The Suicide of Rachel Foster

The story of the game revolves around Nicole who returns to the hotel where she spent her childhood. Together with her mother they left as it turned out her father'd had an affair with a high school student (Rachel) 30 years his junior. Now that her father passed away Nicole is back to take one last look and decide if the establishment really needs to be sold.
To make things complicated there is a snowstorm that cuts Nicole off from civilization. As we get to the master suite we manage to get hold of Irving, a FEMA agent, who will provide support throughout the game via phone. Nicole's journey is told in 9 chapters (i.e. 9 days spent at the hotel) during which we solve technical problems such as fixing the heating or the lighting but at the same time investigate Rachel's past as each day more and more clues are popping up.
The game takes place in the early '90s so expect to find a lot of VHS & cassette tapes in key office areas. What I love in these walking sims is how you can pick up and rotate many objects and you'll notice that the attention to detail in this game is just superb. Dialogue between Nicole and Irving is regular thanks to the huge, bulky mobile phone she uses.
Both voice actors did a great job and what I also found a good thing when it comes to immersion was using a headset. This is something I mostly do in horror games not here. I remember finding a manhole cover in the garage area - it has no relation to the story, at all, but that small, removable plate had its own sound effect as Nicole was walking on it.
I don't want to spoil the story so let's just say there are a couple of twists here and there. The creators took a different direction I expected at the beginning. Due to this not everybody will accept the outcome, plus, the overall subject (suicide) of the game is a tad bit difficult to take in. It is a great walking sim, nonetheless, and highly recommended.

An atmospheric 90s experience through a decrepit Montana hotel with intense "Shining" vibes
Disclaimer: The Suicide of Rachel Foster touches on some dark and uncomfortable subjects, including — but not limited to — suicide and ephebophilia. If any of that provokes an uneasy feeling then this game might not be for you.
If you've ever seen the movie "The Shining", then you will be able to understand right from the beginning how this game is going to feel. The name of this hotel "Timberline Lodge" is taken directly from the hotel's name in Oregon, where The Shining was filmed.
Your reluctant visit to this secluded hotel spans 10 days in a Montana winter, stuck inside due to being snowed in. The primary goal is to do a structural inspection before you can put it on the market to sell. As events unfold, you realize that this is a journey of self-discovery while digging through the remnants of your family's past. You become more and more entwined in the past with nothing but a voice on a phone to guide you through the hotel, your only lifeline in complete isolation.
The hotel feels like an antagonist in itself. With foreboding, rustic 70s style architecture, literally everything that creaks and groans as you walk, and unsettling hints of paranormal activity, you have yourself a very chilling backdrop for a story. I was on the edge of my seat from start to finish.
Positives
+ The story is decent and it got its point across well in a short span of time.
+ Voice acting is fantastic. Your character's voice did a great job conveying her emotions about being in the hotel from start to finish.
+ Excellent atmosphere. The sounds of an old, creaky hotel are spot on.
+ The hotel itself is incredibly detailed and beautiful, giving off that perfect "frozen in time" look.
+ Your exploration is not restricted. You're free to go wherever you like right from the start.
Negatives
- The map was difficult to read. You could zoom in and scroll around, but I still had difficulty with it. It would have been better to have some sort of "You Are Here" place marker to better navigate your way.
- Some objectives on your "to do list" felt like broken English to the point I did not understand what was being asked. I wasn't sure if this was on purpose or not. I had to look up a few guides online to figure out where I was supposed to go.
- Ephebophilia is an issue in this story and I felt like it was skirted around completely. The dev's included such a dark and horrible issue, but it felt like they were too nervous to actually speak about it. It made the issue feel like it was put on the back burner and "unimportant" to the story.
Though a very short game, I still enjoyed what was there. I probably would not pay full price due to the length as it can be completed in a couple of hours. Maybe more if you have to go back for achievements. I am looking forward to any future titles from the developers!
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++Interesting Story (not very good, but fine)
+NIce Graphics for a Indie Walking Simulator/ good atmosphere
- not much to find outside the short 9 days main quest (could be more secrets stuff, more secret rooms)
Good for Walking Simulator Fans, Story Fans with not to high expectations & Achievement Hunters/Collectors

Amazing game! Outstanding storytelling, solid graphics, and most horror games could learn a thing or two about setting an ambience from this one (I got more nervous playing this than half of the horror games I've played, and that's saying something). The voice acting also deserves some praise, it feels natural and agreeable.
I feel I need to defend the game a bit here in light of the various negative reviews. Reviewers claiming the story romanticises suicide and other events have totally missed the mark here.. This isn't supposed to be a righteous after-school special, it has no agenda and no lesson to teach you, simply a story to tell. Empathising and seeing things through someone else's eyes, how they feel and think, is not romanticising, and it's unsettlingly simplistic to see things this way (I mean seriously, were you expecting a Disney movie?). Understanding mindsets, even of that of criminals or psychopaths, is not validating those people's acts, and if it was then the storytelling world would be a very cruel place, and a very black-and-white one at that.
This is a great game that has a challenging, deeply emotional story to give.

