Evil Nun: The Broken Mask

Evil Nun: The Broken Mask is a first-person survival horror game where players must navigate a sinister school environment while evading a terrifying nun. Combining stealth, puzzle-solving, and survival elements, the game challenges players to uncover dark secrets and escape the clutches of the malevolent antagonist. With a focus on atmospheric tension and strategic gameplay, it offers a chilling experience set in a hauntingly detailed world.

Evil Nun: The Broken Mask: A Hauntingly Familiar Yet Flawed Horror Experience

Introduction

Evil Nun: The Broken Mask is a first-person survival horror game that attempts to translate the success of its mobile predecessor into a full-fledged console and PC experience. Developed by Keplerians and Carlos Coronado, the game promises a chilling escape from a deranged nun in a decaying school. However, while it delivers on atmosphere and visuals, it struggles to break free from the repetitive mechanics that plague the genre. This review will dissect the game’s strengths and weaknesses, exploring its narrative, gameplay, and technical execution to determine whether it stands as a worthy addition to the horror canon or merely a forgettable imitation.

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Development History & Context

Keplerians, the studio behind Evil Nun: The Broken Mask, has a storied history in mobile horror, with over 350 million downloads across its portfolio. The original Evil Nun: Horror at School (2018) was a breakout hit, capitalizing on the viral appeal of short, tense escape scenarios. The transition to PC and consoles with The Broken Mask represents an ambitious leap, leveraging Unreal Engine 5 to overhaul graphics, expand the narrative, and refine gameplay.

The game’s development was spearheaded by Carlos Coronado, a veteran of horror game design, and Alexander Camarero, who handled game design. The team’s experience is evident in the game’s polished presentation, but the constraints of its mobile roots linger. The decision to release in Early Access on Steam (October 31, 2022) allowed for iterative improvements, culminating in a full release across PlayStation, Xbox, and Nintendo Switch in 2023–2024.

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Narrative & Thematic Deep Dive

Plot and Characters

The premise is simple yet effective: a child is lured to Eagle Junior High School under the guise of a religious summer camp, only to discover it’s a prison overseen by Sister Madeline, a nun with a penchant for violence. The narrative unfolds through environmental storytelling—letters from trapped children, occult symbols, and eerie audio logs—rather than traditional cutscenes. While the story lacks depth, it excels in creating a sense of dread and isolation.

Sister Madeline is the game’s standout character, a grotesque fusion of religious fanaticism and supernatural menace. Her design, with glowing red eyes and a perpetual grin, taps into the “Nuns Are Spooky” trope, reinforcing the game’s themes of corrupted faith and childhood trauma. However, the supporting cast—other imprisoned children—remain underdeveloped, serving as little more than puzzle-solving aids.

Themes

The game explores themes of oppression, survival, and the loss of innocence, though it rarely delves deeper than surface-level horror tropes. The school’s dilapidated halls and occult imagery suggest a darker backstory involving ritualistic sacrifice, but these elements are underutilized. The “broken mask” of the title hints at a metaphor for shattered faith, but the narrative fails to fully explore this potential.

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Gameplay Mechanics & Systems

Core Gameplay Loop

Evil Nun: The Broken Mask is, at its heart, a stealth-puzzle game. Players must:
1. Explore the school to find items and clues.
2. Solve puzzles (e.g., fetching fuses, assembling keys) to progress.
3. Avoid or outmaneuver Sister Madeline, whose AI adapts to player actions.

The game’s strongest moments come from its dynamic AI, which reacts to noise and line of sight. Sister Madeline’s unpredictable patrols and aggressive pursuit create genuine tension, especially in the early chapters where the school’s layout is unfamiliar.

Combat and Progression

Combat is minimal, limited to improvised weapons like gumballs and traps. The focus remains on stealth, though later chapters introduce crafting mechanics to create distractions or defensive tools. Progression is linear, with each chapter unlocking new areas and lore snippets. However, the lack of meaningful character upgrades or branching paths makes the experience feel repetitive.

UI and Controls

The UI is functional but unremarkable, with a minimalist inventory system and objective tracker. Controls are responsive, though the lack of a manual save feature is a glaring oversight—players must rely on checkpoint saves after each chapter, which can be frustrating during lengthy play sessions.

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World-Building, Art & Sound

Setting and Atmosphere

Eagle Junior High School is a masterclass in environmental horror. The decaying classrooms, flickering lights, and occult graffiti create an oppressive atmosphere. The school’s layout is labyrinthine, with hidden shortcuts and interactive objects (e.g., falling crosses that alert Sister Madeline) adding depth to exploration.

Visual Design

The Unreal Engine 5 upgrade is evident in the game’s high-fidelity textures and lighting. Sister Madeline’s model is particularly unsettling, with detailed facial animations that enhance her menace. However, some areas suffer from repetitive asset use, and the child protagonist’s model lacks the same level of detail.

Sound Design

The soundtrack is a highlight, with eerie ambient tracks that amplify tension. However, the sound mixing is inconsistent—Sister Madeline’s footsteps are often inaudible, making stealth segments frustrating. Voice acting is serviceable, though her limited dialogue becomes repetitive over time.

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Reception & Legacy

Critical Reception

Critics have been lukewarm in their assessment, with scores averaging 70% (MobyGames) and 5.1/10 (Metacritic user score). Praise is directed at the game’s atmosphere and visuals, while criticism focuses on its repetitive gameplay and lack of innovation. Comparisons to Amnesia and Alien: Isolation are inevitable, and The Broken Mask often falls short in depth and replayability.

Commercial Performance

The game has sold modestly, with estimates suggesting 13,000 units across platforms (GameRebellion). Its mobile predecessor’s success (60+ million downloads) has not translated seamlessly to consoles, though the Unholy Edition (2024) aims to attract collectors with physical extras.

Influence

While Evil Nun: The Broken Mask is unlikely to redefine the genre, it demonstrates the potential for mobile horror franchises to evolve into console experiences. Its use of dynamic AI and environmental storytelling may inspire future indie horror titles, though its flaws serve as a cautionary tale about the limits of repetition.

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Conclusion

Evil Nun: The Broken Mask is a competent but unremarkable survival horror game. It excels in atmosphere and visuals, with Sister Madeline standing as a memorable antagonist. However, its repetitive puzzles, underdeveloped narrative, and technical shortcomings prevent it from reaching the heights of its influences. For fans of stealth horror, it offers a few hours of tense gameplay, but those seeking depth or innovation should look elsewhere.

Final Verdict: 6.5/10 – A hauntingly familiar experience that struggles to break free from its mobile roots.

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Key Takeaways

• Strengths: Strong atmosphere, unsettling antagonist, polished visuals.
• Weaknesses: Repetitive gameplay, shallow narrative, inconsistent sound design.
• Best For: Fans of short, tense horror experiences; streamers seeking jump-scare content.
• Avoid If: You prefer deep storytelling or innovative mechanics.

Evil Nun: The Broken Mask is a reminder that even the most terrifying settings cannot compensate for stale gameplay. While it may not be a masterpiece, it carves out a niche as a serviceable, if forgettable, horror diversion.