Netflix’s Immersive Cinematic Game ‘Unhinged’ Really is Unhinged

Netflix just dropped a new game on their service that you should definitely check out. Unhinged is an interactive horror game, about the length of an episode of your favorite show. Zoe Kravitz, who you might know from Big Little Lies or The Batman, voices lead character, Ava, who is trying to ride out a Category 5 hurricane in her apartment building when she is attacked by a masked assailant. Her friend Claire, voiced by Sadie Sink of Stranger Things, “helps” you throughout the game by remaining on the phone with Ava for much of the experience. Honestly, she was putting Ava in a fair amount of danger from the sheer volume of calls and texts she was sending. If someone is actively hiding from a killer, maybe don’t blow up their phone for, like, five minutes. Come on. Troy Baker, who recently delivered an incredible voice performance as Indiana Jones, voices Ben, the building’s superintendent.

Two pretty impressive names also had a hand in the creation of the game (although everyone is staying silent on exactly what their roles were). David Fincher and Zach Cregger both received “special thanks” credits, and their DNA is definitely felt in spurts. Given Fincher’s reputation for tense thrillers and Cregger’s recent horror successes, it is hard not to wonder what exactly they contributed to the development of the game. Whether they were directly involved in the dev cycle or they were just consultants, their names certainly caught my attention.

The gameplay is interactive cinema in the style of The Quarry or the Dark Pictures Anthology games, but with a major twist. Instead of relying on a traditional controller, your phone is a key part of the experience. When Claire or Ben calls, you answer the phone, and their voice comes from your phone’s speaker and not the television. You receive texts, use your flashlight, and even navigate through the apartment building by physically tilting your phone and using a large on-screen button to make selections. All of this is done courtesy of the app, Netflix’s native gaming suite.