INVITATION is a paid adventure game from XIV Studio. It was created by Korean university students. In this first-person survival horror, you play a university graduate and test experiment subject who accepted the eponymous “invitation.” After understanding his new circumstances, he now has to survive and escape. You traverse otherworldly hallways, which look like school in some parts and hell in others.

With a visual style that looks and feels similar to House of the Dead III, INVITATION is an eerie first-person experience. However, the gameplay is more like a watered-down version of Amnesia: The Dark Descent.

Answering a mysterious invitation

The first thing to note about INVITATION is its graphics, which immediately demonstrates the kind of quality you can expect: expansive set designs rendered in striking detail. As mentioned, its dark and gloomy atmosphere feels like a House of the Dead game, but without the shooting and all the fast-paced action. It is a slow burn that rewards you with twists and surprises along the way.

As a first-person game, it has an interface reminiscent of Resident Evil games in a way that interactive objects are zoomed in, front and center. Additionally, this game makes an additional effort to make it accessible to players. Usually, games of this genre commit to the darkness, making interaction difficult at times, but not this one. Interactive objects are easily visible all throughout the game.

However, it is not safe from the usual issues plaguing indie works. Apart from the smooth intro part, you get to enjoy the early parts of the game before the clunky middle and endgame sections. There are instances where players risk getting stuck on walls or being caught in enemy sights despite trying to hide behind walls or large objects.

A considerable effort but lacks optimization

In terms of story, INVITATION is as good as indie games generally go. It starts out with uncertainty and mystery, and drops pieces of the story as you progress. It makes use of the standard dark and gloomy atmospheric theme, but it keeps the game accessible to most players through its interface. Unfortunately, it suffers from bugs that are mostly located in the latter parts.