Blending fictional horrors with historical atrocities is nothing short of an arduous task. If not handled with the care it is deserving of, one that could easily feel exploitative. But from the opening moments of Red Candle Games Detention, it’s clear that the studio has gone to great pains to impart personal pieces of its team’s personal history and culture into the game. 

When games attempt to use real-world events and historical accuracy as a jumping-off point for their experience, some will lament these can often feel like a history lesson rather than a narrative experience.

Using myself as an example, I would say this would be an unequivocally false claim to lay against Detention. Despite not being familiar with Taiwan’s fight for independence or the atrocities that occurred before and during the White Terror period, the developer has crafted a world that shows its history rather than regurgitating it. 

Putting the player into the shoes of a high school senior, Ray, and exploring the deserted but undoubtedly supernatural, haunting grounds that were once her school allows the player to get a sense of the period from the atmosphere crafted. Furthermore, the handling of scares and genre tropes that occur are seamlessly blended into the thematic narrative giving more credence to them than just,” that was scary.” 

It makes for a moving and melancholic experience that I may have discovered late, but I am glad I experienced it all the same.

In this episode, we discuss Red Candle’s approach to horror and how it differs from most. We also touch upon the faithful film adaptation that stands out as one of the best video game adaptations around, even if it hasn’t been seen as widely as others.

Safe Room is a weekly horror video game discussion podcast, premiering on all major platforms every Monday. Feel free to browse our LinkTree for a complete list of services here.

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Neil – @Nezzko

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