Never Again, developed and published by Primary Games, is a deeply atmospheric psychological horror experience that invites players to see the world through the vulnerable eyes of Sasha Anders, a thirteen-year-old girl suffering from asthma. From the moment you awaken in her bedroom, it's clear this is not a conventional horror story. The setting is familiar yet disturbingly altered, her once-safe home now cloaked in shadows and silence. There is no sign of her family. The corridors are filled with an uneasy quiet, the comforting textures of domestic life replaced by coldness and disarray. It’s an immediate and powerful tone-setter, introducing a world where fear is personal, not just supernatural.

The game is told from a first-person perspective and leans heavily into exploration, light puzzle-solving, and environmental storytelling. There’s no combat, no enemies to fight in the traditional sense—only a sense of creeping dread that accompanies you throughout the experience. As Sasha, players move through the increasingly surreal house, collecting fragments of her past and present. Her asthma is not just a character detail—it becomes a core mechanic, occasionally threatening to overwhelm her and forcing the player to pause and manage her breath. It’s a clever, immersive design choice that adds a layer of tension without relying on cheap scares.

Visually, Never Again is striking in its simplicity. While the environments aren’t sprawling, they are meticulously designed, with dim lighting, subtle textures, and delicate touches that make the house feel lived-in and later, corrupted. The music and ambient sound design do a lot of heavy lifting in crafting a mood of sorrow and unease. There are no overbearing soundtracks or sudden stingers—instead, the audio landscape feels restrained, letting creaking floorboards, distant echoes, and Sasha’s own labored breathing take center stage. These sensory details build immersion in ways that big-budget horror games sometimes overlook.

The narrative is where Never Again draws its greatest strength. The mystery of Sasha’s missing family unfolds slowly and is interwoven with themes of illness, grief, memory, and childhood trauma. Rather than delivering exposition in long monologues or cutscenes, the game allows players to piece together the story through notes, voiceovers, and environmental clues. This hands-off storytelling encourages players to reflect, to read between the lines, and to question what is real and what is imagined. The surrealism intensifies as you progress, and while the plot may not be fully linear or spelled out, it resonates emotionally—especially by the time the game reaches its more intense, symbolic sequences.

However, the gameplay does suffer from some rough edges. Movement can feel sluggish or imprecise, especially during more confined or timed sequences. Some puzzles lack clear logic or visual cues, which can lead to trial-and-error moments that break the game’s pacing. There are a few sections where tension is undercut by frustration, particularly if you find yourself repeating a sequence due to unclear objectives or awkward controls. These technical shortcomings are not game-breaking, but they do highlight the limitations of a small development team working on a very ambitious project.

Despite these flaws, there’s something undeniably sincere and affecting about Never Again. It doesn't rely on gore or relentless jump scares to unsettle its players. Instead, it aims to be psychologically disturbing, drawing from the emotional fragility of childhood and the horrors of growing up in a world that doesn’t always offer comfort or safety. The asthma mechanic, the sparse but meaningful voice acting, and the emotional honesty in the writing all serve to make Sasha feel like a real, complex character—more than just a vessel for scares. Her vulnerability is not exploited but explored, and that makes the horror land more deeply.

The fact that this game was developed primarily by a small team, with much of the work handled by just two people, is impressive. The result is a focused and heartfelt narrative experience that, while imperfect, has a strong identity and emotional core. It’s a game that prioritizes mood and story over mechanical polish, and in doing so, carves out a unique space in the indie horror genre. For players who value narrative depth and emotional resonance in their horror games, Never Again is an experience worth having. It may be a short journey, but it’s one that lingers in memory, not because of how loudly it screams, but because of how quietly it hurts.

Rating: 8/10

i am "never again" playing it was so boring and not scary

Great game for those who like puzzles and psychological horrors.

The ending really broke me..