Scrutinized is a simple point and click psychological horror game that follows the story of a female police officer. The officer is named Luna Youngman, and it is explained that ever since she was a child she hoped for super powers to defeat “bad guys.” She hoped for things like invisibility and the ability to read minds. She wanted people to face the fate they deserved. But as Luna grew older, her hopes grew more tame and rational, leading to her current career. She became a hard working police officer, as did her cousin, Sarah.
Another major part of the background story is to understand there are two criminals on the run, purposefully targeting police officers, predominantly female, and harming them. The two men are known as The BlueBlood killer and The Kidnapper. The BlueBlood killer, or, as the fandom refers to him, “Tanner“ is an enthusiastic serial killer who murders innocent female police officers. His method to murder is by syringe; injecting a mysterious substance into the victim’s body. The Kidnapper is a Russian criminal who does not kill, but kidnaps his female victims. He does this to sell them into sex trafficking rings and make profit off of said sales. Sarah, Luna’s cousin, was killed by The BlueBlood killer. This boiled Luna’s blood, creating a new type of rage and vengeance in her heart. A major part of the gameplay for Scrutinized is to avoid these killers as you go about your night.
The game takes place in Luna’s house, with the objective to review police reports. However, as you read through the police reports, there is a constant need to make sure both The BlueBlood killer and The Kidnapper are not breaking into your home.
You are given the context that both your lights and Wi-Fi randomly lose power. This means you, as Luna, need to get up from your work computer and go and fix the lights. If you leave the lights out for too long, The Kidnapper will have enough time to pick your windows. If he gets into your house he will not kill you immediately; he will wait until you finish all your objectives and kidnap you in your sleep. Tanner, or The BlueBlood killer, has to be avoided with the camera system outside the house. You need to catch him sneaking through your yard and flash him with the flood light. After that he will run away. However, if you do not catch Tanner, he will break into your house and kill you immediately.
My honest opinion of this game is a very good one. I like to indulge in it, even if it makes me frustrated when Tanner kills my character repetitively. I think the concept is a smart one, even if not complex. The idea of the killers being potentially in your house is an anxiety inducing one. The jump scares in the game are executed well and somewhat unexpected.
