Horace doesn’t go skiing.
The name “Horace” has cultural cachet in the world of British retrogaming, and we can’t help but believe that the evocation thereof is very, very intentional on the Horace developers’ part. After all, their game is steeped in nostalgia; the pop culture of days past infuses Horace from its opening nod to Thames TV’s iconic ident, and doesn’t let up. This is no reference-fest, though. The wistful longing for what came before and the comfort of familiarity are crucial to its extended setup; a meaningfully protracted prologue to a much grander adventure.
Horace himself is an automaton of initially ambiguous purpose, recruited into a wealthy family for mysterious reasons and ultimately being accepted as one of them. It’s a cosy, friendly introduction, impeccably paced and choreographed for the emotional moments of the storytelling to have a powerful impact when they need to. There’s surprisingly little gameplay in the first hour, but everything that’s there is well-written, charming as you like and ceaselessly entertaining. The story fosters intrigue without being unnecessarily cryptic, is humorous without being crass or desperate, and portions out its emotional beats so skilfully that its moments of gravitas feel entirely earned and all the more powerful. The extensive and masterful use of classical music doesn’t hurt.
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