notes about the hospital that you're holed up inside. Despite the game trying it's absolute best to help the player move through the level, you're given zero direction except for the magical hint button. This total lack of spacial awareness could have been made use of if you were given access to a map or if certain rooms within the 'Reaching Dreams' hospital were made more unique and recognisable.

The puzzle mechanics are as bland as the textures, you'll view a picture only to realise the blinking eyes are the code or something equally as basic. There are Zelda puzzles that held me up for longer than the first act of Decay did, I mean this as respectfully as I can but they need to be better constructed so that the player actually feels rewarded.

Decay falls down completely though, when you consider it brands itself as a horror title. Yes, it uses bloody, dilapidated textures which it shoves in your camera, coupled with the infrequent and short 'scares' that are designed to terrify the players but it's not horror. This entire experience isn't even vaguely horrifying, even with headphones on and lights turned out, Decay fails to grip your shoulder even when it could do. Despite a small jump scare five minutes in and a series of incoherent notes, Decay seems to actively avoid using itself to scare you. The game unfortunately does itself no favours because of its point-and-click design, which quickly bore you as you get lost in the same pointless corridors, without any real help.

I really wanted to enjoy this game, I really did, but so much went poorly within the first ten vital minutes. The lighting was poor, the level design suffers from looking the same, the plot points you do receive are so cryptic that they make no sense even as time progresses, the audio is not as good as it should be and it lacks horror overall. It's a good attempt as a free title, but certainly not worth the current price of £7.99 on Steam.