Unhinged turns your phone into part of the horror on Netflix
Overview & Key Takeaways
Night School Studio's track record with atmospheric horror speaks for itself. Oxenfree was one of the most unsettling things to come out of mobile gaming in a while, and its sequel did nothing to spoil that reputation. Unhinged, out now on Netflix, is the studio's latest, and it's doing something a little different this time around. Zoë Kravitz voices Ava, a woman trapped in her apartment building during a Category 5 hurricane with no power and considerably less solitude than she bargained for. Sadie Sink is Claire, the best friend calling from across the street. ... [MORE]
- Your phone becomes Unhinged's motion controller
- Story and Standard modes offer different horror experiences
- Zoë Kravitz, Sadie Sink and Troy Baker lead the cast
Night School Studio's track record with atmospheric horror speaks for itself. Oxenfree was one of the most unsettling things to come out of mobile gaming in a while, and its sequel did nothing to spoil that reputation. Unhinged, out now on Netflix, is the studio's latest, and it's doing something a little different this time around.
Zoë Kravitz voices Ava, a woman trapped in her apartment building during a Category 5 hurricane with no power and considerably less solitude than she bargained for. Sadie Sink is Claire, the best friend calling from across the street.
Troy Baker is Ben, the building super, and I'll admit some bias here: I loved him in The Last of Us, so seeing him turn up in something built around dread and close spaces is a good sign.
The control setup is pretty cool. Find Unhinged in the Netflix Games row, scan a QR code, and your phone becomes the controller. Ava's flashlight tracks with how you physically move the phone in the real world. The coolest part is when she gets a call or a text. Your phone rings. Vibrates. Plays the audio directly through its speaker while everything else runs through the TV.
Two modes are available. Story Mode strips out the timer and the threat of dying entirely, so it plays closer to an interactive film if that's what you're after. Standard Mode brings the pressure back with a shrinking timer during tense moments, forcing you to scan the room fast for something to interact with. Die, and you restart from a checkpoint. Punishing it isn't, but you'll feel it.
Unhinged is available now through Netflix. You'll need an active subscription to play.
If horror on mobile is your thing, our list of the best horror games on iOS is worth a look.
