Threshold [PC] | REVIEW

Threshold sends players on a psychological adventure that takes a deceptively simple premise -keeping a train running by blowing a whistle – and transforms it into an unsettling mystery that’ll constantly keep you guessing. I know, I know, the gameplay premise might not sound that exciting, but it offers a captivating and eerie tale that hides something sinister behind its seemingly mundane concept.

Check out some screenshots down below:

Players take on the role of a nameable protagonist (although that name is limited to just two letters) as they start their new job at the Border Post. Your main responsibility? To ensure a train’s journey runs smoothly by blowing a whistle. It’s a simple enough task on paper, but when you realize that every action requires air to complete, it becomes clear that you need to plan out your actions wisely. The mountain’s thin air means you’ll need a steady supply of air canisters to survive, and these canisters are consumed not just during your primary duty but also for basic movements like running and jumping.

Balancing the need for air with your desire to explore creates a tantalising gameplay loop that sees players weigh out the risk versus the reward as they try to unravel the secrets of their surroundings. You’ll find yourself wrapped up in a variety of tasks during your time at the Border Post too, whether that’s repairing holes with planks, cleaning up, or even fishing in a nearby river. Again, these seem like mundane tasks, but given the game’s surreal twist, there’s always something about them that just feels… uneasy. I don’t want to give away too much here, but Threshold does a really good job of putting you in uncomfortable situations that’ll just leave you with a sense of discomfort (and I mean that in the best possible way). It’s deceptively satisfying to play, and whilst you might not be doing anything ‘exciting’, you’re drip-fed enough plot details and twists to keep you wholly hooked into the experience.

What adds to the suspense of playing Threshold are the mysteriously eerie sights around you, with the likes of messages scrawled in blood, the giant foreboding wall with a towering structure looming behind it, the peculiar cabin that’s always locked, or the fact that there’s a fresh grave nearby, all alluding to the fact that something just isn’t quite right at the Border Post. Each of these hint at a larger mystery that’s tied to the train and its cargo, but it’s up to the player to try and piece everything together. It’s rife with peculiarities and simply uncovering each secret of the world became more and more rewarding as I progressed.

“Threshold might seem like a mundane experience, but its unsettling and atmospheric mystery kept me hooked in from start to end.”

Aiding (or perhaps hindering) your journey is your colleague Mo. Mo serves as your primary source of guidance and will give you information about the job and answer questions. However, his reactions depend on your behaviour: probe too deeply into certain topics, and you may find yourself on his bad side, but just do your job, and he’ll be fine with you. This dynamic adds an extra layer of tension to your interactions and makes Mo an unpredictable yet endearing character.

Your choices throughout the game also impact the ending you’ll receive, and whilst it can be obvious which way they’re going at times, it does add to the suspense. Threshold isn’t a long game (it’s easily beatable in just over an hour), but its expert pacing makes it perfect for multiple playthroughs to see everything it has to offer. You’ll definitely want to experience it more than once, if only to get to the bottom of the mysteries of the Border Post.

It is worth noting that it doesn’t hold your hand and leaves much of its mechanics and narrative for the player to figure out themselves. On one hand, this sense of discovery can be really satisfying, especially when your experimentation in exploration pays off and you discover some of the game’s unique quirks by yourself. On the other, certain aspects can feel a little overwhelming and ambiguous without a guiding hand to let you know how everything works, especially when it comes to air management. In fairness, the game does offer a difficulty setting that helps give players a little more guidance, but it’ll still require some experimentation before you fully figure out how everything works. It was actually something that I really liked, and by the time I got to my third playthrough, I feel I’d worked out the best way to make the most of the game.

Check out some screenshots down below:

Although Threshold isn’t a horror game in the traditional sense, much like publisher Critical Reflex’s previous release Mouthwashing, its atmosphere is deeply unsettling. The PSOne-era aesthetic, with its gritty textures and muted colours, adds to the sense of unease with the environment. The sound design also plays a critical role in building tension – whether it’s the oppressive hum of the train or the protagonist’s laboured breathing as their air supply dwindles. These elements combine to create a world that feels both claustrophobic and unconventionally frightening, but also, most importantly, tantalising to be a part of.

Developer: Julien Eveillé
Publisher: Critical Reflex
Platform(s): PC (Reviewed)
Website: https://store.steampowered.com/app/2580020/THRESHOLD/