''Korsakovia'' is a single-player

mod Mod, MOD or mods may refer to: Places * Modesto City–County Airport, Stanislaus County, California, US Arts, entertainment, and media Music * Mods (band), a Norwegian rock band * M.O.D. (Method of Destruction), a band from New York City, US ...

for

Valve A valve is a device or natural object that regulates, directs or controls the flow of a fluid (gases, liquids, fluidized solids, or slurries) by opening, closing, or partially obstructing various passageways. Valves are technically fittings ...

's video game ''

Half-Life 2 ''Half-Life 2'' is a 2004 first-person shooter game developed by Valve. It was published by Valve through its distribution service Steam. Like the original ''Half-Life'' (1998), ''Half-Life 2'' combines shooting, puzzles, and storytelling, and ...

''. It was developed by

Thechineseroom The Chinese Room (formerly Thechineseroom) is a British video game developer based in Brighton that is best known for exploration games, such as ''Dear Esther''. The company originated as a mod team for ''Half-Life 2'', based at the University ...

. Korsakovia was released as

freeware Freeware is software, most often proprietary, that is distributed at no monetary cost to the end user. There is no agreed-upon set of rights, license, or EULA that defines ''freeware'' unambiguously; every publisher defines its own rules for the f ...

download on 20 September 2009.

Plot

In Korsakovia, the player travels through the delusions of Christopher, a man suffering from

Korsakoff's syndrome Korsakoff syndrome (KS) is a disorder of the central nervous system characterized by amnesia, deficits in explicit memory, and confabulation. This neurological disorder is caused by a deficiency of thiamine (vitamin B1) in the brain, and it is ...

. The player hears the voices of Christopher and a doctor as they try to help Christopher.

Location

The game takes place in numerous presumably illusory locations, ranging from an asylum to a factory. Objects sometimes float or otherwise defy the ordinary laws of physics. The player has the standard ''

'' flashlight, but it often runs out of electricity and must be turned off to recharge. The overall ambiance is nightmarishly grim, grimy, and depressing, an effect that is amplified considerably by atmospheric music and sound effects. The narrator's words imply that the player is under treatment in a hospital while he is having the delusions that constitute the game. Before the beginning of the game, Christopher was found in his living room with copper wire around his hands. He had punched the television and the wires caught fire, which is the cause of the damage to his hands. He also seems to have ripped his own eyeballs out and eaten them as reported by the paramedics. These injuries and their rationale are referenced repeatedly in the narration and by objects the player finds in his illusory landscape.

Gameplay

's previous mod, ''

Dear Esther ''Dear Esther'' is a first-person exploration and adventure video game developed by The Chinese Room for Microsoft Windows, Mac OS X, PlayStation 4 and Xbox One. First released in 2008 as a free-to-play modification for the Source game engine, ...

'', the player explores the environment while listening to narration. However, this time the player can move far more freely and is sometimes armed with a crowbar, which he uses to smash through obstacles or ward off monsters composed of black smoke. The player can also pick up health packs to repair damage, the existence and extent of which is indicated by cracks spreading inward from the edges of his screen. If the player "dies" as a result of too much damage, they are returned to the last previous save point.

References

Mod DB download page, with several screenshots and a promo videoReview
by Fraser McMillan and Lewis Denby for Resolution
Review
by

Anthony Burch ''Hey Ash, Whatcha Playin'?'' (''HAWP'') is an independently produced series of sketch comedy videos created by siblings Anthony Burch and Ashly Burch. The series uses surreal humor and comical sibling rivalry to examine the themes, industry t ...

for

Destructoid ''Destructoid'' is a website that was founded as a video game-focused blog in March 2006 by Yanier Gonzalez, a Cuban-American cartoonist and author. Enthusiast Gaming acquired the website in 2017, and sold it to Gamurs Group in 2022. History ' ...

Review
by

Rock, Paper, Shotgun ''Rock Paper Shotgun'' (also rendered ''Rock, Paper, Shotgun''; short ''RPS'') is a UK-based website for reporting on video games, primarily for PC. Originally launched on 13 July 2007 as an independent site, ''Rock Paper Shotgun'' was acquir ...

{{Source modifications 2009 video games Psychological horror games Source (game engine) mods Video games developed in the United Kingdom Video games scored by Jessica Curry Windows games Windows-only games