That Which Gave Chase

I saw the new upload from Wendigoon and just from the first couple of minutes, I knew I wanted to play this. I stopped watching and picked it up since I wanted to experience it firsthand. I love the vague nature of the story and character(s) and the isolated feeling the entire game left me feel uneasy in a good way. So bravo and I would to see more of this caliber of games from you in the future. Now if you'll excuse me, I'm going to go watch Wendi's video now.

This is always the true test
That Which Gave Chase is a first-person atmospheric horror game, where the retro PSX graphics give pixelated life to Aslak Karlsen Hauglid's baleful story. You play as a nameless dog musher escorting a scientist on an expedition into the frigid wilderness of the Arctic. Along with the cold, suspicions and mistrust soon begin to creep in. The reason behind this expedition, as well as its eventual fate are both things that only time will tell.
The game has an amazing story, so I will avoid giving more details about its plot now. Some of my thoughts on the game's story and specifically on the ending are written in the comments below. Feel free to read them if you have already played the game and I am more than willing to discuss about it.
The sum of a half remembered feeling and a long forgotten dream
With an atmospheric slowburn narrative, That Which Gave Chase is mostly linear, with exploration being limited but rewarding. Small tidbits of lore are available for the player to find out during various sections. While the game's progression is linear, the story is not: jumpcuts are random and frequent. They are also a source of constant uncertainty and anxiety, greatly enhancing the horror aspect of the game. As the dread builds up, the tension becomes almost unbearable. An ominous feeling gave chase with the game's start and it followed me well after the credits had rolled.
Remember, you were so eager to chase the answers. How long will it take you to realise that the answers have been chasing you back all this time? Before the cold lulls you into sleep, try hard to listen through the noise. You might be able to faintly hear yourself failing the test, again and again. Until the fear and the doubt are gone and you have passed through the sieve. Until the chase is over.

Just watched Wendigoon's video on this game and it reminded me how much I enjoyed it.
100%'d it in ~2.5 hours with 3 playthroughs, and while that might not add up to the "$1/hour of play" metric, the experience is definitely worth the $5 price tag. It's been about a year since I played this last, and because I'm revisiting it now, I plan on replaying it again tonight after the sun goes down.
Very atmospheric, thought-provoking, creepy. Unique. An experience that will stick with you. Leaves you with questions. The aesthetics are perfect, the PS1-esque graphics compliment the harshness of the world you traverse. A great horror game that doesn't overstay its welcome, though admittedly I do wish it had lasted a little longer.
I hope the developer makes more games like this. I think it would be very hard to replicate the feelings you get from playing this game for the first time, and it could even cheapen the experience to try and do the same thing again, but I think Aslak Karlsen Hauglid has a great sense of psychological horror and is capable of creating an equally unique and worthy experience. I will certainly be playing his next release.
Highly recommended.

Maybe its because I recently read The Terror by Dan Simmons, but playing an isolating game in the arctic was exactly the feeling that I was still looking for. While I don't think this game does anything exceptional, it does nail the uncertainty, loneliness, and unease that I desired from The Terror.

I got this when I saw that Wendigoon made a video about it, then realized I can pet the sled dogs. Instant 10/10. What else do you need?

For all the live service, micro transaction, fomo, battle pass riddled games available on Steam, it's games like That Which Gave Chase that continue to nurture gaming as a hobby for me.
What a thriller! Gameplay wise this is what you might expect from heavily narrative focused titles. The gameplay is not much more than a catalyst to progress the story. That does not make it bad or boring, the action within the game is focused and intentional, but if you're looking for a gameplay focused experience this may leave something to be desired.
While the story is not long it is very well paced. I clocked it at a little over an hour and for the money I spent, felt respected. Atmospherically the game can be subtle, yet intense. Fear of the unknown and having the lore come together how it did was a treat. I'd easily recommend playing this in one sitting and I think most people will as the pacing is excellent. It never gets too slow or too fast, just right in a way that reaches blissful flow.
Sound and art design are crisp. This is very much a PSX style game with minimal objects, but the immersion is excellent. Isolation, dread, confusion, it all sets in thanks to the design choices.
That Which Gave Chase reminds me of finding a hidden gem at Blockbuster Video. While there are a lot of people who won't experience this, if you've found your way to this game I can't recommend enough to put your phone on Do Not Disturb for 90 minutes and soaking this in. You won't regret it.

“Hearts unyielding in the face of endless struggle.”
Extremely atmospheric and mesmerizing; really think this might be one of my favorite uses of the PSX graphical style in a modern day indie game. It really just, soaks in its own dreamy, vibey aesthetic and much for the better- not a very deep game, even though its story tries to touch on some rather complex subjects, but this really works as an experimental horror piece with a great hook.
That Which Gave Chase’s simplicity and set up really just speaks for itself; you’re in the snowy mountains “deep into the unforgiving wastes of the arctic.” with nothing but a sled, the 4 dogs that move it, (you can pet them!!) a rifle, a lantern, some other small hunting supplies, and a partner who may or may not be on the verge of insanity. It admiringly really stretches the simplistic set up to a really impressive degree and gets all the possible mileage out of it in its 45 minute-hour runtime.
Traversing the abandoned mountains, the barren landscape, with nothing but deers and religious artifacts, and finding empty cabins feels as thrilling and tense as you can imagine- the game really utilizes sudden jump cuts (maybe a bit too much admittedly.) to boost this horror and sense of diving into insanity in a way that just clicks with the game’s loose grip on reality. It all just kind of works, especially when all the build ups finally pay off in a somewhat predictable- but very satisfying manner.
Effective game in the indie horror scene, huge fan of everything it’s going for even though I do wish it was maybe a tad bit longer- That Which Gave Chase really soars in moments of slow burn horror, the fear of the unknown, and the dread of loneliness that is baked in the concept- but man, I do wish it did a little more with what it was given, still, don’t get me wrong! I really enjoyed this, it scared me! Very strong recommend from me, especially because it’s like, 5 USD lol.