I Played Netflix’s ‘Unhinged,’ And It Made My Phone Feel Like The Scariest Part Of The Game

Netflix is at it again, pushing boundaries and encroaching on new frontiers. This time with their virtual game “Unhinged.” The game is a first-person horror thriller where you play as the lead character, sifting through your building after an unexpected series of events following a blackout during a hurricane. 

I will be the first to admit this wasn’t my kind of game—but that’s not the point. I am an absolute fiend for first-person horror games, and I went into this experience excited to play and enjoy. Ultimately, I found the gameplay frustrating, glitchy, and underwhelming. Despite not loving the experience, I couldn’t stop thinking about what Netflix is trying to do. The most memorable part wasn’t the story or monster – it was my own phone.

My phone became part of the horror

The most integral part of the game is the user’s phone. Phones and technology are already a “scary” subject. As technology has advanced, so has its invasiveness. The most disturbing aspect of this game is that Netflix found a way to integrate with your device, making you rely on it heavily throughout gameplay. Using your actual phone as the protagonist’s device feels surprisingly invasive. During the game, you read texts, receive and make calls, use the flashlight, and are forced to make quick time choices. The device most of us associate with comfort suddenly becomes stressful.

While the phone aspect of the story is the best part, the game mechanics fall short. Developers could have leaned more into the “horror” element; the story felt thin and quick. While you do have to use your phone the entire time, there could have been more interactive elements where you are forced to make decisions that affect the outcome of the game. The story also relied heavily on horror gimmicks and stereotypes rather than sustained tension. Because of these issues, some mechanics disrupted immersion rather than enhancing it. Now, none of those complaints erase how ambitious the concept is; they are just notes for the future. 

Netflix is experimenting in ways other streamers aren’t

With Netflix’s push to add actual games into its streaming app, we see how the brand is attempting to develop into something larger. This particular game could be played on your TV, computer, laptop, or phone. Games like these allow for unique ways of interactive storytelling that look beyond traditional streaming.  Even if “Unhinged” isn’t a home run, experimentation matters.

Netflix has consistently been a pioneer of watchable technology, from the early days of shipping discs to your home to today’s interactive games and shows. Night School Studio, which is owned by Netflix, created the game in partnership with filmmakers David Fincher and Zach Cregger. The game features a star-studded cast, including Zoë Kravitz (The Batman) as Ava, Sadie Sink (Stranger Things) as Claire, and Troy Baker (The Last of Us) as the building super, Ben. All the pieces were in place to create a fully immersive first-person horror experience, and Netflix has that at the ready: a team (or teams) poised to bring these kinds of experiments to life. 

Horror is the perfect genre for this kind of technology

Netflix took a few big swings with “Unhinged,” bringing on board the director for horror success story “Weapons” as well as “Se7en’s” David Fincher. The two apparently worked in secret with a full team to bring the game to life. Horror is the perfect genre for this type of experiential technology, whether it be games, immersive experiences, or movies. The technology behind the game’s theme and mechanics fits the genre organically; notifications interrupt us, flashlights create vulnerability, calls and texts naturally build suspense. Heck, we already associate our phones with emergencies.

As companies like Sony, Xbox, and Microsoft are making severe cuts in the gaming industry, Netflix has an opportunity to do something really great right now: it can come in and be the hero gamers need. With the type of technology and partnerships enabled by games like “Unhinged,” the brand can continue to evolve the interactive entertainment space; it has the resources to experiment. It is possible we will continue to see streaming platforms take over the space once held by giants like Bethesda, Blizzard, Sony, Xbox, and everything in between. 

I didn’t finish “Unhinged” and want to replay it. I am hoping Netflix makes another game that’s even stranger. Because if “Unhinged” proved anything, it’s that our phones are already perfectly designed to make us uncomfortable. Developers are only beginning to figure out how to use that.

This is an opinion piece. The views expressed in this article are those of just the author.