Note: If you are suffering from suicidal tendencies, don't suffer alone, seek help in a friend or a professional. You're not alone.
The Suicide of Rachel Foster is a narrative horror game where you explore a hotel during a major snow storm.
Story:
You play as Nicole, after her fathers affair with a teenager Rachel Foster becomes the talk of the town, she resents her father and Rachel. After Rachel commits suicide, Nicole and her mother move out and her father becomes a recluse. After Nicole's father passes away, he leaves her the hotel and she has to go back and look through it before selling, but she gets stranded there during a major snow storm and her only companion is Irving, a FEMA agent talking to her through a phone.
The story in The Suicide of Rachel Foster is good, but it feels like the writers didn't fully flesh out the story and it leads to some questionable choices. The story of this game is pretty messed up and honestly people who are easily offended might find a lot of the characters irredeemable and absolute trash human beings. The game completely derails in the final hour of the game after the plot twist is explained to you.
The plot is actually pretty engaging, it got to the point where I didn't want to stop playing until I saw the credits roll (with the games short length that was easy), but it completely lost me at the ending. I don't want to spoil it, but the game deals with situations like grooming and abuse and makes these characters seem like the good guys, yet in real life they would definitely not be considered that. It definitely makes me feel indifferent and it's can of worms the writers should not have opened and in the end it hurt the story.
Graphics:
The art style of The Suicide of Rachel Foster is really good and honestly I loved the look of the hotel. Every floor and room looks distinct enough with details thrown around to make exploring a fun thing to do. Since you're alone in the hotel it definitely gives off feelings that you're alone there, yet it also perfectly creates a feeling that you might not be alone. When you can find hidden items thrown around in certain rooms and explore remnants of previous hotel customers, which was really cool.
Audio:
Since the game is mostly two people talking to each other, so voice acting is incredibly important and the voice actors for both Nicole and Irving do a bang up job, especially Irving who I really liked. They both did a good job and their emotions come off clearly, they did a great job.
Another great thing is the ambience sound effects. Since you're trapped in a massive hotel alone during a major snow storm there's a bunch sounds that help build an amazing atmosphere like floors creaking, branches hitting the windows and the wind howling outside, it helps you immerse yourself into this world and definitely makes you feel that you might not be alone there.
The music is also really good. The tracks definitely help set up what they set out to do like relax you or scare the shit out of you.
Gameplay:
If I could compare this game to anything, it very closely resembles Firewatch. You basically explore a location and once in a while you talk on your phone with a person that is far away from you. You have some stuff you need to do in the hotel like looking for items and solving puzzles.
You are given a map of the hotel and there's a bunch of ground to cover and in the early hours when you have to go through a lot of it, it becomes really difficult to figure out where to go, the map is really confusing and it's better just explore and remember where everything is. By the end, the map became useless as I mostly remembered where to go.
The puzzles (if you can call them that) usually tend to be, go to some place and look for an item and then the game repeats multiple times. It actually is puzzle-y to figure out how to get to your objective than the actual puzzles. The gameplay definitely takes a backset to the story.
Verdict:
The Suicide of Rachel Foster is ok, it definitely doesn't reach it's full potential. The story is engaging, the setting is cool and it's definitely creepy. The whole finale of the game where the big reveals happen are weird to say the least and a lot of the writing is questionable to say the least. It's definitely a game not for everyone, especially for those who don't want a disturbing experience.
Final Rating:
7/10
Pros:
+ Engaging story
+ The hotel is fun to explore
+ Audio design is incredible
Cons:
- Act 3 of the story contains some really questionable writing
- Navigating the hotel might be confusing in the first hours of the game
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A rather dark and disturbing story of a young woman dragged back in to a past she tried to forget. If 'walking simulators' (I prefer the term 'interactive story' - it's less demeaning) are your thing, The Suicide of Rachel Foster is up there with the best. Not only does it look gorgeous, but the sound is beautifully done, with ambient noise used to create atmosphere rather than music.
It may not be overly long, but I enjoyed the whole experience. It would make a very tense movie if the right actress was cast in the leading role.
Well worth the money in my book.

Do NOT play if you're depressed or have suicidal tendencies! Really, take the devs warning seriously.
I've just finished playing it and feel... Weird. Unsettled, a major WTF feeling. Especially the latter half of the game would've seriously triggered me a couple of years ago.
The game itself: Your mom and dad divorced years ago (When you were a teenager) due to an affair of your dad with a girl, who ended up committing suicide.
Years have passed since your dad dead and now your mom also died, leaving you the hotel.
You get there in a snowstorm, to asses your new/old belonings and get an odd phone call.
The following days have you exploring the hotel, trying to find out what has happened all those years ago.
And oh, you walk really slowly.