Remothered: Tormented Fathers
A survival horror homage to Clock Tower.
Remothered: Tormented Fathers is a survival horror game released in 2018, created and directed by Chris Darril. It was developed by Stormind Games and published by Darril Arts, launching digitally on PlayStation 4, Xbox One, and Windows. A digital Nintendo Switch version followed in 2019, developed in partnership with Dico Co., Ltd., and a physical edition was published by Soedesco in October 2019. The game is intended as an homage to the Clock Tower series of Japanese survival horror games. Its protagonist is Rosemary Reed, who visits the Felton mansion to look into the long-ago disappearance of the family’s daughter, Celeste. When the mansion’s owner, Richard, discovers her true purpose, a night of terror ensues. Critics gave the game generally positive reviews. A sequel, Broken Porcelain, came out in October 2020.
The story begins with an elderly woman, Madame Svenska, recounting an old tale to a young man named Mr. Manni so it will not be forgotten. In 1992, Rosemary Reed arrives at the villa of retired notary Dr. Richard Felton, claiming she wants to discuss treatment for his mysterious, incurable illness. During their meeting, Reed learns that Felton’s adopted daughter Celeste ran away 21 years earlier, and that his deceased former business partner, Professor Albert Elias Wyman, was the prime suspect in her disappearance. Reed soon reveals she used the medical interview as a pretext to investigate Celeste’s fate. Enraged, Felton orders her to leave. That night, Reed sneaks back into the villa using a spare key left by Felton’s nurse, Gloria Ashmann, hoping to find Felton’s wife, Arianna Gallo, who might have answers. Instead, she finds Arianna’s decomposed corpse. As Reed searches for clues, a psychotic Felton stalks the halls. From a recorded hypnosis session, she learns that Celeste actually returned home after disappearing, but Felton, in his madness, mistook her for a different girl named Jennifer and murdered her. As Reed escapes her bindings, a masked nun in red appears and chases both her and Felton. Reed encounters a young woman who flees into the attic; when Reed follows, the woman attacks her, causing Reed to fall unconscious.
When Reed wakes, the woman apologizes and tells her about a sealed room Felton hid. Reed opens it to find Celeste’s old bedroom.
- Release year
- 2018
- Platforms
- PlayStation 4, Xbox One, Microsoft Windows
- Developer
- Stormind Games
- Publisher
- Darril Arts
- Director
- Chris Darril
- Protagonist
- Rosemary Reed
- Metacritic reception
- generally favorable reviews for Windows and PlayStation 4; mixed or average for Xbox One and Nintendo Switch
Lore & Background
The game's story begins with an old woman named Madame Svenska recounting an old story to a young man named Mr. Manni. In 1992, Rosemary Reed arrives at the villa of Dr. Richard Felton under the pretext of treating his illness, but her true intention is to investigate the disappearance of Felton's adopted daughter, Celeste, 21 years prior. After being ordered to leave, Reed sneaks back into the villa and discovers a decomposed corpse, eventually learning through a recorded hypnosis session that Felton, in his madness, murdered Celeste after mistaking her for a different girl named Jennifer. The plot deepens as a masked red nun appears, and Reed uncovers that Felton was born a girl named Jennifer Richardine Felton, raised as a boy by a cruel father, leading to a split personality. The nurse Gloria Ashmann is revealed to be the red nun, manipulating Felton for revenge. Reed ultimately kills Felton and tricks Gloria into falling from a window, learning that Gloria, Felton, and nuns of the Cristo Morente convent were subjected to experiments by Professor Wyman involving a banned drug called Phenoxyl. Reed is recognized as a former nun who set fire to the project, and she continues her search for Celeste.
Reader's Guide
Remothered: Tormented Fathers received generally positive reviews from critics, with Eurogamer Italia praising its atmosphere, gameplay, and story while noting minor technical issues and 'woody' animations. On 22 July 2018, Keiichiro Toyama, creator of Silent Hill and Forbidden Siren, expressed admiration for the game and hoped to collaborate with Chris Darril. In 2018, the game was included in GameSpot's list of 'The Scariest Games of All Time.' The title Remothered is a combination of the words REM, moth, mother, other, and red, all referring to the game's story and symbolism. The main character Rosemary Reed is modeled after Jodie Foster. The game is an homage to films such as Psycho, The Shining, and Rosemary's Baby, as well as video games like Clock Tower and Silent Hill. A sequel, Broken Porcelain, was released in October 2020, and a digital spin-off graphic novel, Remothered: A Lamb to the Slaughter – Book 1, was released in January 2021.
Did You Know?
- The main character Rosemary Reed is modeled after the features of Jodie Foster.
- Keiichiro Toyama, creator of Silent Hill, expressed admiration for the game in July 2018.
- A Nintendo Switch version was released digitally in 2019 in collaboration with developer Dico Co., Ltd.
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