The Fridge is Red

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Who would have imagined that Resident Evil would have spawned a genre as varied and unusual as horror games? From classic tank-control survival horror like the genre’s progenitor to more modern anxiety-focused hide-’em-ups like Amnesia: The Dark Descent and Alien Isolation, there’s terror for every palate. One subgenre that hasn’t really been explored nearly enough is appliance horror. We’re talking evil washing machines, possessed lamps, that kind of thing. You know, basically half of Stephen King’s bibliography.

How fortunate, then, that The Fridge is Red is here to remind us that just because you bought that demonic appliance at Sears doesn’t mean it won’t supply some scares. Wait, Sears? Speak of the dead…

via YouTube

The Fridge is Red is an anthology series sort of game, reminiscent of classic films like Creepshow. We’ve got several segments here, each with their own bizarre tale to tell and all connected by the titular spooky refrigerator. You’ve got a journey through a haunted hospital, a set of trials and tribulations while leaving work, and, of course, the classic collect-all-the-fridge-letters-before-you’re-eaten-alive-by-a-fridge level that we know from pretty much every game out there.

That fridge is no joke. This thing doesn’t just chill your drinks, it’ll also chill your spine…but the way in which it does so varies from segment to segment. Each has their own gameplay conceit, from the aforementioned fridge-letter thing to several varieties of brain-bending maze. The latter might be overused, in fact, and it’s probably worth mentioning that if you’re not a maze fan you might just want to skip out on The Fridge is Red since they come up so often. Generally, though, there’s something to be said for the way each episode mixes things up, and generally you’re done with a segment right around the time that its starting to outstay its welcome.

In fact, since each segment doesn’t have very much time to stick around, The Fridge is Red is forced to rely heavily on its presentation to make an impact. From that perspective it’s pretty successful, though, as it aims for a sort of low-fi OG PlayStation level of graphical horror. Notwithstanding that old PS1 horror games didn’t really look this grody, it’s convincing enough to one’s sense of nostalgia and almost certainly allowed for the variety of gameplay that’s on offer since a new set of fancy graphics didn’t have to be assembled for each segment. Add in some creepy and atmospheric sound design and you’ve got a winning recipe that probably keeps well in the fridge.

The Fridge is Red launches at just the right time for spooky games to thrive, but you don’t need Halloween to enjoy the stories this one is selling. Don’t expect a huge degree of gameplay depth and maybe consider bringing some breadcrumbs for those mazes. If you can get past those minor quibbles, though, The Fridge is Red offers a number of exquisitely creepy scenarios.