The Suicide of Rachel Foster

I got a lot of games over the course of the Covid 19 pandemic, one of which was The Suicide of Rachel Foster. This review has been on the backburner for a long time now, but I can't put it off anymore.

With that in mind, let's just rip off the band-aid and talk about The Suicide of Rachel Foster.

WARNING: There will be some heavy discussions ahead.

A Game with Horror Film Influences

The Suicide of Rachel Foster was developed by an Italian company called One-O-One Games and published by Daedalic Entertainment.

The idea behind the game was to create a horror title that wouldn't use the usual horror stereotypes. They wanted to discuss topics of sexual abuse, grief, and suicide...I warned you guys that there would be some heavy discussions ahead.

Now, the whole setup is meant to have several horror film influences, which I’ll get into in a bit. With that said, the game was released in 2020 and was met with a rather…lukewarm reception. The game’s setting - the Timberline Hotel - was praised for its overall creepy vibes. On the other hand, the plot was criticised for being too predictable.

The Story

In 1981, Leonard McGrath, is the owner of the Timberline Hotel. Everything’s going great until he’s discovered to be having an affair with a local teen - Rachel Foster. Foster, unable to handle the resulting gossip, commits suicide, throwing herself off a cliff and his wife, Claire takes their daughter and leaves him.

Ten years later, in 1991, Leonard passes away and leaves the Timberline - to his estranged daughter, Nicole, his wife having passed away some time before him. Nicole McGrath, now going by her mother’s maiden name of Wilson, goes up to the hotel to do an appraisal ahead of the hotel’s sale to a local hotel chain.

It’s not long before things go pear-shaped, however, as the hotel is suddenly engulfed in a massive snowstorm which leaves Nicole trapped. Her only connection to the outside world is a man named Irving with whom she communicates through a cell phone - yes, one of those big, clunky ones. As if that’s not bad enough, strange things begin happening around the hotel.

Obviously, it all goes downhill from there.

What Works?

Well, the concept is really cool and the story isn’t bad. The idea of the main character being stuck in a place full of memories - not all of them good - and having to find out the truth is something that goes back to the early days of detective and horror fiction.

As far as the writing goes, it’s decent enough, not great, but not terrible. Think low - medium budget TV horror film, and it falls somewhere in there.

The music is absolutely gorgeous, it’s soft and comforting, but, at the same time, it’s eerie and menacing and I love it! Likewise, the overall sound design is perfect; you feel completely alone and isolated - which is exactly the point.

What Doesn’t Work?

Oh boy, this is where things are going to get unpleasant. There are two elements that really don’t work:

• The relationship between Leonard and Rachel
• The ending

The relationship between Nicole’s father and Rachel Foster is approached as two people who fell in love - kind of an ‘age is just a number’ deal. We, the player, obviously know that Leonard is sexually abusing Rachel. He’s been grooming her for a while and had his way a few times before everything blew up. The game seems to approach the whole thing as a romantic thing which is decidedly disturbing.

Now, like I said earlier, the devs wanted to discuss sexual abuse - presumably in a respectful manner, treating it with the expected seriousness. Honestly…I think they failed and failed really, really badly. I may have missed it, but I don’t think either Nicole or Irving acknowledge what was actually going on between Leonard and Rachel as sexual abuse. There are a few notes here and there that acknowledge it, but it’s never spoke aloud. If you’re going to discuss something like sexual abuse, do it properly and give it the gravity it deserves - it’s not a joke or romantic in any sense of the term.

The other thing I take significant issue with is the game’s ending. Nicole ends up in her car and starts the engine. After a few seconds, you’re presented with a choice. If you leaving the engine running, Nicole dies of carbon monoxide poisoning. If you turn the car off, Nicole decides to keep the hotel and restore it - with the implication that she’s gone insane. Seriously, what sort of ending is this?! Suicide or insanity, those are the choices we’re given? Why?

I’m not trying to minimize how serious and damaging grief, death, and abuse can be, but having an ending that’s so dark isn’t exactly a positive experience. If it’s the isolation that’s gotten to Nicole, then let that be the cause, but make it clear that’s what’s going on. On the other hand, why not go for a more bittersweet, semi-happy ending? Why not have Nicole confront and make peace with what happened, sell the hotel and move on with her life? This could mimic the stages of grief to a degree.

Nicole clearly has a lot of anger and resentment for her father and what he did, that’s stage 1. Why not have her confront what he did, she can go into denial for a bit (stage 2), and work through it until she makes peace with it. Once she’s made peace with it, she finishes the assessment of the property, sells it, and then maybe sees it on the news that the Timberline is being restored or torn down.

I think that would’ve been a far better ending, don’t you?

I Feel Kind of Icky…

Overall, the Suicide of Rachel Foster isn’t too bad. It’s got some great music and visuals, and the concept and storyline are solid enough. The writing is a bit stilted at times but it works. Unfortunately, the whole subplot with Nicole’s dad having a sexual relationship with a minor leaves a bad taste in my mouth. Like I said, it doesn’t seem to be given the negative focus (i.e. how gross and messed up it is) that it should’ve had.

It’s given the exact opposite treatment, in fact, and it left me feeling kind of icky.

Still, those are just my thoughts. Let me know in the comment section what you guys and gals think of this one. In the meantime, if you’ll excuse me, I need to find some brain bleach.