BrokenLore: UNFOLLOW Review – Effective Atmosphere, Uneven Execution

BrokenLore: UNFOLLOW Review

Japanese studio Serafini Productions launched its horror anthology in early 2025. Its games explore themes of human desire and fear, tinkering with mental frailties to place players in a constant state of insecurity. Similar to the Dark Pictures series, each solitary narrative allows you to lose yourself in a disturbing world, making it easy to jump in at any point. Whereas Low and Don’t Watch were short experiences, Unfollow builds on that foundation with expanded gameplay and greater environmental variety. Does this added scope meaningfully deepen the experience, or does it strain the franchise’s focused sense of dread?

You play as Anne, a young woman grappling with the repercussions of her past. As a child, she was bullied at school and subjected to an abusive mother, creating a suffocating home life and leaving behind both physical and emotional scars. The only sense of love and acceptance came online, particularly through a streamer, fostering a fixation on the platform and a growing need for social media validation. With unresolved issues buried just out of sight, these traumas inevitably crawl back into view, forcing Anne to confront her nightmares head-on.

Cutting Deep

Serafini Productions doesn’t tiptoe around the subject; instead, it tackles the idea with tact to create impactful moments that communicate the suffering and pain that the abuse can cause. Memories are scattered throughout the environment in the form of comic panels, notes, and more. These provide insight into Anne’s life, exploring the tragic depths to which bullies will sink in order to cause harm. While the game does delve into the surreal, using metaphoric analogies about the topics, it still has the potential to be triggering to people who have suffered in similar ways.

Exploration is central to the experience, requiring you to search areas for items that allow you to progress further into the demonic world. Each chapter adds to Anne’s backstory, offering deeper insight into how and why she’s become the person she is. A disturbing sense of foreboding lingers as you walk down narrow corridors. Lights cast long shadows, making each tentative step a pulse-racing event. In these moments, Unfollow excels, creating a suffocating sense of dread that is often genuinely terrifying. However, certain gameplay segments undermine this atmosphere.

Chase sequences intersperse exploration and are a thrill. The panic-inducing segments require you to speed through areas to get to safety while avoiding a horrific beast. Environments are maze-like, meaning you may hit the odd dead end, which adds to the tension. Odd sequences also include stealth sections, where you must sneak past the creature. Unfortunately, these segments are awkward with inconsistent detection that hinders the immersion.

Burrowed Within

Puzzles are simple, often requiring you to collect an item or use environmental clues to work out the solution. These work particularly well during exploration, as you can appreciate the subtleties in design to evoke emotion. Due to having to search for small items, you learn more about Anne, which drags you deeper into the narrative. Key items only appear after triggering an event, which means you will have to backtrack often to find the new item. Although backtracking doesn’t take long, it’s an odd design choice, which doesn’t make use of the inventory system.

Combat is where the game truly falls flat. At one point, you can attack living mannequins with your mobile phone, which sends an electrical jolt to key locations. This is slow, meandering and signals no impact. Rather than feel like you’re overwhelmed, fighting for your life, it feels like a chore. In addition to this, when captured in a chase sequence or by a boss, their strikes also feel weak, which reduces the threat level.

The overall presentation is strong, with realistic-looking environments running at a steady frame rate. Each location includes narrative fragments that help develop the story as you progress. As Anne is infatuated with social media, a live counter appears as you perform actions. This later evolves with comments popping up, further cementing the online toxicity that has contributed to the decline of her mental health. It’s a creative way to advance the narrative while staying embedded in gameplay.

On Edge

The music heightens the intensity at key moments, using a horror-influenced score that stabs at the ambiance to create a volatile atmosphere. Some of the character models and animations are a little rough around the edges, but this complements the B-movie horror aesthetic that drenches the experience.

BrokenLore: Unfollow is a creepy exploration of the effects of psychological scars. The atmosphere smothers you, allowing only brief gasps of breath while solving puzzles. At its best when scouring environments, the game falters in its execution of stealth and combat segments. Although it lacks polish, this short, sharp adventure still manages to leave a lasting impression that will echo in the silence long after you step away.

***PS5 code provided by the publisher***